No

V

Vera Hallam

Forums Regular
Mandy doesn't like the word 'No', she looks at me, then barks.
She is unbelievably smart, just turned 4months Feb 1St.
Anyone have any suggestions? Please and thanks.
 
She seems quite certain you are unfair. :biggrin2:
Now I do not know what she does as she is not allowed :confused2:

Now I'm lucky if I say "Minnie no" then she stops and I can give her praise immediately and maybe a treat.
 
Puppy's don't really understand 'no' it's a command/word you need to teach - just like sit, drop, stay. She's worked out 'no' means something different to what you intended. Best to drop the no word until she's a bit older and try something else - like uh-uh. Also may help if you clap your hands when you say it to break her concentration on what you want her to leave.

I rarely use 'no' with my dogs - it's such a short word and so imprecise that I think it's easily ignored. I prefer to use 'leave it', uh-uh or a command that fits the situation (like get down or outside or come).
 
At 4 months I'm sure Piper didn't know the word NO. However now if he did something wrong like mark at obedience (which he did 3 weeks ago 2 x) I said NO!!! And he definitely understood. Or if he broke a stay I'd say NO, I said stay, and put him back and he'd know what I meant by it. Perhaps though your pup is just too young to understand or they didn't understand what you expected of them. Keep at it and it will come with time.
 
Chris said:
I use the short, sharp "Aaaaaaaah!" sound (short a as in cat). Much more effective than no.
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That is what I always did. I was taught that noises over words were easier for creatures to pick up on. I also use hand gestures with words as they clue in. Both my previous girls suffered from deafness later in their lives and hand gestures worked very well for them to know I was communicating with them.
 
Definitely consider using a different word as it sounds like "No" is something she's learned to sass about! I'd also recommend making sure that after you use your negative word, that you withdraw attention. Sass usually comes because it's an attention-getting behavior. So I'd use your word "unh-unh" or whatever you choose, and completely ignore when the sass comes. Walk away, turn your back, busy yourself doing something else.
 
I don't use the word no very often. I use leave it and off. If Missy is really not listening I do the opposite of Chris and actually make my voice lower almost like a growl. My dad does the same thing so I think that's where I picked it up. If she's being an absolute goofball and ignoring me calling her, saying "come here" in that low voice stops her in her tracks. I've never hit her or anything like that, so I'm not sure why it works.
 
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