Your Dog’s Name is SO Important!

 by Niki Tudge

Name Recognition is the first component of a recall or most behaviors we ask our dog to perform. If name recognition is correctly trained then it can be used to break the dog’s projection before the recall cue or to gain the dog’s attention before we ask him to sit, stay, down or other cue. Your dog should "snap back" to look at you when he hears his name. His name should be music to his ears. 

 If you have used your dogs name in vain then you may have poisoned the name - response . Test your dogs name response. Start in the house and then in environments with more distractions, see how it fares!

 

 If you want to teach a fabulous name-response then here is where it all begins

Criteria 1 Attracting the dog to look at you indoors

 Make happy noises and encourage your dog to look at you

• As soon as the dog responds (yes) or (click), have the dog collect his reinforcement from you
• Repeat 5 times and move to the next criteria if you have 4 or 5 successes

 If you score 4 or 5 correct behaviors out of a set of 5 trials then move to the next criteria. If you are not successful at this criteria then you need to focus on some relationship exercises (name game, hand feeding, play and fun). 

 Most pet dogs will look at their owners if happy noises are made to attract them in a low distraction environment.

  Criteria 2 Using the dog’s name indoors

•  Make happy noises and say your dog’s name as he turns his head toward you
• TIP:  Have little bowls of treats in different rooms of your house so out of nowhere you can say your dog’s name, (yes) or (click) when they respond
• As soon as the dog looks at you (yes) or (click) have the dog collect his reinforcement
• Repeat 5 times and move to the next criteria if you have a 4 or 5 successes at this criteria

 

Criteria 3 Use the dog’s name in your house

• As soon as the dog looks at you, (yes) or (click) and have the dog collect their reinforcement
• Repeat 5 times and move to the next criteria if you have 4 or 5 successes at this criteria

 Criteria 4 Use the dog’s name in your back yard with no distractions

•  As soon as the dog looks at you, (yes) or (click) and have the dog collect his reinforcement
• Repeat 5 times and move to the next criteria if you have 4 or 5 successes at this criteria

 Criteria 5 Use your dog’s name in your front yard

•  As soon as the dog looks at you, (yes) or (click) and have the dog collect his reinforcement
• Repeat 5 times and move to the next criteria if you have 4 or 5 successes at this criteria 

 

Criteria 6 Name Recognition with small distractions outdoors (The Premark Principle)

•  Make happy noises and encourage your dog to look at you while somebody else is trying to get your dog’s attention 3-ft. away using just their hands and voice
• As soon as the dog reaches you, (yes) or (clicks), then the other person also joins you in reinforcing the dog

 The lesson we are teaching is that if the dog gives up attention from somebody else, they get huge reinforcement by coming to you.

•  Repeat 5 times and move to the next criteria if you have a 4 or 5 successes at this criteria
• Add in more distractions and do this in new environments until you have a reliable ‘look’ when you say the dog’s name

 

 Happy "Name Game" Training