Dogs understand commands better when asked in a gentler voice, report finds 

Suzi Walsh, dog behavioural therapist based in Dublin.

Dogs respond more accurately to commands when trainers use a friendlier voice rather than a harsh tone, a study has found.

A new study aiming to squash the common misconception that dog owners must assume an authoritative role when training their pets, has found that their performance level decreases when responding to demands of this nature.

The research team, made up of a combination of experts from the Wolf Science Centre at the University of Vienna and the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerai in Brazil, analysed the actions of nine mixed-breed dogs over the course of 130 training sessions.

Dublin-based expert dog behaviourist and trainer Suzi Walsh said she is not surprised with these results, which she has implemented into her daily work, revealing: "I don’t shout at dogs, I don’t use a harsh tone, I’m actually very gentle."

Ms Walsh, who has worked professionally as a dog behaviour consultant over the past 16 years, reiterates the fact that dogs do not comply any better when the owner's voice is raised.

“When people say, ‘well, I have to be firm or shout at my dog’, I always say to them ‘which is more impressive — if you can shout at your dog and get them to do something or if you can whisper at your dog and get them to do something?’

There is no competition there. If you see somebody and they can whisper at their dog and the dog can comply, is that not much more impressive than to shout.

Commenting on the tone of voice used in training, Ms Walsh noted that the use of shouting is “irrelevant” in aiding the dog’s learning if the dog does not understand the training cue.

Like children learning words, dogs need multiple days of practice before they fully understand training cues and can perform them on demand, she explains.

Shouting or forcing the dog to understand the cue will not serve as a solution.

Comparing the animals to a two-year-old child, Ms Walsh explained that like humans, animals are “much more receptive to happier, higher pitched tones”, which are naturally more comforting to listen to.

This is evident in the results of the study, where it is noted that dogs exhibited negative emotions, such as notably less tail wagging when a more dishonorable tone was used to deliver the commands.

A deterioration in the dog's ability to carry out the task at hand could also be observed, with limited commands carried out correctly.

The opposite was observed when the animals were addressed in a higher-sounding, more exaggerated tone, allowing the dogs to complete the commands with ease in a comfortable environment.

Commenting on a dog's ability to understand, Ms Walsh says the animals "won't learn something instantaneously", adding that "if you get someone that says my dog will only sit in certain scenarios, that just means the dog doesn’t understand".

She explains that often the dog may be "winging it" and not fully understanding the cue, but is adamant that shouting or forcing the dog to understand the cue will not serve as a solution.

Touching on the topic of scolding, a common occurrence with dog owners when failing to learn a task, Ms Walsh is quick to say the act "holds no benefits for dog training".

The animal often doesn’t have a clue why they are in trouble."

Explaining the mindset of dogs, she explained: "You have about two seconds to reward or punish them after their actions", otherwise they will not understand what action the consequence is linked to.

Ultimately, the action will end up "wasting your time while losing your own temper".

Animals are much more "simplistic" creatures, with scolding and negative tones only leading to them becoming fearful of the person they associate the actions with.

Reiterating her points, Ms Walsh outlined the lack of understanding dogs have for their actions, "when a dog is behaving ‘naughtily’, the dog doesn’t know the difference between right or wrong, they don’t have a moral compass" and so patience and persistence is key when training.