While I fully agree that an emergency DOWN is a very good thing, in some
situations, a huge bellowing NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO covers all bases too. It's
what I tend to use with other people's dogs rather than my own
(especially since there aren't a lot of situations where I require it of
my own), but it can be impressive.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

Matt said:


I'm the "Dog Shouterer (tm)"

Ha! I love it, and may steal it for future usage. ;-)

when situations quickly develop,
especially among multiple dogs. A timely bellow can serve as a
wonderful distraction or aversive.

Yup. And it's well worth training a response to it, since bellowing tends
to be the most natural/instinctive response in emergency situations.... not
to mention that if one happens to have high-prey-drive dogs, a bellow may be
the only sound that actually reaches their brains in certain circumstances.

The latter being something, as I've mentioned before, that caused problems
in my first agility class; the instructor Just Didn't Get It that A) when a
coonhound mix who normally has good attention suddenly drops his head,
sniffing, and beelines for a woodpile, said dog is NOT "stress sniffing",
but hunting, and B) that bellowing the dog's name to get his attention under
those circumstances doesn't automatically mean the handler's angry with the
dog.
Fortunately, by the time I was training Rocsi six years later, she'd gotten
that figured out. :-D



My emergency down is different from that. It's not a correction
or aversive - it's a command to which I require immediate
compliance. I proof it everywhere - both verbally and with body
signs, close by and at a distance.

I've never trained for that, but may consider it with a future dog.
Although Rocsi did have a very fast and compliant down, since she considered
it a fun trick just like flipping, jumping, and rolling over.

Matt,
That would be me. I am also the Dog Shouterer. The all encompassing
magic word at my household is "Wait". It works for a variety of
situations and definitely qualifies as my emergency command.


Be Free.....Judy