by Adrianne DiBrog / K9 Connection –
One of the biggest mistakes I see dog owners make is repeating commands and piling on way too many words.
“Sit… sit… sit… come on, sit, I said sit… SITTTT!…”
Your dog heard you the first time. Every extra word after that first command is just noise.
Dogs don’t process language the way we do. When we start over-talking, our words blend into background noise. Instead of clear direction, your dog hears a jumble of sounds with no meaning attached. Think about someone giving you instructions in a language you barely understand and just kept adding more words. You’d hesitate, get confused, or check out completely. That’s exactly what happens to your dog.
Clarity is everything in dog training.
One command. Said once. That’s it.
This is why I push marker words so hard with every client I work with, whether we’re doing private lessons, day training, or a board and train program. Marker words take the guesswork out of communication. Think of it like the hot and cold game:
“Yes” = That’s exactly what I wanted. Reward is coming.
“No” = That wasn’t right. Try again.
When the communication loop stays clean, Command → Response → Marker → Follow-through, your dog never has to guess what you want. No repeating. No rambling. No confusion.
The less you say, the clearer you become.
This applies whether you’re working on basic obedience commands like sit, stay, and come, fixing loose leash walking, or tackling more complex behavior issues like reactivity or impulse control. Dogs thrive on simple, consistent communication. Clean up your language and you’ll see faster responses, more confidence from your dog, and a lot less frustration on both sides.
Say less. Mean more. Follow through.
The video below shows a client dog wrapping up her board and train with me. I’m asking a lot from her: multiple commands, specific directionals, compliance through distractions, and full off-leash reliability around high-value food triggers. Watch how little I’m actually saying. Almost every cue is a single word, said once. Watch how cleanly she moves through the exercise.
That’s what clear communication looks like.