Talk Fido!!!
This short guide will teach our k-9 friend how to speak when spoken to. I've broken down the process into steps and made it as easy as possible so anyone can do this!
Teach your dog to speak!
Teaching your dog to speak is a fun trick that you can use to entertain and teach your friends, as well as get your dog to speak on command.
It’s not a difficult trick to teach, but it does require some patience and consistency on your part. The following steps will help you train your dog so that they can pass the test of speaking for one minute without hesitation or repetition:
Call out "speak" in a happy tone of voice at least three times daily until the dog responds with an attempt at speech (in other words, tries saying something). Don't be surprised if this takes several days or even weeks! If you have more than one dog, try different voices and tones until they respond consistently with an attempt at speech.
Once they start acknowledging when spoken to by repeating what was said in their unique way (this may include making noises such as barking), move on to step 3 below - otherwise, keep practicing!
Then, get a tiny treat like a piece of cheese or a hot dog. The amount should be small enough that your dog can eat it quickly and still be hungry for more.
Put the treat before your dog's nose and let them smell them for a few seconds. Then give it to them! Your dog may need help opening their mouth if they are hesitant about taking the treat from you (which is fine). If you want to encourage this behavior, say "Speak!" as soon as they open their mouth to eat the food; you can also touch their lips with your finger when they do so that they associate speaking with getting rewards from you later.
When your dog barks, give him the treat. Remember only to reward the bark after the command has been provided, or else we are reinforcing negative behavior. Do this in combination with the steps above to continue training.
Please wait until your dog has barked and is quiet before you reward him. Again, this will help keep the focus on the command and not confuse them with bark to get a treat mentality.
DO NOT REWARD YOUR DOG UNTIL HE HAS BARKED!
Start to practice with your dog in different environments. For example, try it in a quiet room where the sound is more contained; then try outside on a lawn or in an open field without background noises, and your voice carries further.
The more you practice this step, the better your dog will become at speaking. Try adding some variety and changing the words you say occasionally so that it doesn't get boring for either party!
Conclusion
Teaching your dog to speak is a fun and rewarding experience. Your dog will soon be barking like crazy, and you'll have so much fun! You can combine this with other commands, such as sit, which can also be found here.
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