Teaching a verbal cue; as easy as 1, 2, 3!
This is me, way (way) back in 2016 working with sweet “Roxy” on cues in new locations.
When training a dog, teaching them the behavior is a big piece of the puzzle, but after that has been accomplished, we need a way to communicate to the dog when we want them to perform that specific behavior.
A cue is a thing that is said or done that serves as a signal to the dog to perform a specific behavior.
Please note that I am using the word cue, not command, as this has been done intentionally. A command is an authoritative order. I like to think of a cue as asking the dog “could/would you…” where as a command is an order, or a “do it or else…" implying that the dog has very little choice in their compliance.
If you’ve read this dog before, or know much about me, you know that I believe all living beings deserve to be given choices over their bodies and their actions, and I choose to reflect this in the words I use when asking something of the dogs I work with.
How do i teach my dog what this word means?
When teaching our dog new behaviors and words, we need to remind ourselves that dogs don’t speak English - I know that you know this, but a mistake I see regularly is humans saying a word to a dog (such as “sit”) and acting baffled or frustrated when the dog doesn’t respond as they intended. Dogs aren’t born with an extensive vocabulary of human words; we have to teach them what these words means, and what actions we want them to be associated with.
Most of us will teach our dog a new behavior using a hand signal, or guiding them with a treat (this is called a food “lure”), but really, we want our dog to be able to respond a simple spoken word when all is said and done.
The process of adding a cue is quite simple, in theory:
Say the new cue (the word you want to prompt the dog to perform the behavior.
Give your old cue (this would be your hand signal or treat lure; whatever you’ve been using the get the dog to perform the behavior you’re training.)
Reward the dog when they respond correctly.
Repeat, and then repeat some more!
Let’s look at the behavior “sit,” as this is one most people teach early on in their relationship with their dog. We’re going to:
Say “sit” out loud to the dog - be careful to only give your verbal cue one time; you don’t want to become a broken record, and I’m assuming you don’t want to teach your dog that the cue is “Sit, sit, sit, SIT, SIT!” (But if you do, that’s totally up to you!)
Follow the verbal cue with the hand signal or lure you’ve been utilizing to achieve the behavior - be careful that you’re not giving your verbal cue and hand signal simultaneously, unless you want your cue to be a combination of the two. If it helps, you can insert a 1-2 second pause between your spoken cue, and when you start your hand signal to ensure you are not mashing them together.
Reward the dog when they perform the behavior - if you use a marker signal, mark the moment the dog’s butt touches the ground in the sit position, and then deliver the reward to them while they are sitting (this is called “position feeding” and can further reinforce that this behavior/position is a valuable to the dog!)
Repeat - you’re going to go through the above steps many times, until the dog starts to respond to your verbal cue on it’s own, without the help of your hand signal or treat lure. Then, you are ready to test out the verbal cue on it’s own to see if the dog responds appropriately!
when do I add the cue for a new behavior?
There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do this, and lots of trainers have their own preferences as to when they want to add a cue to a new behavior. Personally, I want to wait until the behavior in question (let’s keep rolling with the “sit” behavior) is reliable. This means, the dog is performing the correct action/position at least 80% of the time that I cue the position, with my hand signal or treat lure.
If your dog is not reliably moving into position, or the position is sloppy or inaccurate, you’re going to be adding a cue to a sloppy or incorrect behavior, and that is exactly what you’re going to get moving forward.
I want to ensure my dog knows the behavior I am paying for first, before I communicate to them “great, now this position here is called "sit”.”
It sounds too easy. What’s the catch?
Adding a cue to a behavior is really this simple; so long as your order of events is correct, you’re appropriately motivating/reinforcing the dog, and you take the time to pair the word with the action, you can easily teach your dog a verbal cue for the behaviors in their repetoire.
Where things start to fall apart is when we change the training picture on the dog. Training in a new location, around new or more intense distractions, training when we are in a different position (sitting vs. standing), are all picture changes that can throw our dogs off and make it hard for them to respond to known cues.
Generalization is when we teach our dog to respond to a cue (or perform a given behavior) across a variety of contexts.
This process, sometimes referred to as “proofing” behavior, involves time and legwork, and is generally the part of training that most folks skip.
The thing is, if we don’t take the time to generalize, or “proof”, our dog’s behavior(s), we also forfeit the right to be shocked, offended, or frustrated when the dog cannot accurately respond to that cue no matter where we are or what’s going on around us. If we fail to teach the dog that “sit means sit” even when we’re at the park, the vet, or there’s a parade going on in the background, that’s not on the dog, it’s on us (the trainer.) But this is a topic for another day, and another blog…
When don properly, adding or teaching your dog a new cue can be as easy as 1, 2, 3 (literally, there are three steps!) Trust the process, ensure your mechanics are clean and your order of events are tidy, and you’ll be off to the races!
(Psst! Make sure to check out my Instagram page this week for a reel on this exact topic!)
Stay awesome.
Vanessa
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Vanessa Charbonneau, is the author of Dog Care for Puppies: A guide to Feeding, Playing, Grooming and Behavior. She owns Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, employing force-free training techniques, and specializing in working with fearful, aggressive, and reactive dogs. Charbonneau lives in Prince George, BC with her husband, two daughters, and one dog.