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Visual Vs Verbal - Which Is Your Dog?


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Ask your dog to sit but give the hand signal for drop and see what happens. Both my 2 positive trained dogs are dropping. My older style trained dog sits. She also sits if I ask with my back to her. The other 2 don't. Interesting.

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Jedi is definitely visual. The only command that he will follow verbally is sit. The rest it has to be his hand signal +/- verbal. I'm sure if I shut up, he would still follow the hand signals.

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It's an intersting thread.

I'm training hand signals. Our main verbal command is come. My dog watches for the drop hand signal and puts so much enthusiasm into it cracks me up. His legs fly up into the air and he nearly body slams the ground, it wouldn't matter what I said :)

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I agree dogs are primarily visual learners. I have taught Jarrah both verbal & signal independently on most of my dancing moves & signal is always stronger even for a dog like him that is solid in verbal commands.

You will find that most dogs if you turn your back & give your normal signal won't respond. However if you turn your back & mirror the signal you normally get, most dogs will respond appropriately. This is because the dog takes the "outline" of your body & with your back to them you need to use the opposite arm (or other part of the body) as that will give the same "outline" ;) .

Jules, your older dog is just weird ;) :) .

ETA - the "outline" thing is also obvious if you take your average dog & give it a well known signal in a different position ie sitting on the floor, lying down etc. Most dogs won't respond appropriately :cool: .

Edited by MrsD
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Why do you think that the other dog has a stronger verbal cue then?

Could be numerous reasons - perhaps the other dog has been taught verbal more than visual. Perhaps the rewards were perceived as higher for the verbal than the visual. Visual is easier - doesn't mean dogs don't/can't learn the verbal and that one or the other doesn't/can't evolve to be stronger than the other. It's all in the way we teach them.

Edited by Erny
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Here's another thing to try. Have your dog in a down. Lie on your back head to head. now ask your dog to sit & see what happens. I 1st heard of this 'trick' at a Dunbar conference back in 2000. I tried it with April when I got home that night. She sat strainght away. Dunbar said it was an exercise in telling if your dog knows the meaning of the word sit, & he almost guaranteed that your dog wouldn't sit because it's something that you wouldn't have trained it to do.

I only ever did it that once with April. Will have to try it with Tilba when she gets better trained & a little older. At the moment she always sit with either a verbal or hand signal, but will only drop with either hand signal & verbal & hand signal only. She won't drop on verbal only. She's 5.5 m/o.

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I just tried with frodo and he sat then immeadiatly dropped, lol.

You could almost see him shoot a sideways glance at my hand as soon as his butt hit the floor and go " hell did she mean drop?"

I have always trained using both in conjunction, but obviousl the word is stronger with him?

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Gawd, forgive me........here I go.

How to start. Been a big day.

Dogs senses. Human senses.

A comparison.

Lets say you have a small pip in your mouth. You know it is small........your tongue "tells" you otherwise...the pip feels huge.

The last "pip" your dog acknowledges is vocal cues. The largest "pip" is body language.

Should I add reply. Gawd......my addition makes no sense. The bottom line is think like a dog.

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