Dog training glossary
Cue
Quick answer
The signal, word, or hand gesture that tells a dog which behavior to perform.
Written by the TailorPup team, updated September 2026. See our editorial approach.
What it means
Trainers generally prefer "cue" over "command" because it describes what's actually happening: a learned signal that a specific behavior, if performed, reliably pays off. A cue only means something once it has been clearly and consistently paired with the behavior and a reward, dogs don't inherently understand human words.
A real example
The word "down" becomes a cue only after it has been paired with the physical action of lying down and a reward, dozens of times, in a way the dog can reliably connect.
Common mistake
Repeating a cue word multiple times when the dog doesn't respond ("sit... sit... SIT"), which actually teaches the dog that the cue is the whole phrase repeated three times, not the single word.
Related terms
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