Cue Words
Cue words are verbal instructions that enable your puppy to identify what action you would like — for example, “sit,” “leave it,” or “down” — once you have taught him the correct cue command association.
Cue words shouldn’t be introduced immediately. Your puppy first has to respond correctly or he won’t be able to associate the command with the action. Initially, your puppy is simply following the food lure, but with practice, he will start to link the hand movement with the action. When he is at this stage, you can start teaching the command without holding the treat, but moving your hand in the same way as you did when you held the treat (this has become a hand signal).
Once the response is 99 percent predictable, you can add the cue word–the command or name of the response, such as “sit, “down,” or “stand.” However, using the cue word before the response is established just teaches your puppy that the cue is meaningless. Never use cue words until you are virtually certain you can get the required response. Then the order is cue word with hand signal/response/click-and-treat.
The whole family must be absolutely consistent in the use of cue words. One way to achieve this is to draw up a puppy dictionary sheet and make sure everyone keeps it updated and refers to it constantly. It doesn’t actually matter what cue word you use. You could say “sausage” instead of “sit” and “doughnut” for “down,” and the puppy would still respond correctly—just so long as the same word is used by everyone involved.
Make sure your cue word is clear but quiet, especially if your puppy is beside you (a dog’s hearing very acute), and that it sounds the same each time it is used. Never use the cue word in anger. Once you have your puppy’s attention, use the cue word once—and once only. If he doesn’t respond, it is probably because he does not yet understand the cue word. Repeating the cue word and—worse still—saying it over and over in ever-increasing volume ensures that your puppy only responds to the tenth command shouted loudly!
It may take 60 to 100 tries before your puppy reliably associates the cue with the response. Once a response is learned and on cue—that is, your puppy is responding to a command—it is important that you no longer reinforce random performances of that action (such as sitting), but only reinforce it when you have asked for it.
Play games with your puppy, so he has to wait for the cue to be given before the response is reinforced. The aim is for the puppy to respond appropriately to a cue, so this is an important part of the learning process. It is well worth spending some time on this.
MAKE LEARNING FUN!
Training sessions should be fun for both you and your puppy. Keep sessions brief—just a few minutes several times a day. Play lots of games with your puppy and make sure he has enough suitable, safe toys (such as Kongs, rope toys, and rubber balls or nylon bones) to indulge his natural instinct for chasing, possessing, and chewing (see What to Buy). Let him play with just one or two toys at a time. Make sure you’re the one who always initiates and finishes any game.
Vary the surroundings
Teach the command again in a variety of places and circumstances—at least eight to ten. But be prepared to lower your standards when you teach in a new place. Puppies take in everything about their surroundings. They often understand and respond correctly in one place, but if asked for that behavior somewhere else (or if you are sitting when you normally stand), they get confused and do not know what is expected of them. Once your puppy is used to performing the “sit,” for example, in eight to ten different locations, he will have made the connection and will understand that “sit” means “sit” whenever he is and whatever he is doing.
Herding dogs, such as this border collie, are able to learn and practice their skills through the use of cue words, whistles, and hand signals.