Dog Training: Understanding Poisoned Cues

Adrienne is a certified dog trainer, former veterinary assistant, and author
of the online dog training course “Brain Training for Dogs.”

If you’re looking to deal with (or learn about) poisoned cues, you’ve come to
the right place.

Understanding Poisoned Cues

What is a poisoned cue? Karen Pryor, in her book Reaching the Animal Mind ,
explains ”a poisoned cue occurs when a dog associates unpleasant things with
a cue.” Cues are most commonly verbal commands we give to our dogs; however,
there are many other cues dogs respond to, such as body movements, scents, and
sounds. Cues, therefore, precede behaviors and virtually tell the dog what to
do next.

There are a plethora of examples of how dog owners may involuntarily poison
their cues and then end up wondering why their dogs are no longer responding
to them. As a dog trainer, I often hear dog owners making claims such as
”Rover used to always come when called, but lately, he is being extra
stubborn or lazy,” or ”Maggie no longer does her sits; I think she is
testing me.” However, there are many factors at play in a dog’s mind that
have nothing to do with her being stubborn or lazy, and at times, all it takes
to solve the issue is a closer look into what really happens in a dog’s mind.

The Recall: The Most Poisoned Command Out There

In my experience, one of the most poisoned cues in the dog training world is
the word ”come!” or whichever command is used to call a dog. There is a
myriad of examples of how easily a come command may be ruined irreparably.

For instance, dog owners at the dog park most likely call their dogs when it
is time to leave. The recall command, therefore, becomes poisoned when the dog
starts to associate being called with having the leash snapped on and going
home. The same goes with owners who call their dogs to only subsequently
engage them in tasks they may dislike, such as nail clippings, baths, ear
cleanings, and so forth.

It comes as no surprise, therefore, why Rover may no longer want to come when
called when he most often gets an unpleasant surprise. He may consequently
appear to be ”lazy, stubborn, or disobedient ” in the dog owner’s eyes when
all he is doing is trying to protect himself from undesired happenings.

Other Potentially Poisoned Commands

There are, of course, many other poisoned commands, and at times, they may
also degenerate due to physical ailments.

For instance, a dog suffering from arthritis may start becoming reluctant to lay down on command due to pain, and day after day, it may resent being asked this command.
A dog who is repeatedly asked to sit while the owner unknowingly leans forward may become hesitant to comply simply because it feels intimidated by such posture.
The same goes with a dog asked to sit by pushing down on its rump or a dog asked to heel may if the command is followed by a leash tug.

All these examples show how a command, which in the initial stages of learning
was perceived as pleasant because it was followed by treats or praise, has now
become ”unpredictable” and ”ambiguous” because it is followed by something
unpleasant.

Dog trainers have a keen eye when it comes to recognizing poisoned cues, and
it goes far and beyond seeing hesitancy or refusal. There are several signs
that an untrained eye may fail to recognize, such as subtle stress signals and
displacement behaviors.

How to Recuperate a Poisoned Command

The poisoned cue can be easily solved by simply renaming it and refreshing it
with a few training sessions. For instance, if a dog has learned that ”come”
often means ”time for bath time,” you are better off teaching a whole new
command that still means ”come near me” but has a positive new twist. You
may, therefore, try using ”over here!” said in a happy tone of voice and
followed by something the dog likes. This means giving a dog a treat, playing
with him, praising him or giving him a nice scratch.

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But what should an owner do when it is time to go home from the dog park or
have to actually give the dog a bath? Calling your dog in these circumstances
using ”over here!” will likely become poisoned as well! The solution is to
call your dog, praise your dog for coming and then briefly engage the dog for
some time in something it likes. If at the dog park, therefore, this may mean
playing some tug-of-war before snapping the leash on and then walking a lap
around the park before leaving.

In the case of bath time, you would call your dog ”over here!” in a happy
tone of voice and allow him to eat a small pile of treats before you carry him
to the bathtub. This helps ”break” the association so the ”over here” cue
is no longer associated with something unpleasant. Of course, to go to the
root of the problem, it would be even more helpful to find a way to make bath
time fun in the first place!

As seen, not all is lost when a cue becomes poisoned. Thankfully, dogs are
forgiving creatures that promptly bounce back, swiftly recovering from the
damage done. Happy training!

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It
is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription,
or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional.
Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a
veterinarian immediately.

Comments

mwerner on May 24, 2014:

Athank you for opening my eyes. perhaps now my preciuos dog will have more
than a iceburgs chance in hell to not only survive but be emotionally healthy
. what for me to stumble upon everything , id rather be emmbarrassed by my
ignorance than cheat him out of the gift he isdd Your Comment…

qingcong from Virginia on March 23, 2013:

Good stuff. I didn’t see this before I wrote my article on the delicate art of
commands, but there’s a lot of similar info.

Adrienne Farricelli (author) on January 15, 2013:

Thanks for stopping by Kingkos, best wishes!

kingkos on January 15, 2013:

nice hub! thanks for the tips about how to Recuperate a Poisoned Command