Six Little Pieces

Six Little Pieces… it sounds like a self help book. Or a philosophy for living minimally. Maybe even part of a recipe for dinner? But nope, it is actually a phrase that became our mantra during a past summer’s Nosework class. “Six little pieces!” Then counting out “One, good dog... two...three, what a rockstar...four, oh just excellent...five...six, super!” while doling out morsels to an eagerly awaiting pup. Eyes big with anticipation, tail wagging, not believing his luck!

Are we just spoiling this happy pup? Teaching him the world is all about eating as much as you want? Of course not - we’re specifically rewarding hard work with a worthwhile reward.

This is less about the actual delivery of specifically six pieces of food, and much more about making the reward meaningful by the duration and our involvement. Think of it as “five pennies is worth more than a dime.” The size of the actual piece of food reward is less important than how many and over how long. As much as your dog enjoys a big hunk string cheese - they’d prefer you delivering kibble one at a time while praising what an amazing job they’ve done over a solid ten seconds, then you just nonchalantly handing them cheese. Toy rewards have duration built in throughout the toss, catch, and tug engagement from you when brought back.

Patrick alerted to odor source, under the chair, during Nosework class - now excited for the payoff!

When asking a dog to do something difficult, we need to be sure we are rewarding accordingly - especially in early training. If my dog does a down on cue for the first time, and I passively tell them ‘good dog’ then move on, the likelihood of getting another down on cue isn’t very high. If I reward with a piece of roasted chicken - that likelihood goes up quite a bit. If I reward with lots of praise, some food and play - well then my dog is going to starting offering lying down, trying to go even faster, and being happier about it when asked! We’re over simplifying here, but what we’re doing is teaching our dogs that the behavior itself is rewarding, because of the anticipation of reward. Make them think ‘why the heck wasn’t I just doing this the whole time? This thing is AMAZING!”

When you have higher motivation to work by clear rewards, we can eventually ask for more behaviors in a row over a longer period of time, without losing focus. Meaningful rewards and praise build your dog’s confidence when they’ve worked hard for it (note: we don’t use these as bribes, they are rewards for behavior). A dog confident that they can figure out the right answer tries harder, even under distractions. When the game of obedience itself becomes fun, you will be able to vary how often, and what kind of rewards you give your pup.

Why I Don’t Use Commands in Dog Training

Kai in a down, because the first three times I threw the ball, I asked him to ‘down’ first. And rewarded with a throw. Then it became a fun game to anticipate the ‘down’ cue, for me to throw the ball again.

Nope, I don’t use commands when I’m training my dogs.

But no, my life isn’t overrun with chaotic dogs destroying the house or running away over here. And they know how to walk on a loose leash, to stay close when off leash. They adventure with me hiking in the forest in the desert, they can hang out at a coffee shop, and they share space around valuable toys or bones. They even compete in obedience - where precision, focused heeling, sits, downs and retrieves are judged for speed and precision. So yes, they know plenty of words and hand signals.

Ok, so maybe I’m just being a stickler for semantics here. While I don’t use commands, I do use cues - and lots of them. And maker words, also so many of those. 

Cues, though, aren’t commands. A command has a connotation that it *WILL* happen every time. But I’m not a drill sergeant micromanaging my dogs’ lives (wow, that would take way too much energy), and they aren’t computers ready to instantly comply. You can input a command on a computer, and it will execute every time. Because it’s been programmed. It’s a machine. 

Dogs, though, aren’t computers. I can’t program a sit during a training session in my living room on Monday, and expect my dog to sit exactly the same on a walk on Wednesday, or at Home Depot next weekend, or even again in my house in a year if we haven’t practiced it.

The word ‘sit’ is just one part of what a dog takes in when they’re learning. It’s the verbal cue. Your dog is also learning where they are, if you have treats in your hand, if you’re standing facing them, and every little detail. Your dog is learning skills in a much bigger context than just the words you’re saying. 

One ear up to better listen for cues and markers is ideal.

The word ‘command’ implies that there will be quick compliance. But a dog doesn’t *have* to do something just because a word was said. A computer does the command. My car goes when I push on the gas pedal. Your dog does the skill reliably based on what they understand as potential rewards, consequences, and how much they’re conditioned to enjoy it. My dogs come when I say ‘come!’ because they learned when I say that word, they can chase me for treats or a toy. And that I’m leaving the area - they don’t want to be left behind.

So, nope, I don’t use commands. I don’t assume my dogs will respond to a word itself. I have to take into account the greater picture. Their emotional state. What else is happening in the environment. My tone and body language. Our history of practicing with that word. Our words have a connotation behind them that shapes our views, biases, and behaviors. Semantics matters

As the humans asking our dogs to live in our human world and on our schedule, it’s up to us to think critically about the bigger picture of how our dogs learn and perceive the world. 

With some initial semantics out of the way, let’s start out our blog series on cues! The incredible advantage of how much our dogs take in when they learn means we can turn the environment, and even their triggers, into cues to behaviors. Stay tuned and follow along to advance your training to be clearer and more efficient so we can build our best partnerships together.