Cue versus command
Over the last few decades, research around canine training methods and cognition has dramatically increased. We now know, based on the latest research, that the most efficient and effective training method is rewards-based. This methodology also takes into consideration the health and welfare of the animal with which we are working, the environment around them, their learning history, and the skills of the handler.
The language around dog training has also evolved as well, and this is important. One of the main phrases that has changed over time is the movement away from "commands" and more towards "cues".
Why does this matter?
When you use the word command in relation to animal training, there is an implication that the animal you are speaking about must do the things that has been commanded or else there are repercussions if they do not. It's a very militant term and it puts the trainer into a mentality that the animal's feelings are not important.
A cue on the other hand, implies something a bit more conversational. When I cue a behaviour from the animal with which I am working, I am asking, "Can you do this?"
If they can't, I need to look at what factors *I* need to change in order for them to be able to do the behaviour.
As an example, if I have taught a dog to sit and after the fourth repetition, they don't do the behaviour anymore, I should be looking at a number of factors:
Is the repeated behaviour is causing them pain?
Has something in the environment distracted them from being able to concentrate?
Are they bored of the repetitions?
Have they been rewarded (the animal decides what is rewarding) for the previous repetitions or are they feel frustrated/bored because they don't feel like this training is particularly fun for them?
Have I as the handler done something to throw them off (I’m certainly not perfect!) - perhaps I changed something in my body language or cue that have caused them to misunderstand.
As you can see there are a variety of reasons why a dog may not be able to do something that is asked of them. If I had commanded a dog to do something and they didn't do it because any one of the above reasons and the result was a punishment or a reprimand, it's not a very kind way of training. The punishment or reprimand doesn't take into consideration how the dog is feeling, physically or mentally. Using a correction or verbal reprimand also still doesn't tell the dog what the desired behaviour is.
Instead, if we cue a behaviour and don't get the behaviour, we can do a quick evaluation and make a change. Perhaps we change the environment or break the behaviour into smaller criteria to help our dogs be successful or maybe we even just take a little break from the training session and come back to it later.
So why isn’t rewards based training more prevalent?
Although we know what the most efficient and effective methodology is for training our dogs, there is still a prevalence of methods that use punishment. It has been around for many years and it certainly doesn’t help that mainstream media (looking at you Netflix and National Geographic!) pushes outdated punishment-based methods into public perception.
In the research paper, Barriers to the adoption of humane dog training methods, there are a number of reasons stated why more people don’t use rewards based training, including “Lack of knowledge of the welfare risks, the poor quality of much information available to dog owners (should they seek it out), lack of regulation of dog trainers, and theoretical and practical knowledge of dog training.”
If you are having trouble with getting your dog to listen or pay attention to you, an evaluation from an evidence-based dog trainer can help! Rewards-based training can not only help your dog to understand better but it can improve the bond you have with your dog.