They say at least 80% of our language is communicated via body language and only 20% is communicated by spoken language. I believe this to be true and probably even more so with dogs. When I was a young child, I would often play hide and seek games with my dog. Late at night if I laid down in the grass when my dog wasn’t looking, he would have a hard time finding me (obviously he was using sight and not his sense of smell). However, as soon as I moved even on the darkest of nights, he found me instantly.
Dogs are very much visual learners. They look to us to see where a reward is coming from or even if we have a reward with us in the first place. Reward placement is very important to dog trainers. For example, in teaching a dog to heel the trainer will commonly hold a ball or food treat near their shoulder closest to the dog to entice the dog to look up at them while heeling.
Later, they will place the reward under their arm pit to try to hide it from the dog until they later deliver it to the dog as a reward for desired behavior. This is called Luring via a Direct Reward where the dog learns to follow the reward in hopes of obtaining it. And, if the dog remains close to the location where the reward is commonly given, the dog will be able to more quickly obtain the reward. Later, the trainer will use an Indirect Reward where the reward is not on the handler’s person. The dog must perform the desired behavior in order to be released to the ball or treat that is at a secondary location.
Food is a fantastic way to train a dog as it is a prime motivator for the dog, especially when they are hungry. Luring with a treat is a quick way to teach a dog a behavior. The downside is that often times the dog will 
not perform desired behaviors if the lured reward is not in sight. Why should they since the restaurant is closed? If the reward has always been in sight but now is not, they will commonly entertain themselves with other activities that are more rewarding such as sniffing the ground. Then the handler is left questioning, how do I get my dog “to do†when I don’t have food in my hand.?
The answer is to limit visual cues from the beginning of training. If you use Luring, fine but get away from it as quickly as possible. Or use Shaping in which you reward successive approximations of desired behavior. Shaping takes longer but it makes for a more active thinking dog instead of always waiting on the handler to tell the dog what to do.
In either case, Luring or Shaping; limit the visual cues that you give your dog. For example, if rewarding with a treat, leave the treat in the pocket out of sight until the dog does the desired behavior. Then mark what the dog did with the sound of a clicker or a verbal marker such as “yesâ€. It gives you time to reach into your pocket and reward with the treat or ball. Otherwise, the dog will know when you have your reward on your person and when you don’t. You want your dog to think that the restaurant is possibly always open even if you don’t give visual cues to the contrary. The dog is motivated by hope that the restaurant may be open.
People are always in a hurry to reward quickly. Thus, they reach into their pocket for the reward before the dog does the desired behavior. The reaching into the pocket becomes the cue and not the verbal dog command such as come, sit, or down.
They then wonder why the dog “didn’t do†when they didn’t have the reward on their person. But don’t worry, the marker (clicker or verbal marker) gives you time, as it tells the dog the reward is forth coming. And, they know that their behavior that caused the click or “yes†is what resulted in the reward. So you don’t need to be in a hurry. Concentrate on marking the desired behavior when it occurs and then reach into your pocket for the reward. Doing it this way will make the dog think that the restaurant is always possibly open if he does the desired behavior.
Another example of visual cues is when the handler lets their dog out of the car. Commonly, people leash up their dog and then immediately turn away from the car as they tell their dog to heel or give a release command meaning they can exit the car. But does the dog really understand the verbal release or was it the visual cue of the person turning away from the car that was the signal that it was ok to jump out of the car? Test it and see for yourself. After leashing your dog, turn away from the car and see if your dog stays. Your dog should only exit the vehicle on a verbal release because what if someone called your name and you turned away from the car? You don’t want your dog jumping out of the vehicle until you give a verbal cue to do so.
Dogs quickly pick up on our routines and visual cues. Sometimes, we fault the dog for doing an action when in actuality, they were doing what we commanded unknowingly. To limit your visual cues:
- Remain still
- Try Shaping versus Luring
- Mark the desired behavior with a clicker or “yes†marker word prior to reaching for the reward.
“Now we’re dog training!†to quote an internationally acclaimed dog trainer, Bart Bellon creator of the NePoPo training system. To learn more, contact Michigan Dog Training in Plymouth, Michigan at 734-634-4152.
