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Short answer....YES!
Quite frankly the dog doesn't care one way or the other...he knows what you are saying by your body language and their ability to "mind read". But for some reason, it makes the rest of us happy! My husband and I have conversations with ours as though they are the ones doing the talking....RIDICULOUS...but we have fun.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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No, I don't talk to your dog either.
Just kidding. I do. I call him on the phone, when you're in the other room.
OK! Just kidding!
I talk to my dog, Artie, a lot. I work from home and he's always right there, and so I find myself "conversing" with him quite a bit.
I probably talk to him way too much because sometimes when I ask my husband something and he doesn't answer, he'll then say, "Oh, I heard your voice, but I thought you were talking to Artie." Yeah, like I'd ask Artie how cold it is outside.
if you don't say "here boy " or "good boy" how do you call him or praise him? I don't discuss national events with my pets but I certainly tell them to wait for dinner, to get off the sofa, to come here, and of course to tell them how adorable and good they are. Also when I say "time for night night" all 4 of them walk ahead of me to the bedroom and get in their appointed spots for the night.
if you don't say "here boy " or "good boy" how do you call him or praise him?
Perhaps hand signals to call him and petting him to praise him.
Since my dogs are trained for hand signals, I don't have to talk to my dogs. (I do! I even ask them if it's cold outside Dandj!)
I trained them as puppys to hand signals so I could communite with them when their hearing deteriorated in old age. Plus hand signals reinforce every command because dogs are visual.
I'm glad I did it! My 16 year old lab can still hear but he clearly can't hear very well. It comes and goes. He is relying on hand signals more and more. He watches me vigilantly because he doesn't want to miss anything I "say."
Perhaps hand signals to call him and petting him to praise him.
Since my dogs are trained for hand signals, I don't have to talk to my dogs. (I do! I even ask them if it's cold outside Dandj!)
I trained them as puppys to hand signals so I could communite with them when their hearing deteriorated in old age. Plus hand signals reinforce every command because dogs are visual.
I'm glad I did it! My 16 year old lab can still hear but he clearly can't hear very well. It comes and goes. He is relying on hand signals more and more. He watches me vigilantly because he doesn't want to miss anything I "say."
Hand signals are great, but I would always recommend to train a verbal too. How else are you going to call your dog when they're chasing after a squirrel or tell them to leave the piece of food you just dropped when they're tearing across the room to get to it? It's awesome when your dog is "bilingual" in verbal and hand cues
I talk to my dog all the time.I realize she has no idea what I'm saying, but it makes her little butt all wiggly and gets her so excited and happy that it makes me happy, in turn.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alacran
Everyone seems to do high pitched, cutesy voices.
I just use tsks to call him. I pet him, play, walk, etc. But I don't really talk and say stuff like "here boy, good boy, etc."
So just wondering.
Its funny though.. he's a husky so he doesn't make any noise either... quiet like me.
I'm like you. I look at my dog like an extraordinarily athletic kindergartener who only speaks about 15 words of English. To me, if slapping my thigh, scratching behind his ear or a single syllable gets the point across then there isn't much sense in making a bunch of fuss that's meaningless to him.
I use verbal and gestural commands, and I praise him with "good boy," accompanied by something nonverbal as well, like head or belly scratches, stroking his ears (which he loves), or giving him a treat. I don't do baby talk, cutesy voices, or anything like that, though (I don't do those with babies/kids, either).
Hand signals are great, but I would always recommend to train a verbal too. How else are you going to call your dog when they're chasing after a squirrel or tell them to leave the piece of food you just dropped when they're tearing across the room to get to it? It's awesome when your dog is "bilingual" in verbal and hand cues
I never said I didn't train my dogs with verbal commands too.
i have no problem with none verbal cummunication and praise (ive worked with death dogs) however for dogs who have hearing its not the words that dogs enjoy its the sounds...they do "LISTEN" and given dogs are naturally verbal (not like we humans would assume but they would ingange in low grumbles, squeeks growls ect in play) it just seems odd to me to be "silent" around a dog...there not mute so why should i be...
even when working with deaffies i actually say the command outloud too...not for the dog...but for me! it reinforces me, keeps me on my toes and helps me out...
but then again...i also talk to myself alot too, so talking to my dogs just makes me seem a little more "normal" lol.
my dogs do react to certain words but mostly the tones of my voice, i couldnt imagine living in an almost silent word....
as a side note i think you have the only QUIET husky in the world...huskies arnt typically barky dogs, but they tend to be HOWLERS! they naturally yip, howl and call to achother and thier pack mates...
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