Cue

How it works

Technically it is a discriminative stimulus: it does not make a behavior happen, it signals that performing the behavior is currently worth something. That is why a cue only works once the behavior itself is reliable, and why adding a word too early usually produces a dog who knows the word and not the behavior. The term is preferred over command because it describes what is actually happening, which is information rather than instruction.

What it looks like

A dog is offering a reliable sit before the word sit is ever used. The word is then said just before the dog sits, over many repetitions, until the word alone produces it.

Commonly confused with

Marker word

A cue comes before a behavior and asks for it. A marker word comes immediately after and tells the dog that what they just did earned something. Using one word for both jobs is a common and confusing mistake.

Related terms

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