Obedience: Using a Dog's Name by Dean Burton

Unlike humans, dogs associate verbal communications directly and without context. For this reason, we can be extremely confusing to our pets by associating their name with a myriad of different desired responses.

In order to produce a desired response from calling a pet's name, it is important to be consistent with how it is being used. Dogs create strong associations with many things, like sticks, balls, food bowls, or leashes.

Almost every dog gets excited be the sound of their leash, and we all know why. They're going for a walk! Similarly, dogs develop very strong associations from verbal cues, but if they are confused by the usage of certain words they might not know how to respond. Think about all of the ways your pet's name is used on a daily basis. This might include "Stay, Fido, Stay", "Fido Sit," "Fido NO," "Fetch Fido," or "Come, Fido!" All of these commands and many more like them have very different meanings and desired responses. Dogs love to please their masters, but if they are unsure about what is expected of them, they are extremely unlikely to respond correctly.

How many dog owners have you heard screaming their dog's name, while Fido is trotting along, ignoring their owner completely? This is probably because the dog is either unsure that their owner is trying to communicate with them, or perhaps they have a bad connotation with their name. If a dog hears its name dropped in conversation or used casually all of the time, it becomes desensitized to it and might even think it doesn't have anything to do with them. Also, many owners give their dogs the impression that their name means they are in trouble. "Fido, STOP!" tells the dog that their name is a reprimand.

Most people want dogs to come when they call their names, and in order to accomplish this, several things must be consistent. First, their name should be associated with pleasant things like food, treats, belly rubs, and toys. Instead of using a dog's name during a reprimand, you should use specific single salable words to communicate, like "Stop." "No," and "Down." Coming to an owner should be joyful to a dog, and keeping their name associated with positive things is half the battle. Rewarding a dog for coming to its name will also make a noticeable difference. If a dog knows it will receive a treat every time they come to their master, they will initially come for the treat, but eventually they will associate their name so strongly with returning to their master that they will do it without a treat. This, accompanied with emotional praise, will strongly influence dogs to respond well to their names.

It is important to remember that K-9 brains are much simpler than ours and cannot associate words in context, causing owners to confuse their pets. Be consistent, only associate a dogs name with the right things. Not only will it make leaving the park much easier, it might even save its life.

Dean Burton is the owner of MyDreamPuppy.com, a leading online petfinder service provider. You can find a variety of puppies for sale and adoption that would be great for families or personal companionship. For more information, please visit MyDreamPuppy.com.