I entered the Rally ring feeling completely nervous. The judge looked at me and said, “whenever you are ready.” I responded while looking at Sulu, “I’m ready!” Sulu looked up at me with his beautiful brown eyes.
“Ready” is my competition sneaky cue. It answers the judge’s question, and also is a cue for my dog to look up at me. In competition, we often use subtle body language cues as well. For instance, standing with the left arm folded in front or stepping off with the left foot first.
For service dogs, sneaky cues can help by providing a way for the owner to discreetly communicate to the dog. Service dogs should not draw attention in public. However, “Rover, sit” can stand out against normal conversation. On the other hand, a subtle hand movement used as a cue is much less likely to draw attention. Cues that are subtle can prevent the need for interrupting a conversation in order to control the dog’s movements. In a quiet office, library, class or business meeting, sneaky cues can make the difference between a team that draws attention and one that does not.
A combination of smaller, more subtle hand movements and verbal cues that are more conversational often work well for service dogs. Adaptive equipment can be used as well, for instance, a tap on a wheelchair arm rest can be a cue for the dog to move closer to the handler. Power wheelchairs make a sound right before they are about to move, these often become cues for the dog to stand up and be ready to walk forward. A common word, such as “hello” can be taught as a cue for attention.
When cuing tasks, hand signals can be combined with tones of voice that sound less “trainery” and more like normal speech. Praise can also be transitioned to become more conversational, such as “thank you,” spoken with a smile and paired with petting. While these subtle cues may not make a difference in how the dog performs, they can make a difference in how a team is perceived in public.