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BUILD CONFIDENCE WITH BRIDGE WORDS

By Scott Haugen

Words. They’re one of the most important aspects of life. Vital to a successful marriage, relationship, raising children, even your job; words are powerful. Clear communication is important to getting a point across, even when it comes to your dog.

A lot of emphasis is placed on commands given to dogs – words like sit, come and fetch – but what happens between the time a command is given and when it’s achieved can vary, and this is where “bridge words” come in. Bridge words are of utmost importance when it comes to communicating with your dog.

Bridge words are simply words you deliver to your dog to let it know it’s doing the right thing, or behaving appropriately. “Good boy” or “good job” are examples of bridge words that encourage a dog to keep doing what it’s doing until the task is achieved. If the dog is searching for a toy that you commanded it to fetch, it may be having trouble locating it. If the dog is close and working hard, repeating “good boy” or “good job” confirms to the dog it’s doing the right thing, and it will keep doing it until the goal is met.

WHEN TRAINING A dog for the hunt, figure out the bridge words you like, keeping them short, simple and clear. Dogs don’t comprehend complete sentences; after a while, you start sounding like the teacher in the Peanuts cartoon to them. Don’t ramble on with bridge words. When on a hunt and I want my dogs to start searching for grouse, quail or pheasant, for instance, I say, “Find a bird!” I don’t say, “OK, it’s time to start hunting, so go and find

Establishing eye contact at a young age is important, as it will allow you to clearly communicate exactly what you expect from your dog. Bridge words confirm to your pup that they are doing the right thing. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

us some birds …” A buddy uses the bridge words, “Hunt ’em up!” to get his dog searching.

If I knock down a bird, then give the command “fetch it” and my dogs fail to mark the falling bird, they’ll start cutting the wind, trying to smell the bird. This is where I keep offering bridge words, specifically “good girl” or “fetch it up.” This tells the dog they’re doing the right thing, going in the right direction, and soon they’ll find the bird to fetch.

When I want my dogs to come to me and sit, I give the command come. As they come to me, I say “good boy” or “good girl” (I have one of each) to confirm they’re doing what I want. As they get to me, I’ll give them a hand signal they’ve learned and say

Giving your dog words of reassurance lets it know it’s doing the right thing, whereby encouraging it to continue that behavior. Here, author Scott Haugen is encouraging his dog to pose for a photo at the end of a successful dove and bandtail pigeon hunt. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

sit, if that’s what I want them to do. I taught my dogs to always sit at my left side because I carry a gun in my right hand. I’ll follow with complimentary bridge words of praise that reaffirm they’re doing the right thing.

ATTENTION-GETTING WORDS ARE commands given to instantly get your dog to stop what it’s doing and make eye contact with you so you can deliver the next instruction. This is a great way to calm down your dog, too, as it forces them to stop, wait, listen and immediately look for the next command.

For instance, when I command sit and the dogs do it, I often follow up with a command to look. This is because I want to calm them down and get them to look me in the eye so I can give the next command. When they look me in the eye, I’ll follow up with the bridge word “goooood” or “good boy.” These bridge words keep them looking into my eyes for as long as I desire.

I started this when my pups were 12 weeks old, by holding a piece of dog food between my thumb and index finger, passing it by their noses while they sat, then holding it against the outside of my eye socket at the temple, while simultaneously commanding them to look.

Now that my dogs are adults, I don’t use a treat, but rather just command them to look, and keep them doing what they’re supposed to be doing – sitting and looking at me – with bridge words. This is a great command to get the dog to pump the brakes, focus, and regain self-control, and it’s done in a controlled manner, thanks to bridge words.

THE MORE YOU work and communicate with your dog, the more you’ll discover the importance of bridge words. Keep them short and deliver them with confidence, while maintaining a positive gesture or body language.

Bridge words are not words of intimidation, but rather words of invitation and reassurance to your dog to let them know they are doing the right thing. Bridge words keep your dog doing what you want them to, just like when we give or receive praise from other people. CS

Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen .com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.