Latency

How it works

It is one of the clearest signs of how well a behavior is learned. A cue the dog understands and wants to answer produces a response almost immediately, while a cue that is half-learned, unclear or associated with something unpleasant produces a pause. Because it can be measured with nothing more than attention, it shows progress that a yes-or-no record of whether the dog complied hides. Latency usually grows when the setting gets harder, so a sit that comes instantly in the kitchen and slowly at the park is telling the handler exactly where the training is still thin. Paying only quick responses is one common way of shortening it.

What it looks like

A dog sits within a second when asked at home. On a busy sidewalk the same dog looks around, sniffs, and sits about four seconds later. Both count as a sit, and only the latency shows that the second setting needs more practice before it is reliable.

Commonly confused with

The three D's

Duration is how long a dog holds a behavior once it has started. Latency is how long it takes the behavior to start at all. A dog can have quick latency and short duration, or the reverse.

Related terms