Two Critical Cues

Why does this blog title make me think of pun after pun? The Tail of Two Cues, don’t be cueless, get a cue! - you get the idea. Some people are more familiar with the term “command”, but modern trainers use the term “cue”. After all, your dog isn’t in the army, and you’re not a drill sergeant!

But in all seriousness, there are two cues that are critical for every puppy and dog, and they can even be lifesaving. Those two cues are “come” aka a recall and “leave it”. I’d also recommend training a “drop it” and an emergency recall.

The mechanics of both these cues aren’t especially difficult. But as with most things in life, the devil is in the details. One basic piece is that you should train a cue in three steps: giving the cue, i.e., “sit”, marking the desired behavior at the precise moment it happens with a word or sound, and following that with an appropriate reward.

You should start by making the cue as easy as possible for the puppy or dog, minimizing distraction and difficulty.

When cues fall apart, it’s often due to people not marking behaviors correctly and not using appropriate rewards and not using them properly. When training, a behavior must be a “good deal” for a dog; this is critical.

Especially in the case of “come” and “leave it”, you’re asking your pup to give up something. It’s imperative to make it worth it!