Teaching 'speak'

[reddog21]

I've searched but can't find a topic on teaching 'speak'. can anyone help please

[Tibbiemax71]

I taught Zana to speak very easily as she is a very vocal dog anyway, I did it by saying in a very exited tone of voice "speak, speak, speak" and gave a food reward when she did, like I said she is a very vocal dog who if you get her exited will bark, reward any attempt that your dog makes to vocalise, even if its just a wine or moan then it should eventually lead to a "woof".

For the hand signal, you kind of flick your fingers as if you are trying to flick water off them at someones face.

Hope this has been of some help

[caffiend42]

We taught Indy to speak really easily - we got him to sit, expect a treat, but withheld it, until he gave a little noise in frustration, then treated that. We also goaded him into barking - when he barked back - treat. He got it pretty quickly.

The idea for us was that if we could teach him to speak, we could teach him NOT to Yeah right But he's not too bad anyway.

We tried the same thing with Keg, and there was just NO WAY he'd do it! He'd just look away in disgust - as if he would lower himself

[MonElite]

You need to find something that frustrates your dog and the dog will bark at it, make some noice.

Mine two will not make any sound at the treat being held, they will look jump, etc but wont make a noice.

One day OH was using a cordless drill and Rex started barking at it, so we used this as the tool to teach.

Divani so far

, but I havent tought her how to speak on command as yet

[shoemonster]

Ed used to get annoyed at me if I jumped around in front of him waving my hands in the air, so I used that to teach him speak lol

[Kodiak]

My Husky barked whenever I mopped the floor so I filled my pocket with treats and taught her speak in about 5 minutes.

[rastus_froggy]

I was wrestling with my girl one day and then she started barking at me, so I used this, it was very easy but with my boy he just gets so frustrated when I try it with him, I try everything and he runs around, jumps on me, throws himself on the ground and ends up just walking off, but I will keep trying until I find what works for him.

[bloss344]

Some people use the doorbell if the dog barks when it rings. Someone at dog club used the house alarm. With Bob I actually needed to go 'woof' and that got him to bark. He tends to bark really quietly like he's trying to talk instead. The hand signal I use is fingers like a duckbill opening and shutting, if that makes sense.

[leopuppy04]

Hmm... with Leo - if you stormed up the stairs he got really excited and would bark at you - we just rewarded that but got a speak in first.

Kinta - she was harder - I didn't want to reward barking when I was playing with Leo (she barks to get me to throw the toy.... hang on.... so does Leo ) so tried asking Leo to 'speak' repeatedly and see if she will follow suit.... she did, but wasn't definitive about it. In the end I was doing some 'free shaping' with her and out of frustration she barked at me so I C&T.... worked in all of 5 mins.... it has taken me since then to teach her 'quiet' and that NO you don't need to bark *every* time we do free shaping

[Arya]

To teach speak, as others have said you just need to 'capture the moment'. Be ready, keep some treats in your pocket. Have a think about when your dog barks and try to set him up. Be prepared and when he does, say 'speak' and treat. 'Speak' and treat. Hey they get it really quickly as barking can be quite a self-rewarding exercise... as those who are trying to stop it know!!! Speaking is one of my dogs favourite exercises and hilariously, if she is at training or at a trial or somewhere and she hears someone else say 'speak', she will do it just in case someone will reward her. Can be embarrassing... LOL. Good luck! Once they get it, it pretty well sticks with them and they don't forget.

[Livi]

Well it only took me two years to get Jones to speak "on command" hahaha so don't ask me for help.

Now, much like babies, you can't wait until they learn to walk and talk then you spend years wishing they would sit down and shut up !!!

I did have a fun time recently on the phone to a friend interstate whose children kept making me "do it again" and were laughing their heads off at the way he speaks.

He actually almost talks rather than barks, it is more of a very animated whinge than barking

[JulesP]

So if your dog doesn't tend to bark at stuff, you are fairly buggered with this???

[blacklabrador]

We taught Indy to speak really easily - we got him to sit, expect a treat, but withheld it, until he gave a little noise in frustration, then treated that. We also goaded him into barking - when he barked back - treat. He got it pretty quickly.

Yep that's how Tbone got it too. Frustration

[shoemonster]

So if your dog doesn't tend to bark at stuff, you are fairly buggered with this???

Pretty much, as you need to get them to bark to teach them to bark!

[Teebs]

Kaos always talks, whenever she made a noise i just treated it and said speak.

Atlas hardly ever barks, even when pissed of about something, so he has never done it on command

[Sayreovi]

I taught Nova by actually woofing at him and clicking LOL, he is by nature though a vocal dog.

Darcy is alot more quiet and pretty much i got Nova to do it in front of him and rewarded Nova, until Darcy decided he didnt want to be left out and spoke up

[SwaY]

So if your dog doesn't tend to bark at stuff, you are fairly buggered with this???

Sway doesn't bark often, and when she does i don't want to encourage it.

barking at cat etc.

I did get her to bark when she heard this thou http://www.doghause.com/sounds.asp

There are a few dog sounds there.

She got over it in 2 seconds thou and wanted to eat my speakers :p

[ReXy]

So if your dog doesn't tend to bark at stuff, you are fairly buggered with this???

Sway doesn't bark often, and when she does i don't want to encourage it.

barking at cat etc.

I did get her to bark when she heard this thou http://www.doghause.com/sounds.asp

There are a few dog sounds there.

She got over it in 2 seconds thou and wanted to eat my speakers :p

lol remy doesnt bark either,, except at the whipper sniper, and i dont want to reinforce that behaviour,, altho kids want to teach him to speak..lol

[J...]

So if your dog doesn't tend to bark at stuff, you are fairly buggered with this???

Nice to see I'm not the only one with a dud barker.... only get the occasional low, barely audible warning "wuff" when someone walks across our training grounds at agility.... how dare they!! Does a nice "singing growl" when she's excited though!!

[JulesP]

Have just been playing the sounds....Brock didn't even wake up ;) . You have to listen to the madcow one! omg!

He barks at the farmers next door and possums but only if I am inside, the minute I appear his job is done and he stops woofing!