[JustSomeGuy]

I'm hoping to hear from people who speak two or more languages fluently and have taught their dogs basic commands in one or more of those languages. I'd also love to hear from unilingual dog owners who have taught their dog commands in another language. I'm getting ready to welcome a German Shepherd into my home. Currently checking reputable breeders and will probably be on a waiting list. Yes, I know I can do a search for this, and I have. Oddly enough, there does not seem to be a definitive answer on this. A lot of people gave answers (on this forum and elsewhere) but I got the impression it may have been opinion rather than fact. Many people say to "be consistent" but I speak from experience, as someone who lived in a bilingual household with a rescue dog who knows commands in three languages, I have been totally inconsistent and the dog still responds PERFECTLY in any of the three languages he knows! (sometimes months or years have gone by since he's heard a certain word and he still remembers and obeys the command). So much for consistency.

There are a few different options for teaching our dogs their basic commands:

1. English only
2. English and another language you speak fluently
3. English and another language you do not speak at all, except for knowing the basic dog commands
4. NO ENGLISH, only another language that you speak fluently
5. NO ENGLISH, only another language you know just the basic dog commands in

This is based on living in an English speaking environment. I can see pros and cons to teaching a new puppy commands in a "foreign" language (so, NO ENGLISH):

Pros: nobody else can verbally take control of your dog, good if you are trying to use your dog as protection (since I'm single, older and not as strong as I used to be, I like the idea of a dog for protection, though not necessarily a brutal military force work dog, I still want a nice mix of a friendly pet/companion and a dog who can offer a bit of protection if/when needed). Since most people in my area only speak English, it's less likely they could verbally try to take control of my dog if my dog does not know any commands in English. Also, since most people would be speaking English around the dog, there's less chance of a "key word" like "treat, chicken, cheese, etc" being said in casual conversation that the dog could hear and get excited about, since the dog's "key words" will be in another language that is not being spoken, at least at that moment, but could be later in a bilingual household.

Cons: If somebody needs to care for my dog in the event I need to travel or otherwise be away and cannot take the dog with me, the dog sitter would have a hard time, at least initially, trying to get my dog to respond to anything. The dog sitter would probably teach my dog commands in English out of necessity anyways, especially if left in his/her care for a few days or weeks.

Myself personally, I (obviously) speak English, also French after living and working in Montreal for 10 years as well as Ukrainian since both of my parents came from Ukraine. When I adopted my current dog, while still living in Montreal, he was just under a year old and came from a French family. This was quite evident because he did not respond to any English commands but responded to French. It did not take long to teach him English. I simply said the command in French, then English, then rewarded him when he got it right. I also did not like the name he came with, so I never called him by that name, and always called him by the new name I chose for him. My father, who passed away a few years ago, always talked to my dog (and me) in Ukrainian. He did not say any commands in English or French, only Ukrainian. So, by coincidence, my dog is trilingual. I don't think much of it, as I didn't do it to try and show off, it just turned out that way. I'm sure the dog doesn't think he understands three languages, he just thinks he knows three different words for each command. But, people seem to be really impressed when I show them how my dog knows his commands in three languages.

I want my experience with my German Shepherd to be the best it can be. Now that I have a decade of dog ownership experience, albeit with a different breed, I've learned a lot, and there are some things I will do and not do. I would definitely like to teach my German Shepherd commands in a language other than English while still a puppy, I'm just not sure if it should be ONLY in another langage, if so, a language I speak fluently, or include English as well. With a German Shepherd, the obvious choice for another language is German, especially if doing Schutzhund training. While I'm certainly open to learning a bit of German to teach my dog commands in German (but only if I'm doing Schutzhund training), otherwise I think it would be a bit silly or pretentious to give the dog commands in German when I could do it in a language I can actually speak fluently like French or Ukrainian, or even Russian (it's similar, and I studied Russian about 20-25 years ago, so I could at least stumble through basic Russian, maybe even basic Spanish if I tried, I studied that too back in university).

But German... I barely know a word of the language. I might as well try and teach the dog commands in Greek or Japanese if I just want to try another language to be different. Also, German seems to be a popular "other" language to teach dogs, especially German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Boxers, etc. So it may not be all that unique - if someone really wanted to verbally take control of my dog, he/she might know commands in German. But less likely in French, even less likely in Ukrainian. Pretty much a given in English, at least in most English-speaking countries.

So... any thoughts or experience on teaching a new German Shepherd puppy commands in another language, in particular another language OTHER THAN ENGLISH AND NO OTHER LANGUAGE? Thanks!

 

[Dunkirk]

Why not teach your pup to respond to discreet hand signals? It would make it easy for a pet sitter.

 

[ChickiefromTN]

My girls breeder asked if we were going to teach commands in English or German because she started working on basic commands before we picked her up at 8 weeks. We just use English.

We wanted to use the words that naturally come out of our mouths. So in a lot of cases we use words that other people wouldn't, for example our dogs know "zip it" instead of "quiet". My dogs also know more than one word for things because often times my husband will say one thing while I'll say something else... sigh. But none of our dogs have had an issue with this, they know what we mean. They also know hand signals for the basics.

I really don't think you need to worry about someone being able to command your dog. None of mine would listen to anyone giving them commands unless it was a friend they were comfortable with that we have given them to, such as a trainer.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Kazel]

I teach my dogs commands in English for more relaxed obedience and in another language I don’t speak for more advanced obedience. That way I don’t say the words in everyday conversation and I had a set of commands my family couldn’t degrade by using them.

I make a list and just play around with google translate.You can make up words to train your dog, they really don’t care. Like I was just telling my dad I could teach them potato means lay down if I felt like it.

 

[car2ner]

I use both. I'm not fluent in German, so things like "get out of the kitchen" are in my mother tongue. But when I mess up a command it demonstrates how much body language and situation overrides anything I say. So more importantly watch how you stand, where you look, how you breath. Then try and be consistent with whichever words you use.

 

[WNGD]

Exactly, Dogs don't know languages or when you move from one to the other. They learn the sound and they also learn the tone or body actions. Teach all the basic commands in English so no one else has any issues and go to town on the rest.

My dogs know "too far" when they get too far ahead of me on the trial for instance and it could mean the same as stand/wait or come back part way. It could just as easily have been "pinto bean" in any language

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Great feedback everyone, thanks!

Why not teach your pup to respond to discreet hand signals? It would make it easy for a pet sitter.

This could be very useful in situations where silence is required or helpful. I think it would be a good idea to do this anyways. I often thought about doing it with my current dog, but never did.

I teach my dogs commands in English for more relaxed obedience and in another language I don’t speak for more advanced obedience. That way I don’t say the words in everyday conversation and I had a set of commands my family couldn’t degrade by using them.

This sounds like a good idea. In the back of my head I was kind of thinking about this in a rough concept, glad someone else was and posted it more clearly. I could totally see myself doing this, as English is the language I use most often and feel most comfortable in, and would use automatically so I could use it in more relaxed everyday situations. Then I could use commands in another language when a situation warrants it.

I just need to decide if I would use a language I actually speak fluently like French or Ukrainian since it might be easier/more natural. Or, with enough practice, I could use command words in German, but again, seems a bit pretentious if I don't speak the language. Unless I go with Schutzhund training in which case German commands will probably be integral to the training anyways.

I use both. I'm not fluent in German, so things like "get out of the kitchen" are in my mother tongue. But when I mess up a command it demonstrates how much body language and situation overrides anything I say. So more importantly watch how you stand, where you look, how you breath. Then try and be consistent with whichever words you use.

Yes, I can see that happening, and I think I understand what people meant by being consistent - body language matching up with what you are actually saying. I always thought it would, but I suppose that's not always the case. Someone could say "no" with a smile on his/her face moving the head up and down. That would be rather odd, but definitely inconsistent.

Exactly, Dogs don't know languages or when you move from one to the other. They learn the sound and they also learn the tone or body actions. Teach all the basic commands in English so no one else has any issues and go to town on the rest.

My dogs know "too far" when they get too far ahead of me on the trial for instance and it could mean the same as stand/wait or come back part way. It could just as easily have been "pinto bean" in any language

Yes, I think tone and body language has a lot to do with it.

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

Many people say to "be consistent" but I speak from experience, as someone who lived in a bilingual household with a rescue dog who knows commands in three languages, I have been totally inconsistent and the dog still responds PERFECTLY in any of the three languages he knows! (sometimes months or years have gone by since he's heard a certain word and he still remembers and obeys the command). So much for consistency.

Depends on what you mean by consistency. Does any single word regardless of language, mean more than one thing to your dog, with different criteria, or does it always mean the same thing? If it's the latter, you are being consistent.

I know that some people use different cues, (can be in a different language but does not have to be) for basically the same behavior but with different criteria. And that's where consistency is important, especially if you do plan to compete in something. If your recall cue is "here", and it means the dog stops whatever they were doing and immediately runs to you at full speed and sits in front, looking you in the eye, every time you use that cue you should be expecting and reinforcing that exact criteria. You can have a separate, more casual recall word with lower criteria. I know this is done with IPO - one cue with very specific criteria is used for competition, another less formal cue with relaxed criteria for around the house.

I don't need a perfect heel, so I trained a loose leash command, I say "let's go". Sometimes I just pat my hand on my leg instead and she understands they both mean to walk with me. The criteria are different than the kind of focused heel used in competition - loose leash, no pulling or lagging, and a foot or two from my left side. Occasional eye contact is nice but not a requirement. If I ever decide to train competition style heeling, I would use a different cue since the criteria would be different. If I did train both cues and sometimes I said "heel" but accepted the more relaxed criteria for a LLW, or vice versa, that could be confusing to the dog. This is the kind of consistency people are referring to.

Many dogs know both verbal cues and hand signals for the exact same behavior, it's not difficult to associate them so the dog responds to either. It sounds like you've just created an association between the behavior and more than one verbal cue.

 

[Damicodric]

English language and Body language.

 

[Jax08]

My dogs are trained for sport with poorly pronounced German commands. I can give the wrong command and they'll still do what is correct because of my body language.

Having said that....unless a stranger has a cookie in their hands, my dogs aren't doing squat for them. They just look at the stranger and then back at me like "are you seeing this, too?".

Yes, this is all opinion based on personal experience and how I train my dogs. There are no definitive facts for your question, only personal preferences and life style.

 

[Fodder]

tone, body language, context...
they learn even when we aren’t teaching.

i train guide dogs, using guidework specific commands - hop up meaning to get back to work if the dog is slowing, mildly distracted, shows me an incorrect object or isn’t close enough for me to probe/feel what they’re trying to show me. another command is halt, simply meaning to stop. my dog Keystone has never, ever been taught guidework, yet, i accidentally use hop up and halt on our walks on a fairly regular basis... he’ll either pick up his pace, stop sniffing, or stop.

i also had a dog that i trained in Italian, mostly for fun, and when i’m missing her i’ll throw out one of her commands to Keystone just to see what he does... not always on the first try, but definitely on the second, he complies.

i’ve never had a situation where someone was able to “take control” of my dog using just language... even commands that he knows with 100% reliability, he knows that he doesn’t have to comply with a stranger although there are times when it’s helpful... like handing your dog over at the vet. he listens to his vet and i appreciate it.

 

[Bearshandler]

It doesn’t matter what language you use. Most dogs I know won’t respond to commands from strangers unless they have some kind of collateral. My dogs are trained in a mix of English and German. They specifically know to not respond to commands from other people since that can get you in trouble on a trial field. The oldest one does anyways. If you have something like a treat, he may listen but he will be incredibly pushy with you. Consistent expectations lead to consistent results. I don’t know that you need to use different commands at home than on the field. If I ask for here when my dog isn’t focused on me, the result is different than if he is downed and focused on me. That’s because he knows what to expect when he sees a certain picture. Tone and body language also affect the response you get. Once you’ve taught the basic command with one word, teaching it with a different one is simple. I don’t know about the dog sitter giving commands. There’s a limited amount of commands I expect my dog sitter to use.

 

[cmacc]

My dogs are trained for sport with poorly pronounced German commands. I can give the wrong command and they'll still do what is correct because of my body language.

Having said that....unless a stranger has a cookie in their hands, my dogs aren't doing squat for them. They just look at the stranger and then back at me like "are you seeing this, too?".

Yes, this is all opinion based on personal experience and how I train my dogs. There are no definitive facts for your question, only personal preferences and life style.

This is also my experience, my dogs are trained in English for house commands and German for sport commands...I think it’s more tone than anything.

Cuervo would look at someone like they were crazy if they tried to give him commands even with a cookie you’d be hard pressed to convince him. Olive is just learning to be a dog, I really haven’t done much with her but it’ll be much of the same as far as training goes.

 

[Jax08]

This is also my experience, my dogs are trained in English for house commands and German for sport commands...I think it’s more tone than anything.

Cuervo would look at someone like they were crazy if they tried to give him commands even with a cookie you’d be hard pressed to convince him. Olive is just learning to be a dog, I really haven’t done much with her but it’ll be much of the same as far as training goes.

I used to take my Jax to the stable when my daughter was riding. Often tying her to a saddle rack while I went to the house to do something for the owner. As soon as I would walk away this guy would scramble over to her and start giving her commands. If that dog had opposable thumbs and a middle finger..... I was super annoyed at his audacity and rudeness at first but then I realized it was hysterical to watch.

My dogs are only trained in the sport commands. I don't make it complicated. They understand context so Platz on the field is different than platz in the house. Faren would bite a stranger. Seger might do the command if I had released him to do so otherwise he would probably just strongly object to the person in my space.

I do think it's tone and body language. I always look at the big picture. Is there ever a point that someone will have to handle my dog while I am not there? Yes. Anytime you drop the dog off at the vet for anything other than a vet check. So your dog needs to understand other people to some extent.

 

[LuvShepherds]

My trainer said unless you are the only one ever handling the dog, use commands everyone knows. He said he can’t be bothered learning every language and since he also works with our dogs sometimes while training, he needs to be able to give a command the dogs he works with will follow. It makes sense. I use German commands very sparingly and only for very specific tasks. It really helped that I use mainly English when my dog had an emergency and spent many nights in the ER. He was partially sedated so he was very cooperative with the techs. They were pleased he knew Sit, Down, Heel and could pee on command. It made his care very easy for them.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

I have actually been unknowingly using hand signals after all, just not to their full potential. Sometimes I tap my hand on my thigh to get my dog to come over to me, and he runs over. Granted, this is usually after a verbal command has failed to work. After a decade of dog ownership, I've certainly learned a lot. This time, I think I'd like to get a puppy to train from 8 weeks old, rather than (in retrospect) the more challenging task of a nearly 1 year old rescue dog, who was also my first dog.

As for consistency, I'm getting a better idea of what people meant. Another example mentioned was one word, regardless of language, (or for that matter, hand signal) should always mean the same thing to the dog - and to me. It makes sense when you hear it from someone else, and I probably would have done it that way anyways, but good to hear it and remember this while training the dog.

When I got my first, and current dog (a rescue dog), I thought it would be a good idea to get dog training. That's when I discovered you train the owner, not the dog, and then the result of that is reflected on the dog. I don't know if I should mention the name, but I went with a well known dog training franchise, which helped quite a bit. They offered a lifetime guarantee, and they had no trouble coming back for a few follow-up visits. Maybe it was my fault, though I did exactly what they said, and it worked while the trainer was there. Ten years later, I still get nervous when my dog meets another dog on a walk, especially when both are on leashes. Knowing what I know now, I think there are more advanced options. That company has some nice techniques, and they definitely cover the basics. I'm certainly not putting them down. But I think they are more geared to first time dog owners. I would not want to mix two different training methods, but this time around, I would like to start with a puppy having good genetics and no previous behaviors to undo or possible unknown bad experiences, and try more advanced training like IPO/Schutzhund training, or something similar. This is not dealing specifically with English vs a foreign language, but it is a "language" of sorts and ties in.

It's always possible a stranger could try and tempt my dog with treats and not say a word. Maybe I'm overthinking or being paranoid. I'd still like to teach my new German Shepherd commands in another language other than English, perhaps, as mentioned, more advanced commands. Inevitably, the dog will learn some English when going to the vet's office, a dog sitter, other people's homes, etc. And as mentioned, there are benefits to using commands everyone knows. Plus, tone and body language go a long way.

 

[David Winners]

I use English for general OB and around the house stuff. I train with lures which evolve into hand signals which then get paired with a verbal command.

I use Dutch commands for bite work and formal OB.

 

[car2ner]

Great feedback everyone, thanks!



This could be very useful in situations where silence is required or helpful. I think it would be a good idea to do this anyways. I often thought about doing it with my current dog, but never did.



This sounds like a good idea. In the back of my head I was kind of thinking about this in a rough concept, glad someone else was and posted it more clearly. I could totally see myself doing this, as English is the language I use most often and feel most comfortable in, and would use automatically so I could use it in more relaxed everyday situations. Then I could use commands in another language when a situation warrants it.

I just need to decide if I would use a language I actually speak fluently like French or Ukrainian since it might be easier/more natural. Or, with enough practice, I could use command words in German, but again, seems a bit pretentious if I don't speak the language. Unless I go with Schutzhund training in which case German commands will probably be integral to the training anyways.



Yes, I can see that happening, and I think I understand what people meant by being consistent - body language matching up with what you are actually saying. I always thought it would, but I suppose that's not always the case. Someone could say "no" with a smile on his/her face moving the head up and down. That would be rather odd, but definitely inconsistent.



Yes, I think tone and body language has a lot to do with it.

try and video yourself. watch your body language. If you don't have someone to watch you work with your dog, videoing yourself can help quite a bit.

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

I train with lures which evolve into hand signals which then get paired with a verbal command.

I do the same, and also lots of capturing - marking and rewarding behaviors offered spontaneously. Whether luring or capturing, you'd add the verbal cue after the dog is reliably doing it, basically naming the behavior so the cue becomes associated with the behavior and the hand signal. There's no point in telling a puppy to do something in particular if he has no idea what the word means yet. And you definitely don't want him to associate the wrong behavior with a command either, such as learning that he can blow off your recall cue, for example.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

I like the idea of using English for general, everyday usage, and then another language for more formal or advanced obedience training work. In my case, I'd probably use French, or if I want something that fewer people are likely to understand (in my area), I could use Ukrainian or Russian. Or German if I do any German based training.

It seems I've also been unknowingly training with lures too! Again, not to their fullest potential, and probably not the correct way. I need to read up on the correct way to use lures and hand signals - these can be very effective. I should have been using them all these years with my current dog, still could, better late than never, as long as I can teach an old dog new tricks. But I'll start off my German Shepherd puppy the right way, from the start. That's why I'm preparing myself ahead of time.

This time around, I'm going to be much better educated and prepared. It will make my life, and my new German Shepherd's life easier. When I got my first dog, 10 years ago, the only things I educated myself on a lot prior to getting the dog, were the different types of breeds and what would be the best fit for me. I didn't really plan out a lot of the training ahead of time - I just kind of winged it as I went along.

Video recording sounds like a good idea. I'm not very photogenic, so I'm not sure I'd want to share it online even though it might help get some feedback (we'll see, maybe), but even for myself to review it could be very helpful. I've done that before when giving speeches and it's amazing how helpful it is. You notice things you never imagined were there. Luring and capturing is something worth getting on video for me to review, as are some of the other techniques I've struggled with. I can try them out on my current dog to "practice" before I bring home the puppy.