Ok, so for the past few days I've been trying to teach Kody and Mya how to "speak" on command, but I'm not having much luck. I get a treat, have them sit, say "speak" and then wooo my butt off like a moron (lol). I've done this several times and nothing. It's very frustrating because they're both (ESPECIALLY Kody) vocal. Any suggestions?

Keep working. Ghost picked it up pretty quickly, but it's taking my favorite little retard Lulu quite a bit longer. I'm still convinced she doesn't really get it, but after a few weeks she's at least starting to make noise when Aaron bribes her with a treat. I really think she's just making noise out of frustration that she wants the treat though...

But hey, if Lulu can get it, I'm sure Mya and Kody can too. Just give it some time, it sounds like you're doing the right thing.

I feel like I have been working on this FOREVER! I have been trying to get him to "sing". Frankie is generally quiet. We found he and Bruiser will howl with the sound of the harmonica. So I sit there with the harmonica, say "sing", blow in the harmonica, when they howl I give them a treat and say "good sing". Frankie just won't do it without Bruiser and they sure have not generalized yet without the harmonica. However when they both see the harmonica, they come running and give me a very good sit and watch me

It didn't take much with Embry to get him to do it. There's this one youtube video that he will howl his head off to, and everytime i played it i would be like "good sing embry" and give him a treat and he eventually caught on. except now he gets sing and sit confused

I danced around the kitchen with their food bowls like a moron saying "speak!" in the dumbest baby voice ever and went even more nuts when they made a noise. After a few weeks they picked it up. Cheyenne especially, she used to be so quiet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrj9CqAgmxI

Kale was pretty easy to train to speak, I just had to get him really excited, jumping around and saying SPEAK SPEAK! and when he made a noise he got a treat. Now he does it pretty well, but only when he wants to or he knows he'll get something for it... These dogs are to smart for their own good! haha

what i did was have treats warm elvis up with some sits and down... then once he was ready and attentive i would say speak. and he would look so i would do a bark noise... and once he would do it i would say good boy and give a treat. bc my dachshund knows speak. elvis learned from him. bc he kept doing it too lol. but ya just try making noises.. i mock elvis all the time to get him to do it more.

OH. MY. WORD...! I vote NOT to teach "speak"! Our first husky spent 17 years with us and NEVER learned "speak". Sabaka probably barks more in one day than she did in her whole life! We taught Sabaka to speak to go outside... So if he wants to walk or play or potty... it's just bark, bark, bark!!

If you really want this "speaking", I think you are doing the right things, but just know that your's may be like our Sandy was and just never get it. And that might be a good thing...

lol. Elara thinks "what!" means "speak." She was ruffing at us one day and Steve said "what!" in a happy voice. Ever since then, she thinks "what! what!" means speak! It's really funny like she's talking to you.

...Well, he sometimes obeys the "quiet" comand that we taught him. I guess you are correct... If he can't "speak", he can't "hush" or "quiet". We do a little hand signal that reminds me of a shadow puppet closing his mouth to go along with "quiet" and he does listen occasionally. But here we are just a week away from one year old and he only obeys when he wants to anyway!

Lisa, LOL!!!! Kody woosss and barks when he wants to play, but not to go out or anything. I think that would totally drive me insane. He just comes and stares at me really serious when he needs to go out...it's funny. Mya jumps on me as her warning.

I'll just keep doing it and fingers crossed that they get it. I think it's so cute when they speak for a treat!

The only time my boy Blitz howls or barks or anything is when I am eating... he'll stare at me and I'll look at him and go "what?" and he does this howl/whine that sounds like he's try to say "give me food gosh dang it!!" lol I do the same crazy stuff like howling away at him trying to get him to do it! I'm not giving up! I want a howling husky! lol It's funny because my GSD/lab that I have does a howl like a husky because he hears me and Blitz doing it

Mya is getting it! Kody, not so much..lol. Not at all actually. He just gives me his paw..lol.

Mya's version of "speak" includes some whining before, but she does it. It's not a "wooo" it's a bark that works for her...

Awwww Mya is so adorable!!