Amber Morgan wrote 02/06/2007 10:21 PM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #128031 - 02/06/2007 10:21 PM
Amber Morgan Webboard User Reg: 10-18-2006 Posts: 1849 Loc: St. Louis, MO Offline	Quote: Connie Sutherland There was an article in Science magazine by someone in the psychology department at Yale (I think) in 2004 about this. It concluded that an adult dog of the most intelligent breeds (Border Collies, Poodles, GSDs, etc.) could have the capacity to know 200 one-word commands (or 200 indentifying words, like toy or food names, or a combination). In fact, the author studied a Border who did indeed have 200 words in his ken. I don't still have it, and I don't remember how it was studied. All I remember clearly was that it was 200 words, either commands or nouns or both. Even if that applied only to the most intelligent individuals of the most intelligent breeds, it made me think that dogs could learn a lot more than they are usually taught. Maybe someone else saved it. Thanks Connie, I'll look that up. Obviously, dogs learn more than we teach them (where the food is kept, for one thing ) but I'm not sure if that applies to command limitation or not. I'm reminded of college where I had to cram as much crap as possible into my head. I know there was a limit to what I could shove in there before something else fell out. Carbon
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Amber Morgan wrote 02/06/2007 10:24 PM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Mara Jessup ] #128033 - 02/06/2007 10:24 PM
Amber Morgan Webboard User Reg: 10-18-2006 Posts: 1849 Loc: St. Louis, MO Offline	Quote: Mara Jessup ETA - I think my Border Collie has about 75 words she responds appropiately to (a command, persons name, other pets name, certain toy). Yeah, when you actual start to think about what they're storing in their noggin' it becomes pretty impressive. I think it's very true that most dogs don't ever get to realize their potential. Too bad, because IMO, most dogs LOVE the mental stimulation of training. Carbon
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Dennis Jones wrote 02/06/2007 11:43 PM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Amber Morgan ] #128038 - 02/06/2007 11:43 PM
Dennis Jones Webboard User Reg: 06-13-2004 Posts: 3389 Loc: Richmond Va Offline	My dog at the club will sometimes do an unauthorized trick during a Bh routine. eg for the sitz in motion every now and then I get the cute begging dog sit, or a roll over during a down stay or a paw wave on occasion.
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Bob Scott wrote 02/07/2007 12:40 AM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Dennis Jones ] #128041 - 02/07/2007 12:40 AM
Bob Scott Moderator Reg: 06-14-2002 Posts: 7417 Loc: St. Louis Mo Offline	I'm also a believer in teaching everything possible. The more the dog learns, the better the bond. Where the problem comes in is when there is a difference in HOW each is trained. Think about it. Most parlor tricks are taught with food and motivational methods. No reason to train the competition dog with compulsion when you see how happily the "parlor tricks" are performed. To the dog they're both learning experiences. Why train them differently! old dogs LOVE to learn new tricks
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Mike J Schoonbrood wrote 02/07/2007 07:18 AM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Mara Jessup ] #128049 - 02/07/2007 07:18 AM
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005 Posts: 2784 Loc: Toronto, ON Offline	There's a video on the internet somewhere of a really nice Malinois that's been taught in 3 or 4 different languages, OB, play, tricks, aggression, relax and titled in sport. The only thing you need to watch out for is teaching tricks that will negatively affect bitework... like alot of malinois like to use their paws for everything, if you teach them something like "hug" where they wrap their paws around the handler, or encourage them to use their paws to push at things and scratch at things, you run the risk of teaching the dog to use their paws in bitework, i.e. "Hit the decoy with the paws, then open mouth 2nd". You can fix it but it's a pain in the ass if you spend a year re-enforcing it as a trick first But I like it when people spend some time to teach their dogs some goofy tricks, it doesn't hurt the dog n it breaks the monotonous pattern of basic/competition OB routines a little.
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Mike J Schoonbrood wrote 02/07/2007 07:21 AM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Mara Jessup ] #128050 - 02/07/2007 07:21 AM
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005 Posts: 2784 Loc: Toronto, ON Offline	In fact here's the video I was referring to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okLVkM-mQkQ&NR
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Mitch Kuta wrote 02/07/2007 08:35 AM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Mike J Schoonbrood ] #128073 - 02/07/2007 08:35 AM
Mitch Kuta Webboard User Reg: 01-31-2005 Posts: 464 Loc: Ovilla, TX Offline	My opinion is if you are capable of training it the dog is capable of doing it.If that makes any sense MJK
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Mara Jessup wrote 02/07/2007 08:48 AM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Mitch Kuta ] #128076 - 02/07/2007 08:48 AM
Mara Jessup Webboard User Reg: 12-28-2005 Posts: 2316 Loc: Offline	Here is an article on Rico, the Border Collie who knows 200 words http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/06/10/smartdog.php K-9 Knitter
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Dennis Jones wrote 02/07/2007 08:58 AM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Mara Jessup ] #128079 - 02/07/2007 08:58 AM
Dennis Jones Webboard User Reg: 06-13-2004 Posts: 3389 Loc: Richmond Va Offline	one of our local K9 units went to the trouble of teaching some tricks to thier dogs for demos. helps create awareness and funding
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Alison Mayo wrote 02/07/2007 09:52 AM Re: How many commands can a dog learn? [Re: Dennis Jones ] #128084 - 02/07/2007 09:52 AM
Alison Mayo Webboard User Reg: 03-14-2005 Posts: 471 Loc: Canyon Lake, tx Offline	Ohhhhhhhh! That video of that mal doing ob is sooooooooooo cool! I think I'd get confused in the different languages more than the dog. lol I think the more the brain learns the better it gets at it. Plus the better trainer you should become the more you train. Train away! Alison Voore Top Paw Training: serving Canyon Lake & New Braunfels, San Antonio to Austin.
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