Picking Your Voice Level
October 18, 2008 by Paris and John
Filed under Tips, Training
In training your dog, it’s important to put across your message not only with your words but with your tone of voice. Yelling at your dog doesn’t fix the problems (such as excessive barking…your dog can mistake your yelling as barking on your part!) but it can make it worse. Instead, it’s best to control your voice level.
Try to have three voice levels in your interactions with your dog:
• A soothing tone of voice. A soothing and happy tone of voice is perfect for praising your dog. A soothing (but not overly excited) tone shows him he’s doing well, makes him secure, and shows him you’re happy with him.
• A direct tone of voice. Use a direct tone of voice to get your dog’s attention. Use short, authoritative phrases like “sit” or “stay” with a no-nonsense, factual tone.
• A disciplinary tone. A disciplinary—not a yelling—tone is good to correct your dog’s mistakes (“down, Fido” or “no, Fido.”) Your tone is strong enough to get his attention and show your seriousness but not, like yelling, stern enough to frighten him. You want him to focus on the message you’re communicating and not on the tone itself.
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