Putting Behaviors on Cue

Reward based trainers only add cues and verbal releases to behaviors when we are 80% certain the dog will do the behavior in the form we want it. If you put a cue on a lesser version and then teach a better way to do it, when you cue for the behavior, the dog won't know which you want. If you have already put a cue on a lesser version, then put a new cue on the improved version.

Clicker trainers use the term "cue" instead of the traditional obedience term "command" as a contrast between positive reward based training and compulsion training. A "cue" is a signal to the dog to do something to earn reinforcement; while a "command" is an order or directive, with an implied "or else" to it.

Usually the dog has already picked up a subtle hand/body cue and we are only adding a verbal cue. The cue is a word that you will use consistently to tell the dog that this is the time to perform the behavior. It helps if the cue is something easy for you to remember.

• The cue word must be short and used consistently. It need not be related to what the dog is to do. For instance, you could use "howdo" for a handshake instead of the usual "shake" cue. In this case the cue could be used in part of a sentence, such as "How do you do", making your dog look very smart.
• The cue should have a distinctive sound that is unlike other cues. For instance, "down" and "bow" sound a lot alike.
• You cannot have more than one behavior for one cue, but...
• You can have more than one cue for a behavior. So you could teach multiple cues for a behavior, maybe in other languages, to show that your dog is "multi-lingual".
• An easier way to accomplish this is to teach your dog to respond to a very subtle hand/body cues... and then he only needs to know that one cue and you can have any number of languages that he "knows" without additional training.
• Also teaching hand/body cues allows you to let a child or another person have the illusion that they are getting the dog to do something, while you are actually cueing the dog.
• The verbal release cue is used to tell the dog that he is finished for the moment and can move out of the position. We want to tell the dog when he is finished rather than let him decide for himself. Choose a word that you don’t use much in casual conversation, such as "OKAY" or "FREE" said in a bright, cheery voice.

How to put behavior "on cue"

In this process I say "between 5 and 30 times" repeatedly. In the beginning when you add cues to behaviors, you will need to do it 30 times. Then as you add cues to more and more behaviors, your dog will understand the process and it will take less and less repeating. You can add additional cues by saying the new cue before saying the old cue.

Gimme here: I was taught in class to go to my matt and lay down when my person said "matt". One day the instructor asked if I could be a demo dog. I love to show off, so my person said "yes", but she didn’t know exactly what the demo would be. First we showed the class that I knew "matt". Then our instructor played a doorbell sound on her computer right before my person said the cue. The third time this happened, I headed right for the matt, because I knew what was coming next. I’m very smart. I’m just saying.

• Begin by saying the cue just as your dog does the behavior. ONLY SAY THE CUE ONE TIME! After you have used the cue in this way between 5 and 30 times, then -
• Start saying the cue as your dog starts the behavior. After you have used the cue in this way between 5 and 30 times, then –
• Now start saying the cue just before your dog starts the behavior. After you have used the cue in this way between 5 and 30 times, it is time to test your dog to see that she knows the cue.

To test, give the cue before your dog is thinking of doing the behavior and if she does the behavior within a couple seconds, then you know she understands that hearing the cue means it’s her chance to win a treat. If not, repeat the process of attaching the cue.