Training In Silence

[sheena]

At the ADAA Nationals we ran an event where we had to run the dog, but remain silent. I was amazed how well the dog's responded, including my own. OH is always telling me I am too vocal, so for the last week, I have been training every day in silence....with the older dog that is, not the puppy who is still learning. It's working well....she seems to be keeping more of an eye on my body language & I am concentrating more on giving the right signals. It is very hard though...not to do any calls Anybody else thought about training in silence??

Edited November 22, 2011 by sheena

[corvus]

Once you get clicker training, I find I'm concentrating on details too much to talk anyway. Just clicks, no verbalising.

[UpToNoGood]

Once you get clicker training, I find I'm concentrating on details too much to talk anyway. Just clicks, no verbalising.

THIS

[sheena]

I naturally don't talk while clicker training, but I meant agility training...like running the courses. It's very hard not to make a call off etc.

[UpToNoGood]

yes believe it is easier for your dog to work when he can concentrate on only your body language. instead of focus on both, body language and voice.

but I know nothing about agility, but it sounds correct in my head

[Aidan3]

Language isn't high on a dog's list of priorities, but sometimes it makes us feel better

[ness]

Hmmm stupid question if you have correctly proofed your dog against moving on body language cues how do you release the dog off the startline when training in silence.

[Inevitablue]

I trialled a deaf dog in agility. Sometimes I think she had an advantage!

I was calmer and wasn't saying muddled up words. Lol, too many obstacles start with 'T' Table, no tyre, no tunnel! Argh!

[sheena]

Hmmm stupid question if you have correctly proofed your dog against moving on body language cues how do you release the dog off the startline when training in silence.

In the "mute" run we did at ADAA Nationals the only sound you could make was the release word, but after the dog crossed the first jump the handler had to be completely silent, no calling, no clapping, no coughing ...it was an eye opener. It got me thinking that if you could trial in silence, then when you did make a call the dog would be more responsive.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

My dog likes me to tell her when she's on the right track - so I say a lot of "yes" (instead of clicks). I could probably teach a start line release by putting my arm and hand up and cueing go with a hand flick/drop. She really doesn't need me to call "over" etc, just point.

The hardest part would be getting her attention when she's headed for the wrong end of the tunnel or straight ahead when the course goes to the right or similar traps.

She talks a lot on course. Which as long as I keep moving while she's doing it, is not going to change.

[piper]

I try to run with minimal verbals and save them for when needed. Piper used to run much better like that. Jazz has only recently got to a stage in training where I have started dropping out more verbals and she is much more responsive to my body language anyway so I'm not sure it will make as much difference for her.

[RubyStar]

I naturally don't talk while clicker training, but I meant agility training...like running the courses. It's very hard not to make a call off etc.

I've noticed your posts are usually about agility but you don't specify it is ;) So only agility people are usually aware you are talking about agility! :p

I don't run in ADAA, only ANKC, but a lot at our training club do both. They set up a course to practice for the upcoming ADAA trial and were running in mute. I decided to give it a go. I was surprised to see Ruby followed my body language very well and she even got a difficult weaver entry with no verbal prompting from me (shame she pulled out of them halfway through )

When running a course normally, I tend to use voice to call her away from an obstacle on her path that she isn't meant to take (which shouldn't be completely necessary if she's following my body language - which admittedly needs a lot of work because I'm a very novice handler), but I am not one to say "over" (or whatever command) for every jump. I think that is totally unnecessary and yet I still see people do it! Even in masters!! I will say it occasionally if I've had to call her off another obstacle to take a jump, but that is quite rare. I do give obstacles names when running but should really start reducing it, it isn't that necessary either because if they are lined up for an obstacle or jump, it's what they should take (unless called off of course!)

[Podengo]

I love running silent courses, always a fun surprise to see how your dog runs. At our end of year Xmas night at agility we do a "Silent Night" course- no talking, clapping, clicking, stomping...

[The Spotted Devil]

I don't train agility in complete silence but I do try to minimise how much I talk - I find when I do say something he really listens.

I like to use voice when he's coming out of the tunnel.....if the next obstacle is straight in front I say nothing, if it is at a right angle I call "Ziggy" very brightly, if it is a 180 turn I call "Zig, Zig, Zig!" When I say "Go" it means take every obstacle in front of you (e.g. distance challenge or straight run home) but I only say it once (I hear a lot of people say "go! go! go!'). Occasionally I'll throw him a "good boy!" - like yesterday when he did a really tough lead out pivot in JDM and just nailed it. He was so pleased with himself and, after that little confidence booster, he really concentrated and flew around the course. I would like to get rid of voice on the threadle arm but he is struggling with that at the moment. Serpentines are much easier.

Like the idea though - I might suggest it for training! It certainly shows what you need to work on.

[alpha bet]

We do lots of work fairly silent. In fact when starting people off with new dogs in the classes we do a great deal of work in having them not using voice except to give praise.

We also use another excercise where they can only use their voice to get the dogs attention and not able to pull on the lead.

When we run agility nights - the first thing we talk about is restricting the use of voice. Nothing I hate worse than listening to people yelling except perhaps listening to dogs barking as they work.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

When I line my dog up for dinner - we sometimes do a sit stay first...

So last night - I line her up, and I turn around to get something else and my hand waves forward like the signal I give when I release her (combination signal and verbal). And she takes the hand signal for go-eat - no verbal.

And I thought - I did that to myself didn't I. And let her eat.

[sheena]

We did our first ever night time trial over the weekend & I wasn't expecting much with all the bright lights, & shadows etc, so I decided to treat all four runs like training runs & decided to "go silent" (almost). I cut out all "overs", reserved the "heres" for sharp turns & pull offs, no goding through the weave poles & no "go faster" noises that I usually make. We didn't make any "Q"s but only got one fault in each run...a knocked bar (light was in her eyes), a missed jump (my fault..dropped arm), missed entry to the weaves & a popped weave. So I was over the moon with her performance as they were not easy courses. One had a jump, right turn to serpentine, cartwheel begining & another had a serpentine, left turn to jump finish. Plus she did them with a better than normal speed. Oh.....I did throw in a couple of "good girl"s along the way when she gave me lovely contacts ;)

[Tassie]

Sounds good, Sheena.

I can't use "good girl" on course with Kirra, cos that's (accidentally) become the marker for "treat is coming", and she turns in to me . And after costing us a nice ADM Q (and being told off by the judge - a friend )the other day when I spoke to urge her on, and she pulled the last bar because she was trying to work out what I was telling her, I very consciously just shut up at the last trial on the straight runs home, and she did them beautifully.