"Poisoned Cues" - Why Your Dog Stops Listening To You and How To Fix It

Have you ever had your dog stop listening to cues? Maybe they used to come running when you called, but now they totally ignore you, or worse, run away from you even more. Maybe they used to sit as soon as they saw your hand signal and heard the "sss" part of "sit" come from you lips, but now they just stare at you or lay down instead.

This article discusses common reasons cues become "poisoned," how to rebuild responsiveness, and how to prevent cues from losing their power in the future.

Signs Your Cues Have Been Poisoned

If your dog used to follow cues, but no longer does, your cues have been poisoned. Your dog might be freezing in place, not acknowledging that you've even said anything, running away, or even hiding when you give the cue.

Your cue might be in danger of becoming poisoned if:

• your dog starts taking longer to follow the cue

• your dog starts offering other behaviors more often

• your dog stops listening to the cue in some contexts, but still follows your direction in other situations (or listens to some family members but not others)

• your dog starts showing stress signals like yawning, lip licking, or whale eye

• you find yourself repeating the cue in rapid succession

• you find yourself saying the cue more loudly and sharply

Why Cues Become Poisoned

Cues can become poisoned for several reasons.

Underlying Medical Issues

Sometimes dogs will stop following cues because they physically don't feel good. Sitting might be uncomfortable for a dog who is struggling with hip dysplasia or arthritis. Laying down (and getting up) might take a lot of effort for a senior dog. Visual or auditory impairments due to age, injury, or illness could make it difficult for dogs to see or hear cues.

Fear or Negative Experiences

What comes after your cues is incredibly important. For example, what happens when you call your dog to you? Do they always go in their crate, get their leash put on after running free, go in the car, get reprimanded? If your dog's fun is always ending or something scary happens when you call them to you, they're much less likely to want to come to you when called.

Expecting Fluency Too Quickly

If your dog listened to "sit" a handful of times in your living room, and then you tried asking them to "sit" at the park, it's likely you didn't have a lot of luck. When we accidentally expect our dogs to know what we're asking of them before they have a solid understanding of the cue, it can be natural for us to repeat the cue over and over, faster and louder, hoping for them to eventually understand us. Unfortunately, the opposite happens and they start hearing our cues like Charlie Brown heard his teacher: meaningless "wah wah wah" noise that doesn't mean anything important.

Doing The Work For Them

If you tell your dog to get "off" furniture, and then you physically remove them instead of them getting off on their own, you've inadvertently taught them that "off" is something you say before you get them off the couch - not that you want them to get off on their own. Similarly, if you say "sit" and then push their bottom down every single time, you're not really asking them to "sit" - you're giving them a heads up that you're about to push their bottom down. This can then also become a negative experience for them, and they can become nervous when you say those words.

First Steps For Resolving Poisoned Cues

As with any training or behavioral challenge, the first step is to rule out any underlying medical issues. We'll also want to take a look at mental and emotional wellbeing - Were there any recent negative experiences in your dog's life?

Next, we'll want to assess the history of the poisoned cue - Did the cue lose effectiveness recently? Was the cue ever effective? Who for/when/where is the cue effective and not effective?

The Antidote To Poisoned Cues - Step By Step

1: Stop using the poisoned cue

And don't fall into the old traps with a new cue! We'll need to be deliberate in making the new cue effective, so you may need to use management while you solidify your plan for introducing and building up the new cue.

2: Address medical concerns with your veterinarian

I know I mentioned this as a first step just a few lines ago, but it's incredibly important. Dogs are really good at hiding pain and other ailments, so if your dog hasn't been thoroughly evaluated in a while it would be a good idea to get them checked out. Resolving any medical issues before intensive training will help make the learning process much more enjoyable for you and your dog.

3: Implement management systems

Management can mean modifying the environment and routines to set your dog up for success, and it can mean directly managing your dog.

Examples of management practices:

• if "wait" or "stay" have been poisoned, use a series of gates so they can't bolt out of an open door

• putting rugs down on slick flooring to make it easier for your dog to sit and get up from laying down

• if "quiet" has been poisoned, ask guests and delivery people not to ring the doorbell

• if your recall cue has been poisoned, stop taking them to open spaces

• use long leashes when in open spaces until their recall cue is more reliable

4: Rebuild trust and confidence if necessary

If you notice that your dog tucks their tail, crouches, tries to hide, or otherwise displays nervousness or fear when you use certain cues or in certain situations, it'll help to take small steps towards rebuilding their trust and confidence.

These examples don't necessarily have, or need to have, cues associated with them, but they illustrate the point and process.

• If your dog has started running away from you when you get their harness out, try putting it on the floor and anytime they approach it or sniff it or otherwise interact with it, reward them with a tasty treat. Slowly rebuild the positive association with the harness even if once it's on they love going for walks.

• If your dog hides as soon as they see the nail clippers in your hand, try placing the nail clippers by their food bowl (before or with their meal, not as they're eating). If they won't approach their food, try moving the clippers a little further away and gradually close the distance. You can additionally practice moving random, non-nail clipper items towards their paws (e.g., TV remote, pens, etc.) and rewarding them for not moving away.

ALWAYS give your dog the opportunity to remove themselves from the scary item or situation. Giving your dog more choice about the matter will empower them and encourage them to think instead of fleeing or shutting down right away.

If you've ensured that you've taken things as slowly as possible and your dog is still having trouble feeling secure after a few weeks, your best next step is to consult a professional dog trainer or behaviorist with experience helping fearful dogs and/or a veterinary behaviorist.

5: Choose new cues (even if they're temporary)

Your new cues should be words or phrases that you'll remember to use consistently. For example, if "come" has been poisoned you might try "here." You can get creative and silly, just be sure to be consistent with your new cues.

6: Set up your training environment

When we start using the new cues, it'll go a long way to start in the calmest, most boring place possible. Your living room is likely a great place to start. Make sure all other pets are out of sight and there's not too much human activity going on in the rest of the house.

7: Capture and/or lure

Capturing a behavior refers to the training process of waiting for our dogs to offer the behavior we want, then labeling, marking, and rewarding it.

Example of capturing "down" (as in, lay down):

Dog starts to lay down

Say "down" just as they finish getting into a laying position (label)

Say "yes!" or "good boy/girl!" (mark)

Give them a tasty treat (reward)

Luring a behavior is when we use a treat to guide them into the place or position we want them to be. When luring, we should quickly stop using the food and switch to a hand signal and the cue to prevent falling into the pattern of always needing a treat to get them to follow the cue.

Example of luring "spin":

Dog is standing in front of you

Hold a treat between your thumb and pointer finger

Show your dog that you have a treat

Hold the treat in front of their nose

Move your hand in a large circular movement

Your dog should follow your hand/treat in a circular "spin" motion

Say "spin" as they're coming full circle

Mark with "yes!" or "good boy/girl!"

Reward with the treat in your hand

Repeat the process

On the third repetition do not use a treat, but keep your hand signal/motion the same

Over time you will be able to move from labeling the behavior to asking for the behavior.

8: Gradually increase fluency

Once your dog has the hang of the new cue, start practicing it in different parts of the house, or yard, out and about, at great distances, and with more distractions. It's best to increase the difficulty one factor at a time: going immediately from your quiet living room to the park while also having your dog's bestie present isn't going to set you or your dog up for success.

9: Going back to old cues

If you'd like to reintroduce the poisoned cue, you may do so once your dog is doing well with the new/temporary cue. The process for this is simple:

Give the poisoned cue

Give the new/temporary cue

Mark

Reward

Follow this process until your dog starts doing the behavior when they hear the old/poisoned cue. At that point, you can stop giving the temporary cue and be on your merry way with the original, now un-poisoned, cue.

10: Use a non-reward marker

Sometimes dogs will offer a different behavior, even when they know the cue for both. For example, your dog may "sit" when you ask them to lay "down." Using a non-reward marker can help us be clear and consistent, and therefore keep things straight for our dogs. Here's how it works:

You say "sit"

Your dog lays down

You say "uh-oh" and turn and take a few steps away

Your dog follows you

You again ask for "sit"

Your dog sits

You say "yes!" (or other marker)

Your dog gets the treat

This helps our dogs understand that we are expecting what we ask for, not any "good" behavior that they feel like offering at the moment.

If your dog is adamant about not offering the behavior, assess the situation. Are you asking them to lay down in a park where they may feel particularly vulnerable? Is the usual living room rug in the wash, leaving them on a slick tile floor?

Avoiding Pitfalls and Troubleshooting

If you start finding yourself falling back into old habits (e.g., saying "sit! sit, sit!" instead of one calm and patient "sit") slow down, take a step back, and assess:

• Did you give your dog enough time to respond to the cue?

• Are you being clear and consistent with your cues?

• Did something aversive or punitive inadvertently get introduced?

• Did you expect too much too soon?

• Is your dog motivated by your rewards?

• Did anything in the environment change? (e.g., new/different flooring)

• Did your dog become ill or injured?

Need More Help?

If you've tried everything or just feel overwhelmed and want more direct guidance, I offer private, in-person dog training programs in the Albuquerque area. My favorite thing to do is help dogs and their people speak the same language - whether to learn fun new tricks or overcome more challenging behaviors. The first step in working together is to schedule and complete a consultation.

Schedule Consultation