How does the pitch of our voice influence the dog when giving cues? I'm not talking about the volume, the tone; whether we sound angry etc. Simply, whether we talk with a higher pitch or a lower one. In The Other End of the Leash, it says that dogs respond better to a lower pitch, which is why they often "listen more" to men. It also suggested that this could also be because men tend to chatter less to their dogs than women, so the dog tends to be more tuned in when the man does say something. Have you experimented with this? I'm naturally somewhat squeaky and find it hard to modulate my pitch. I do use a squeakier (think glass-breaking) pitch to instil excitement, or show pleasure to the dogs. I like to think that I keep my cues as "happy" as possible, rather than barking them at my dogs, but by the nature of my voice, "happy" means higher pitched. Much of the stuff I have read on this has roots in "dominating" your dog, intimidating the dog into a behaviour, and showing disapproval by using a "growling" tone of voice. So, is there any benefit in modulating the pitch of voice when using positive reinforcement? If the dog is learning that a behaviour, performed to a cue, results in a reward, does it matter if that cue is squeaky or deep?
Aha! I listened to a lecture at clickerexpo on this..... The key is consistency - the tone of the cue is absolutely part of the cue. So you have to give the cue in a consistent tone of voice. We had an example of an opera singer that was fantastic because she could chose a pitch for her cues, and more importantly repeat them consistently. So what you should not be doing is changing your delivery - you should not be high pitched when excited and low pitch when not. Be consistent. Also, I've noticed how often people give cues in a really "commanding" tone of voice. This sounds awful, I think and I've noticed how a harshness creeps into my voice when I'm a bit anxious about whether Charlie will be able to follow his cue. When I'm relaxed and training properly, I have a relaxed cheerful voice. I'm now resolved only and always to deliver my cues using that tone of voice and no other.
Excellent. Consistency makes sense and I like to think I am. Even if I'm frustrated, I tend to take a breath before delivering a cue. The only time it changes, really, is if I'm scared for their safety, and then it will come out completely different. As a way of getting their attention, though, I'm not sure that's an awful thing, as long as it only happens once in a blue moon. All the time. Even people giving cues to my dogs - which I hate, anyway, but that's a separate issue. They go from being normal and chatty to talking like a drill sergeant, "SIT!". Which pretty much never works, to my amusement. The dogs tend to look at me, then, out of confusion, and I'll ask them once, and they'll respond. Luckily, Willow and Shadow aren't sensitive to other people's tones of voice, so they don't get affected by the harshness; they just don't understand it. This is one of the reasons I prefer the word "cue" to "command". It should be the same thing, clearly, and so you could argue it's just semantics, but I do also believe that, if you think of yourself as giving "a command", then you're more likely to present it in a commanding tone. I have work to do on getting DH to be a bit chirpier when he's dishing out the praise. His cues are fine, but his "good boy"s and "girl"s tend to be a bit gruff and perfunctory. Not that I expect them to work just for praise but I think it's nice to let the dog know when s/he's done a good job, in addition to giving them their real reward. I'm working on me not handing out the praise quite so repetitively
Really interesting! I guess if someone growled at me to "pass the sugar" I would be a bit miffed...compared to a more cheerful and polite version. I have read various articles that suggest that domesticated dogs have evolved over thousands of years to recognise displeasure in both non-verbal and verbal language. I try to use a "happy" face and cheerful tone, although sometimes my happy face can look a bit strained at times, and my happy voice is coming through clenched teeth...
I remember deliberately trying to train my "leave it" cue as I might say it under pressure - not because I wanted it to be negative but just because I knew that's how it would come out when I was worried
I think I have a different pitch for different cues. At obedience training we sometimes have to go from a normal paced walk to a slow walk at heal so I always say "sloooww" in soft but deep voice. However, if I say "come" it's always high pitched and chirpy!
