Your thoughts on German commands - Page 2

My dogs actually know both.  Most of their "formal" commands are in German.  And their "house" commands are in English.  One example is that I won't use Platz in the house, If I'm looking to have them chill in the house, I'll just tell them to go lay down. 

 I personally like the of german commands.  But that's probably mostly from using them for such a long time.  However, I don't use sitz, only because of the way I was saying it, I was making it sound way too much like platz.  I enunciate (sp?) the "z" too much.  For the blind search I also switched to a voran vs. a revier (sp?) (revier, was sounding a bit too much like hier, when additional blinds were added)  For the send away, I use an English command of "go" mainly because they were taught a "go" command in herding and it transferred very easily. 

I use German commands on the field and then English commands around the house.  Platz mean LAY DOWN RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE!  Lay down means go somehwere else, and laydown (but if they just leave and not lay down, i dont care). 

Its a lot easier, for me anyways, for the dogs to know both.

Jessica Gainer

I agree there GSDbrisko!  I was taught that platz should mean to the dog, the world is coming down on my head! LOL! 

I'm gonna train my next dog using French commands because they have more sylables on average which is good for emphasis.

It's funny in herding I was taught to stretch the commands out.   Where in Schutzhund they'll a lot of times tell me to shorten up the commands.  I think now, after all of these years, I'm finally getting it straight! 

I use a very similar method as Jessica does....  My dogs are in the house and other people in the house may tell the dog  to do something and not care if it is slow, or maybe happens eventually or if the dog releases tiself, etc.  So, for my OB I use words that will bring the world crashing down on my husbands head if he uses them. 

You may find that just the way YOU say a specific word is enough to make the dog only obey you saying it.  I don't  say two syllables on the "hier" command.  It is short, hard, and fast.  It is somehting to think aobut when you are training and how you speak.  Don't say your words any differently than usual when it really matters.  The dog is listening and looking at you and is much more aware of what you are doing than you are....  At least that is what I have learned with myself and my dogs.

Darcy

Different strokes, I guess.  As a matter of fact, I always turn "Heir" into a 2 sylable word because that's the way I was taught.!

I use German commands for formal training. However, I say "out" (instead of "aus") and "sit" (instead of "sitz") because the English commands can be said quickly and in a more "clipped" manner which results in a faster response to the commands.

There are too damned many German commands with "s" and "z" sounds to confuse the dog. I hate it in protection when a  handler says "aus" and stretches the command into  "aaaaaow-sssszzz". Geez, it's no wonder that the poor dog munches on the sleeve and is slow to out.

Actually, after watching me handle a dog in my first championship schutzhund events, one of the top competitors made this suggestion to me.

For the blind search, I also say "revier" instead of "voran", where I may easily say "voraus"--without thinking.

Well especially since "voraus" is a big no-no now too.

Pronunciation:

German is a more cut language spoken more in the throat and back of the mouth. As such it gives it a more serious tone that dogs seem to respond quickly to. English words are generally spoken at the front of the palate, and as such lack the inherent gutteral quality that German commands do.

I find that anything which allows you to say the command quick and seriously works. German, English... If you can bark out lines like a French Foreign Legion drill sargent go with that.

I used to live near Canada, learned a lot of "harsh" Quebeqois french from the truck-drivers; so I like to expand my dogs' vocab to French as well. I like the way it sounds; especially at the Canada shows *grin*