It’s All Greek To Me: Does Language Matter? - a podcast by Ty Brown

Today I want to dispel two of the main myths I see related to dog training commands, both of which are related to the language that we use.

The first myth I see all the time is that some commands are better or worse than others. In a sense this idea is true, but not in the way that most owners understand it. For example, we frequently see German Shepherd or Rottweiler owners who wonder if they should train their dog in German. “I heard they learn better that way,” they often say. Actually, we often have owners who want to train their dog in another language. (It’s often German, but not always.)The answer I give them? “It doesn't matter.”

A few days ago I saw a dog trainer joking on Facebook about a client with a Russian dog who said that their commands weren't working because they weren’t speaking to it in Russian. We all had a chuckle about that.

But this idea is a reality: many owners think that language makes a difference. It doesn’t. I’ve trained dogs in English, German, Czech, Spanish, Greek, Russian, and more over the years, and I can tell you that it doesn't matter what language you train the dog in.

The second myth, which is conventional wisdom to a lot of owners, is that you need to use the exact same words every time you give a command. Sometimes I’ll be in a session with a husband and wife where the husband says “down” and the wife says “lie down.” It’s not uncommon for the husband to say, “Hey! We’ve got to be on the same page and use the same word, otherwise the dog will never understand.”

Here’s the thing: dogs are smarter than that. They can learn two—or ten!—words for the same behavior. There isn’t too much of a difference between “sit” and “sit down.” In a perfect world you’d want to use the same command, but it isn’t that big of a deal if you’re using one command and another person is using a different one.

As time goes on, my dogs tend to understand “go lie down” just as well as they understand “down.” Sometimes they’ll even start to understand the other languages that I train other dogs in. A dog can even learn different commands from the same person, because they’re so much more focused on physical communication than verbal.

What is important? The action that goes with the commands. This is the area where a husband and wife not being on the same page can actually cause problems. Backing up your words is what matters.

We always tell our clients about the “obedience formula.” Here’s how it goes: first, give one free command with no correction or food. Just say it. If the dog obeys that command, then reinforce with some praise. If they disobey, then follow through instead of getting upset. That might mean one of a dozen different things, from guiding your dog with the leash if he doesn't know better to correcting the e-collar if he is willfully disobeying.

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