To cue or not to cue: that is the question I’d encourage more people to ask. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of a distracted dog, or to take treats against a sea of troubles and by training end them. 

Like many of you, I used to say the cue out loud simultaneously as I was training the behavior. I would say “dooooooooown” as I lured my dog to lay down and then repeat the word many times while I was training it. What’s wrong with this method? It gives the dog imprecise information, and in turn the dog will give you imprecise behavior. The dog has to guess what “doooooooown” really means.

Let’s say you are learning a new language. Your teacher, wanting to teach you the new word for “phone”, takes you to a cell phone factory. As you walk through the factory, your teacher points to all of the components, one by one, and says “phone” in the new language. As you exit through the gift shop, your teacher points at a cell phone under cellophane, gives you a big smile, and says “phone” in the new language. How would you determine if the new word for phone meant walking through the factory, the materials, or the end product? 

The same thing is happening to your dog when you say the word while you are in the process of teaching the behavior. So what is a cue, and what do we want the dog to understand? 

A cue is a discriminative stimulus that tells your dog a reward is available after the correct response is given. A cue is a distinct signal in the dog’s environment giving her an opportunity to earn a reward for performing the correct behavior. In order for the dog to associate the cue with the correct behavior, we must not introduce the cue until after the dog has achieved the final behavior. So next time you’re training your dog, zip it! Stay quiet while you train so it’s easier for your dog to recognize the discriminative stimulus, i.e. your verbal cue, when you’re ready to name that behavior! 

Before, I would say “dooooooown” as I bent over. But now, I wait to say “down” until after I have the final behavior paired with my final visual signal. Once my dog has connected the dots and lays down 8 out of 10 times when I give my final hand signal, then I am ready to introduce the verbal cue, “down”. I say it, pause, then show the hand signal. Once the dog lays down, I feed her while she is laying down. 

To cue or not to cue? Once your dog understands the cue, when should you use it? Use the cue whenever you have your dog’s undivided attention. It takes time and talent to teach your dog to properly respond to cues around distractions. For that, I highly encourage you to work with an experienced force-free trainer. A thorough understanding of behavior science is a must; knowledge of Shakespeare’s sonnets is optional.