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A forum for owners of the Siberian Husky.
Congratulations Nikita, Archer, and Cheyanne!, our November HOTM winners! HOTM Will Be Taking An Indefinite Break!
Husky of the Month
Congrats Nikita, Archer, and Cheyanne, our November HOTM Winners! Husky Cuddles!
Thanks to all for this month's entries!
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Subject: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:03 pm
Ok, so for the past few days I've been trying to teach Kody and Mya how to "speak" on command, but I'm not having much luck. I get a treat, have them sit, say "speak" and then wooo my butt off like a moron (lol). I've done this several times and nothing. It's very frustrating because they're both (ESPECIALLY Kody) vocal. Any suggestions?
blueeyedghost Maverick
Join date : 2011-07-01 Location : Denver, CO
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:07 pm
Keep working. Ghost picked it up pretty quickly, but it's taking my favorite little retard Lulu quite a bit longer. I'm still convinced she doesn't really get it, but after a few weeks she's at least starting to make noise when Aaron bribes her with a treat. I really think she's just making noise out of frustration that she wants the treat though...
But hey, if Lulu can get it, I'm sure Mya and Kody can too. Just give it some time, it sounds like you're doing the right thing.
_________________ Shadow's Blog
Canine Hydrocephalus Support on Facebook
"Being the parent of a special-needs pet means living your life constantly poised on the edge of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you become a fierce defender of the ways in which your little one is perfectly ordinary — all the things he or she can do that are just like what everybody else does. And yet, you never lose sight of how absolutely extraordinary that very ordinariness is, how difficult, remarkable and rewarding that fight to be 'just like everybody else' has been." -Gwen Cooper, "Homer's Odyssey"
Shadow - 03/01/2013 - 10/02/2014
Dee&Frankie Adult
Join date : 2011-03-07 Location : So. Florida
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:13 pm
I feel like I have been working on this FOREVER! I have been trying to get him to "sing". Frankie is generally quiet. We found he and Bruiser will howl with the sound of the harmonica. So I sit there with the harmonica, say "sing", blow in the harmonica, when they howl I give them a treat and say "good sing". Frankie just won't do it without Bruiser and they sure have not generalized yet without the harmonica. However when they both see the harmonica, they come running and give me a very good sit and watch me
Jennet&Embry Senior
Join date : 2010-09-15 Location : Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:30 pm
It didn't take much with Embry to get him to do it. There's this one youtube video that he will howl his head off to, and everytime i played it i would be like "good sing embry" and give him a treat and he eventually caught on. except now he gets sing and sit confused
arooroomom Husky Collector
Join date : 2009-12-13 Location : South Fl
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:30 pm
I danced around the kitchen with their food bowls like a moron saying "speak!" in the dumbest baby voice ever and went even more nuts when they made a noise. After a few weeks they picked it up. Cheyenne especially, she used to be so quiet!
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hypers987 Senior
Join date : 2011-08-25 Location : Santa Cruz, California
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:32 pm
Kale was pretty easy to train to speak, I just had to get him really excited, jumping around and saying SPEAK SPEAK! and when he made a noise he got a treat. Now he does it pretty well, but only when he wants to or he knows he'll get something for it... These dogs are to smart for their own good! haha
Elvismyhusky Newborn
Join date : 2011-09-16 Location : Hatfield, Pa
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:52 pm
what i did was have treats warm elvis up with some sits and down... then once he was ready and attentive i would say speak. and he would look so i would do a bark noise... and once he would do it i would say good boy and give a treat. bc my dachshund knows speak. elvis learned from him. bc he kept doing it too lol. but ya just try making noises.. i mock elvis all the time to get him to do it more.
KareBear Teenager
Join date : 2011-06-10 Location : London, Ontario
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:56 pm
MelissaI wrote:
and then wooo my butt off like a moron (lol)
I laughed so hard at this my boyfriend was concerned. When I was finally able to read it to him he just groaned and said "Gee, that sounds familiar".
Aevyn isn't vocal at all. And we'd really like him to be. So quite often this is what our attempts turn out to be as well. Aevyn just looks at us like we've lost our minds, curls up and grunts at us.
26nikita Senior
Join date : 2010-09-11
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:53 am
arooroomom wrote:
I danced around the kitchen with their food bowls like a moron saying "speak!" in the dumbest baby voice ever and went even more nuts when they made a noise. After a few weeks they picked it up. Cheyenne especially, she used to be so quiet!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrj9CqAgmxI
Love the video! Willow is extremely quiet. It is so rare to hear anything from her and it is usually a very short low growl when she is bringing a ball to me.
SabakaMom Senior
Join date : 2011-02-10 Location : Virginia
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:46 am
OH. MY. WORD...! I vote NOT to teach "speak"! Our first husky spent 17 years with us and NEVER learned "speak". Sabaka probably barks more in one day than she did in her whole life! We taught Sabaka to speak to go outside... So if he wants to walk or play or potty... it's just bark, bark, bark!!
If you really want this "speaking", I think you are doing the right things, but just know that your's may be like our Sandy was and just never get it. And that might be a good thing...
SaraB Rescue Subject Moderator
Join date : 2010-09-09 Location : Deltona, FL
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:48 am
lol. Elara thinks "what!" means "speak." She was ruffing at us one day and Steve said "what!" in a happy voice. Ever since then, she thinks "what! what!" means speak! It's really funny like she's talking to you.
_________________ -Sara
SaraB Rescue Subject Moderator
Join date : 2010-09-09 Location : Deltona, FL
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:49 am
SabakaMom wrote:
OH. MY. WORD...! I vote NOT to teach "speak"! Our first husky spent 17 years with us and NEVER learned "speak". Sabaka probably barks more in one day than she did in her whole life! We taught Sabaka to speak to go outside... So if he wants to walk or play or potty... it's just bark, bark, bark!!
If you really want this "speaking", I think you are doing the right things, but just know that your's may be like our Sandy was and just never get it. And that might be a good thing...
My trainer said that you first have to teach "speak" to teach "hush." lol. It was pretty much impossible to try and get Siku to speak in dog class, so no bother teaching her to hush!
_________________ -Sara
SabakaMom Senior
Join date : 2011-02-10 Location : Virginia
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:05 am
...Well, he sometimes obeys the "quiet" comand that we taught him. I guess you are correct... If he can't "speak", he can't "hush" or "quiet". We do a little hand signal that reminds me of a shadow puppet closing his mouth to go along with "quiet" and he does listen occasionally. But here we are just a week away from one year old and he only obeys when he wants to anyway!
blueeyedghost Maverick
Join date : 2011-07-01 Location : Denver, CO
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:53 am
SabakaMom wrote:
...Well, he sometimes obeys the "quiet" comand that we taught him. I guess you are correct... If he can't "speak", he can't "hush" or "quiet". We do a little hand signal that reminds me of a shadow puppet closing his mouth to go along with "quiet" and he does listen occasionally. But here we are just a week away from one year old and he only obeys when he wants to anyway!
That's why we're taking the time to teach Lulu "speak", so we can teach her "quiet". Stupid dog goes into barking frenzies all the damn time One of these years, after numerous times getting sprayed and told "enough", she might just get it through her thick little skull. We can actually get Ghost to say "hello" and "I love you" if there is a treat involved. And she barks in a way that sounds like "I want food!" at feeding time, which she does if we ask are you hungry?" or "do you want food?" That took a couple weeks at mealtimes to get. We do the same hand signal for "speak" as well.
Happy early birthday too, Sabaka What day is his? Mine is the 20th...
_________________ Shadow's Blog
Canine Hydrocephalus Support on Facebook
"Being the parent of a special-needs pet means living your life constantly poised on the edge of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you become a fierce defender of the ways in which your little one is perfectly ordinary — all the things he or she can do that are just like what everybody else does. And yet, you never lose sight of how absolutely extraordinary that very ordinariness is, how difficult, remarkable and rewarding that fight to be 'just like everybody else' has been." -Gwen Cooper, "Homer's Odyssey"
Shadow - 03/01/2013 - 10/02/2014
SabakaMom Senior
Join date : 2011-02-10 Location : Virginia
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:00 pm
blueeyedghost wrote:
Happy early birthday too, Sabaka What day is his? Mine is the 20th...
One week... November 17th is the big birthday!
Happy Birthday, Ghost!
blueeyedghost Maverick
Join date : 2011-07-01 Location : Denver, CO
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:07 pm
SabakaMom wrote:
blueeyedghost wrote:
Happy early birthday too, Sabaka What day is his? Mine is the 20th...
One week... November 17th is the big birthday!
Happy Birthday, Ghost!
I'll have to remember the 17th. And it's not Ghost's birthday (Apr 18), it's the big 30 for me...
_________________ Shadow's Blog
Canine Hydrocephalus Support on Facebook
"Being the parent of a special-needs pet means living your life constantly poised on the edge of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you become a fierce defender of the ways in which your little one is perfectly ordinary — all the things he or she can do that are just like what everybody else does. And yet, you never lose sight of how absolutely extraordinary that very ordinariness is, how difficult, remarkable and rewarding that fight to be 'just like everybody else' has been." -Gwen Cooper, "Homer's Odyssey"
Shadow - 03/01/2013 - 10/02/2014
MelissaI Senior
Join date : 2010-10-01 Location : Miami,FL
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:26 pm
Lisa, LOL!!!! Kody woosss and barks when he wants to play, but not to go out or anything. I think that would totally drive me insane. He just comes and stares at me really serious when he needs to go out...it's funny. Mya jumps on me as her warning.
I'll just keep doing it and fingers crossed that they get it. I think it's so cute when they speak for a treat!
KaylaNL Puppy
Join date : 2011-11-10 Location : Wahiawa, HI
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:22 pm
The only time my boy Blitz howls or barks or anything is when I am eating... he'll stare at me and I'll look at him and go "what?" and he does this howl/whine that sounds like he's try to say "give me food gosh dang it!!" lol I do the same crazy stuff like howling away at him trying to get him to do it! I'm not giving up! I want a howling husky! lol It's funny because my GSD/lab that I have does a howl like a husky because he hears me and Blitz doing it
MelissaI Senior
Join date : 2010-10-01 Location : Miami,FL
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:29 pm
Mya is getting it! Kody, not so much..lol. Not at all actually. He just gives me his paw..lol.
Mya's version of "speak" includes some whining before, but she does it. It's not a "wooo" it's a bark that works for her...
KaylaNL Puppy
Join date : 2011-11-10 Location : Wahiawa, HI
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:23 pm
Awwww Mya is so adorable!!
mbarnard0429 Senior
Join date : 2011-08-07 Location : Michigan
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:38 pm
That made my day !
Dee&Frankie Adult
Join date : 2011-03-07 Location : So. Florida
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:28 pm
That is so cute. But I have to admit, I was cracking up at you in the background
MelissaI Senior
Join date : 2010-10-01 Location : Miami,FL
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:37 pm
Dee&Frankie wrote:
That is so cute. But I have to admit, I was cracking up at you in the background
I sound like a total moron, huh? LOL LOL!!! I was laughing at myself watching it the first time also! I'm like oh geez I sound like a dork...lol!!!
Hey, are you going with Frankie to the water park tomorrow?
Dee&Frankie Adult
Join date : 2011-03-07 Location : So. Florida
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:15 am
Not sure if we are going yet or not. We had an exhausting day today. Frankie and I attended a grief camp for children with the TD group and then I worked at the barn the rest of the afternoon. We have been on the go since 6 am and Frankie worked hard today (you know it's tough letting a bunch of kids love on you for a few hours). Now I feel like I'm getting sick. So it all depends if I can get my a$$ out of bed tomorrow. I just pumped in a bunch of vitamin c so hopefully it works.
You don't sound like a dork. It made me laugh because I have done that way too many times.
KareBear Teenager
Join date : 2011-06-10 Location : London, Ontario
Subject: Re: How to teach "speak" Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:13 am
lol! Mya, what the hell is that noise?!
Aevyn was napping when I put those videos on, he instantly perked up, looked at the computer oddly, then huffed and curled up again. He's not too impressed with Mya's abilities, apparently.
Still much better then he ever does. At least she makes noise. lol