Don’t bark orders at dogs but speak nicely instead for better results in training, experts say 

If you want your dog to follow orders, you may assume that a strict voice is the answer.

But according to a new study, owners should drop the hard talk and talk nice to them instead.

Dogs responded more accurately to commands when their trainers used a friendly voice instead of a harsh one, researchers found.

It is thought that a more pleasant atmosphere makes dogs more relaxed, which improves their performance.

The team, from the Wolf Science Center at the University of Vienna and the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerai in Brazil, studied the way nine dogs of different breeds behaved during 135 training sessions.

Each dog participated in 15 training sessions of five minutes each – three sessions with each of the five trainers.

While the pronunciation of commands – eg, ‘sit’, ‘stand’, ‘roll’ – was standardized and always pronounced in a neutral tone, there were differences in the way trainers spoke to the dogs during the rest of the training sessions.

Each interaction unit was recorded as ‘nice’ – ie, speech that was of a higher pitch and with exaggerated affection, or a laugh; ‘neutral’ – i.e. without intense variation in intonation; and ‘objectionable’.

Not surprisingly, the researchers found that in the sessions where more blaming language was used, the dogs showed more negative emotional cues — less tail wagging and less time spent next to the trainer.

But crucially, they also underperformed, responding less correctly to commands.

Study author Melissa Bravo Fonseca said the reproachful voice can stress the dog, which then affects its performance.

“Given our results, we think that nice speeches have created a positive atmosphere where the animals interact in a relaxed way, which promotes command execution,” she said.

‘The use of beautiful speeches [also] has the potential to capture the listener’s attention, increasing the recipients’ social responsiveness.’

It is thought that a more pleasant atmosphere makes dogs more relaxed, which improves their performance. (file image)

In contrast, studies have shown that a stressful atmosphere can disrupt animals’ cognitive function and also negatively affect them emotionally, she said.

‘In other words, stressed/tense animals will not respond adequately in the sessions.

“That’s why a relaxed atmosphere can improve performance.”

While the dogs used in the study were all familiar with commands — i.e., the training sessions were tests of compliance rather than new learning — co-author Professor Angelica Vasconcellos believes similar results would be achieved if dogs were also taught new skills.

“Our results suggest that a friendly voice during training supports performance and positive emotional responses in dogs,” she concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Animals.