A hot topic in dog training, reinforcement cues fall into the camp of “train smarter, not harder.”  Reinforcement cues are words or sounds that you use to tell your dog they are correct and give information about how/where the reinforcement will be delivered.

Benefits of Multiple Reinforcement Cues for Stays

Incorporating various reinforcement cues into your training may seem overwhelming initially, but adding one at a time is much easier.  The benefits of multiple reinforcement cues far outweigh the minor inconvenience of teaching them.  Reinforcement cues add clarity to your training.  When the dog knows precisely how and where the reward will be delivered, they will spend less energy guessing where and how to get the treat and more focus on the behavior.  

Reinforcement Cues for Stays Affect Future Behavior

Reinforcement cues will affect the future reps of the dog’s behavior.  For example, if you are working on a behavior requiring the dog to stay out away from you, you can reward the dog in place by walking to them.  You could also choose to reward the dog behind them.  Either of these reward placements will cause the dog to be more likely to stay out away from you, rather than running to you for a treat.

I regularly use several reinforcement cues when working on stillness and stays. All of these reward markers involve food. Many trainers successfully use toy reinforcement cues, but I typically use more calming food rewards to teach stillness and stays.

Efficiency of Reinforcement Cues

Reinforcement cues are more efficient than generic reward markers.  They tell the dog what is correct, where and how to get the treat, and affect future behaviors.  You can convey all of this information in one word or sound.  There is no need to say, “yes, get it,” when tossing a treat because these two words mean different things to the dog.  “Yes” marks the behavior and tells the dog to come to your hand.  “Get it” marks the behavior and tells the dog to look at your hand to see where you will throw the treat.  One causes the dog to run toward you; the other causes the dog to freeze and look at your hand.  If you toss a treat, say, “get it,” which will serve as both the marker and predict the treat toss.

Reinforcement Cues for Stays

The most basic reinforcement cue tells the dog to come to your hand and take the treat.  Most people use a click or the word “yes.”  This cue ends the behavior because the dog stops the behavior and comes to you for the reward.  When working on stays, if I tell my dog “yes,” they will get up and come to my hand to get the treat.

The next reinforcement cue I use for stays tells the dog to remain still while you bring a treat to them.  This reinforcement cue causes the dog to stay in place because they learn that you will deliver the treat to them.  If the dog gets up after I say the cue and before I deliver the treat, I simply walk to where the dog was and feed.  After a few reps, the dog will realize you’re bringing the treat to them.  My reinforcement cue for this is “good.”

Finally, I have a reinforcement cue that I use for downs.  This cue tells the dog I will place the treat between your front legs on the ground.  I learned about this marker cue from Shade Whitesel, who uses the word “ground.”  Some dogs confuse “ground” with “down,” so many of my students choose to use a different word like “floor.”  When I refer to “ground,” I will place the treat on the ground between the dog’s front legs. It does an excellent job of helping the dog stay in place because the dog knows you will deliver the treat on the ground, so they don’t waste energy by bouncing up.

Optional Reinforcement Cues for Stays

The following cues are optional, but you may find them helpful during your stay training.  Teaching the skills associated with these cues will take some time, but the time spent will be well worth it.

The first reinforcement cue is “dish,” which tells the dog to take a pre-placed treat from a dish.  The dog should ignore the treat in the dish until the cue. Before you use this reinforcement cue, your dog must have good impulse control and understand not to help themselves to the dish before the cue is said.

Finally, the last marker cue that may be helpful in the context of stays is “bee.”  This cue tells the dog to turn around behind them to get the reward.  This marker cue results in the reward being behind the dog, farther from the handler.  So many rewards come from the handler, and I like to reduce that value by rewarding off the handler’s body.  If every single reward comes from us, the dog will be more likely to want to break and come to us, and on other obedience behaviors like drops or signals, the dog will have more of a tendency to creep in toward the handler.

The Importance of Reward Placement

The placement of your treats will largely depend on which reinforcement cue you use.  Keep in mind that dogs will gravitate to where the treat was last delivered and use that to your advantage.  The perfect example of this is “ground.”  This reinforcement cue means the treat will appear on the ground, so the dog is much more likely to stay down while you deliver the treat.  Why should the dog waste energy on getting up if the treat is going to be placed on the ground?

Building Value and Transitioning

There are a couple of ways that I think about rewarding stays. When I’m initially building up value for the behavior, I usually reward in position, either with “good” or “ground.”  Occasionally, I will release the dog to a dish or behind the dog with “bee” or release the dog to my hand for a reward by saying “yes,” but I don’t do this often during the teaching stage.

As the dog gets more experienced with stillness, I am more likely to reward out of position by using one of my other reinforcement cues rather than opting to reward in position.  For relaxed down stays, I eventually quit rewarding altogether during the stay and instead release the dog to work, which then earns the dog the reward.  At first, I ask for a quick simple behavior, like touch, then reward, but as the dog is more experienced, I will ask for a bit more.

Video Examples of Reinforcement Cues for Stays

Here are some videos showing the different reinforcement cues that I use for stays.  Because the dog gets rewarded for every rep, it doesn’t take long for them to figure this out!

“Good”

“Ground”

Incorporating reinforcement cues into your dog training routine can significantly enhance the clarity and effectiveness of your sessions, especially when working on stays.  By providing specific information about how and where you will deliver the reward, these cues help your dog understand exactly what you expect, reducing confusion and improving focus.  Though it may seem daunting initially, introducing one reinforcement cue at a time can make the process manageable and rewarding.  The benefits of using multiple reinforcement cues far outweigh the initial effort, leading to more efficient training and better-behaved dogs.  Whether you’re a professional trainer or a dedicated pet owner, mastering reinforcement cues can elevate your training game and strengthen the bond with your furry friend.