The best reason to choose nice is it becomes a great marker. We use this mark word “nice” to mark all desired behaviors from our dog. To help the word “nice” become irresistible, always associate the word “nice” with something good to to follow it. For example, say “nice” followed by a tasty treat.
How to make the word “nice” irresistible to your dog
Always associate something good following the word “nice.” Some dogs really have a high prey drive, so a toy may be more rewarding to them than food. Alternatively, some dogs prefer affection over toys and treats. There are many ways to reward your dog. Find the one that best suits your dog’s personality and associate the word “nice” with the reward.
Dogs find higher pitched tones more pleasant
Choosing “nice” is easier for us humans to speak in a higher-pitched tone. Think of a dog disliking something unpleasant; they communicate it with a low-pitched growl. When your dog is excited to see you, they speak in higher-pitched barks and whines than the alert bark of seeing a stranger. This lets us know that dogs prefer higher-pitched tones to lower tones. Nice is always said in a high-pitched tone, so it is easy to see why tone is the best reason to choose nice.
The best reason to choose nice when training your dog
Nice is a simple one-word marker that will help your dog to understand that they have made a good choice. Every time your dog gives you the desired behavior, such as “sit” or “down,” you mark the action with the word “nice” and reinforce it with a tasty treat. Your dog will desire to repeat these behaviors because you have used a high-pitched tone and made the word irresistible.
Nice is a powerful tool
It is challenging to keep up with extra tools. People always have their voice, so it is readily available at all times. Nice is powerful because it is simple to use in a high-pitched tone. Dogs understand simple, one-word markers or commands. It is best to use simple words like “nice” to help your dog understand quickly. This will help them want to repeat the jobs that we will teach them making this the best reason to choose nice.
Dogs enjoy when it’s nice
All dogs prefer pleasant ways to learn. This allows them to make mistakes that maybe they just don’t understand yet. Dogs prefer to be treated nicely as they learn the new signals for the desired behaviors we are teaching them. Just like a person learns their ABCs, teachers taught us what A equals. We can use nice to teach a dog what the command word means. We use the word “nice” to capture the desired behavior we went our dogs to learn. For example, as your dog sits on its’ own, you can use the word nice to mark this as the desired behavior. If you reinforce this with a treat, the dog will repeat this desired behavior again.
Learning to extend the word “nice”
You can delay the word “nice” as your dog repeats the desired behavior to try to capture a new behavior. For example, teaching your dog to turn off the lights. we first praise with “nice” as the dog touches the light with his nose. After a few successful tries, we delay the marker until the dog tries harder by making the switch go up or down. Once the desired behavior is achieved, we use the word “nice” as our marker for the desired behavior. This will help you begin to shape your dog’s behaviors into new desired behaviors.
The best reason to choose nice is that your dogs will find it pleasant and rewarding. They will want to choose the desired behavior as it is more rewarding to them. It is always best to reward the desired behaviors with “nice” when they are repeated.
