When To Add A Verbal Cue... Don't Make These Mistakes #325
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 13 February 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
If your dog has ever "known" a verbal cue but didn't respond the first time you asked, it may be that your cue has been poisoned. In this episode, you'll discover why that happens, the most common reasons cues lose their power, and how to set your dog up for success before you ever add a word. I'm sharing the system I use to build consistent, confident behavior first, so when you finally add the cue, it simply reflects a rich history of reinforcement. The result is powerful, clean, and effective verbal cues your dog responds to anywhere with clarity and confidence.
In this episode, you'll hear:
• Why a cue doesn't create the behavior but rather reveals the training that came before it.
• The reasons cues lose their power and become "poisoned."
• The ideal timing for adding a verbal cue (and when not to add one).
• The four ways behavior is created.
• How antecedent arrangements create success before a cue is ever added.
• Why using cues as praise weakens their effectiveness.
• The danger of repeating cues or pairing them with your dog's name.
• How to rebrand a cue if you've added it too early.
• How clean cues create confident dogs who listen anywhere.
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Resources:
1. Podcast Episode 245: Make Dog Training Easy! Quick Guide To Antecedent Arrangements - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/245/
2. Podcast Episode 170: 5 Popular Ways To Train Your Dog With Food - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/170/
3. Podcast Episode 261: Common Misconceptions Around Shaping: Why You May Find Dog Training Frustrating - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/261/
4. Podcast Episode 322: Loose Leash Walking Starts Without A Leash - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/322/
5. YouTube Playlist: Target Training for Dogs with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy3ylCyQ2bJQSCwo_ERiVHj3&si=G-eNxXPtElfK1y0Z
6. YouTube Video: Understanding Your Dog's Reinforcement Zone (RZ) with Susan Garrett - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaUAScgaFAg
7. YouTube Video: Susan Garrett's Perch Work Dog Tricks (Pivots and Spins) - https://youtu.be/O6sj6fTJnFc?si=KvaVdO7pIZzFVCcc
8. Podcast Episode 175: Food Luring VS Shaping In Dog Training: How Science Changed How I Teach Dogs - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/175/
9. Podcast Episode 155: 10 Ways To Teach A Sit WITHOUT A Food Lure! Unreal Results For Puppies And Dogs Of All Ages - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/155/
10. Podcast Episode 184: Proofing Vs Generalizing In Dog Training To Grow Skills And Confidence - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/184/
11. Podcast Episode 173: Target Training For Dogs: How, Why, And When To Fade Targets - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/173/
12. Podcast Episode 6: The Art of Manipulation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/6/
13. Podcast Episode 295: Fear Of Criticism? Why Facing The Camera Is The First Step To Becoming A Better Dog Trainer - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/295/
14. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/es-wh4CVqTE
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Maybe you have a dog who responds really well to your verbal cues at home, but not so much |
| 0:06.3 | when you get away from home. |
| 0:08.1 | Or if you've ever just thought, well, my dog knows this, but she's choosing to ignore me. |
| 0:14.3 | Your dog's not broken. |
| 0:15.9 | You're not broken. |
| 0:17.2 | There's a very good chance. |
| 0:19.3 | Your cue has been poisoned. |
| 0:26.8 | Hi, I'm Susan Garrett, and this is shaped by dog, where training finally makes sense at both |
| 0:32.5 | ends of the leash. If you've ever given your dog a verbal cue and met with a non-response or a different |
| 0:41.7 | response than you were looking for, basically if your dog has ever failed to respond to a verbal |
| 0:46.9 | cue the first time you ask them, it could very well be that what your dog's behavior has done |
| 0:53.3 | has exposed a truth. Your cue has been |
| 0:57.2 | poisoned. And once a cue is poisoned, it no longer prompts the behavior that you intend. What it does |
| 1:04.1 | is it prompts maybe confusion or ambiguity. It prompts something other than what you're looking for, and that's exactly what you're |
| 1:12.8 | seeing. Now, cues can get poisoned for a number of different reasons. It could be from the lack of |
| 1:18.2 | clarity in the trainer's mechanics. It could be by the inappropriate use of punishment. It could be by |
| 1:25.8 | the inconsistent use of reinforcement, or it could be as simple |
| 1:30.2 | as the timing of when you added that verbal cue into your dog training. Today, I'm going to show |
| 1:36.2 | you when the ideal time to add a verbal cue to your training really should be. What is the timing |
| 1:42.5 | that you really don't want to have happen? I'm going to share |
| 1:45.9 | the most common mistakes people make when they're adding a verbal cue. And finally, I'm going to |
| 1:50.9 | share with you a system that will allow you to create powerful, clean, and effective cues for your |
... |
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