Today, in our dog-friendly training tip for enlightened dog lovers – Chief Cheery Officer (CCO) Kiyo demonstrates that it pays to respond to his name!
We often use our dog’s name in a way that doesn’t quite encourage it to respond to it, e.g. we use its name as a verbal reprimand when the dog has misbehaved, or we repeat it over and over again, which essentially teaches the dog to tune out our nagging voice. The dog’s name must always be associated with something rewarding, if you want to build a quick response and undivided attention when you call your dog.
In this video, Kiyo, CCO (Chief Cheery Officer) of cheerfuldogs.com demonstrates the practical applications of having learnt his name the positive way. Note that Kiyo receives his reward only after he has made the correct choice, the reward wasn’t used as a bribe to get his attention.
From: Nee Kang (2013). “Survival Among Humans. A How To Guide To A Sociable Dog”. In Apple iBookstore (select countries, e.g. USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland).