As I’ve talked about before, cues are powerful only if we can get them under stimulus control. (What is stimulus control?) The animal must be able to distinguish between a variety of different cues, know which behavior goes with which cue and know not to perform the behaviors unless the cue is given.
I’ve been reading [...]

How do we increase response time to our cues and requests? Say we ask our dog to sit. The dog sits, but she takes her time and waits several seconds before sitting. We can reduce the time interval between when the cue is given and when the animal responds by using what is called a [...]

This post is part of a series of several posts on cues.
When teaching a new behavior, we have control over when we introduce the cue. Many clicker trainers advocate getting the behavior before ever introducing the cue. Here’s a bit about each teaching method.

This post is part of a series of several posts on cues.
I recently watched one of Alexandra Kurland’s DVDs, Overcoming Fear and the Power of Cues. It was a fascinating look at positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, desensitization, fear and cues.
Learn more about the DVD or purchase it on Alexandra’s website. Horseflix subscribers can also rent [...]

This is part of a series of several posts on cues.
I wrote last week a bit about what a cue is and common stimuli that can be used as cues. Often, we try and teach our pets verbal cues. But how well does your dog (or cat, parrot or pony) recognize your verbal cue and [...]