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I know quite a number of people who have taught their dogs to respond only to commands in which their name was said first.

What I'm saying is that you can have two dogs trained in the same language and still have one do one thing and one do another, if you teach them that they have to listen for their name before the command.

You're right and there's nothing wrong with this approach. I didn't want to do this because I don't like saying two words (name and command) to get a behavior. It comes from LE situations where time may be of the essence. In some situations, at the end of a foot chase I might not have enough wind to get two words out!

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And why not another English command?

Because then both dogs will (for example) be recalling. Or do you mean, use another word in English? If the latter is the case, I'll have to add the detail that at that time most of the dogs I was working with (other than mine) took commands in German so I was quite familiar with it so the commands came easily.

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I know quite a number of people who have taught their dogs to respond only to commands in which their name was said first.

What I'm saying is that you can have two dogs trained in the same language and still have one do one thing and one do another, if you teach them that they have to listen for their name before the command.

You're right and there's nothing wrong with this approach. I didn't want to do this because I don't like saying two words (name and command) to get a behavior. It comes from LE situations where time may be of the essence. In some situations, at the end of a foot chase I might not have enough wind to get two words out!

we use the dog's name as a "primer" for commands in which the dog will end up recalling, namely the recall, the out, and the call-off.

as far as the OP's question, i don't see how it would be advantageous to teach your dog how to sit sloppy and sit correctly. down sloppy and down correctly, etc. times at home when you don't expect "perfect obedience" are excellent times for training opportunities. it is just a simpler equasion to expect a certain action for a certain command rather than taking the chance that the dog will do a "home behavior" on the trial field.

Lou, and you're right in respect to law enforcement. I can understand why you would prefer just saying one word. Makes perfect sense. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I'd also add that SchH commands are one word without giving the dogs name first.
If you use a name before a command ( with the exception of the blind search ) it'll be seen as a double command by the Judge and points will be deducted.

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we use the dog's name as a "primer" for commands in which the dog will end up recalling, namely the recall, the out, and the call-off.

Tim when I started out I did this too. Then someone much wiser than me asked why I did it. I replied that was how I was taught and the idea was to "prepare" the dog for the recall.

I discovered that if I just said the dog's name but didn't give the recall command, he performed the recall. Saying his name had become the same as giving the recall command. You might see if this is going on for you. If you use the recall to call the dog off a bite I bet you'll see his bite weaken in anticipation of the recall if he doesn't actually come back to you.

Now I don't think that dogs should need "a preparatory command" before the "real" command is given. The way I figure it, the dog knows that I'm talking to him, I shouldn't need to call his name to get him to perform.

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we use the dog's name as a "primer" for commands in which the dog will end up recalling, namely the recall, the out, and the call-off.

Tim when I started out I did this too. Then someone much wiser than me asked why I did it. I replied that was how I was taught and the idea was to "prepare" the dog for the recall.

I discovered that if I just said the dog's name but didn't give the recall command, he performed the recall. Saying his name had become the same as giving the recall command. You might see if this is going on for you. If you use the recall to call the dog off a bite I bet you'll see his bite weaken in anticipation of the recall if he doesn't actually come back to you.

Now I don't think that dogs should need "a preparatory command" before the "real" command is given. The way I figure it, the dog knows that I'm talking to him, I shouldn't need to call his name to get him to perform.

Lou-you are correct that the dogs I've had that have been trained that way start to recall when just their name is used. what is the disadvantage of that? weakening the bite? why would I mind that the bite gets weaker the instant before he comes off and recalls? i'm not trying to be a wise-acre, i really want to know what your thinking is. i know you have been doing this much longer than i have so it is important to me that you know my only motive is to increase my own knowledge by trying to understand your thinking.

also with respect to one command vs. two....in a foot pursuit, you are expected to be able to relay information via the radio during the pursuit and at it's termination. if you are that out of breath that you cannot speak two words, you should have stopped the pursuit before it got to that point. i tell my trainees that it does them no good to chase a badguy to exhaustion because what happens when you catch them? you might still have to fight the guy and if you can't breathe from the foot chase, what chance do you have in a fight? i don't think one more word makes a difference in that case....

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Saying his name had become the same as giving the recall command.

Exactly Lou!

One might think about intentionally changing a cue. How is that done? You use the new cue first, followed by the existing cue. The new cue comes a predictor of the old, and the behavior transfers to the new cue.

Just because someone doesn't intend for something to become a cue, doesn't make it not so. LOL

T

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I discovered that if I just said the dog's name but didn't give the recall command, he performed the recall.

And if you train hard enough your dog is going to understand the situation and will do the command even if you say something else