My Sidekick and Me: Contextual Cues at Work

By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC

What do these situations have in common?

A dog begins running in circles, barking, and jumping when his leash is taken out. A dog begins pacing, nudging you and barking when you walk toward your kitchen at 5:00 p.m..

Both circumstances demonstrate contextual cues at work.

These are cues or discriminative stimulus that come from the environment. Our pets (and ourselves) are learning them all the time whether intended or not. Being aware is the first step toward creating behavior change.

What does this mean?

From your dog’s perspective, it means when your TAKING THE LEASH OUT has become a cue for the behaviors of running in circles, barking and jumping. These behaviors are reinforced by your attaching the leash and heading out for a walk. Your walking to the kitchen at 5:00 pm is your dog’s cue to begin pacing, nudging and barking. These behaviors are reinforced by your giving your dog a meal or treats, maybe even accidentally as you drop crumbs while cooking.

Behaviors that are reinforced continue and are even strengthened.

This type of learning occurs with us too. For me, the alarm dinging is my cue for taking food out of the oven. That is reinforced by having something delicious to eat. It is also negatively reinforced by my avoiding charcoal food, but that is a topic for another discussion.

It is just important to be aware of this. Behavior never occurs out of the blue. Behavior is a tool to get something of value. There are also reflexive kinds of behaviors such as heavy breathing and blinking eyes. Reflexive behaviors are automatic, involuntary responses to stimuli that occur without conscious thought and are essential for survival.  Again, another topic for another day.

Know that if you continue to see a certain behavior or set of behaviors, that it is the consequence of that behavior that maintains it. The cue tells the learner that NOW is the time to act to get that consequence.

To make changes, consider what management you can put into place to prevent those unwanted behaviors from being practiced and consider what skills you can teach (with positive reinforcement) to help that learner achieve that same kind of value.

I have helped teach many dogs to sit or lay down with head held neutral, sometimes on a mat, in order to get a leash attached; and that settling gets doors to open.

Some ways you can prevent your dog’s kitchen behaviors include letting your dog outside or having your dog behind a gate or in a crate when you are cooking. You could also give your dog an activity to do that is incompatible with those problem behaviors. On days that you want to work on the solution, you could actively teach your dog to lay down on a bed when you are cooking.  

Be creative. Have fun!

Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC, with So Much PETential was voted 2024 Cincinnati’s Best Community Choice Award winner in pet training. She is a certified dog trainer, a certified Family Dog Mediator, and the first trainer in Hamilton County to earn Fear Free certification. She is also a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator. She is committed to using and teaching the most positive, science-based approaches to changing behavior. For more information, visit SoMuchPETential.com.