Glossary

300-Peck A method of explaining an increase in distance or duration while keeping the dog In The Game. Described in the Introduction.  (See Chutes and Ladders)

Access Rights A dog, no matter how well trained, has no access rights. According to the federal Americans With Disabilities Act, people with disabilities have the right to enter any area offered to the public with any assistive devices they require, including a specifically-trained Service Dog.

Ailsby's Principle Of Laziness When a dog is regularly asked to do something, such as touching a bar, twice in order to be reinforced, the behavior between the required behaviors will diminish. Useful, for instance, when the dog grabs the bar and releases. Asked for two touches before being rewarded, the dog will eventually stop releasing but simply hold the bar.

Assistance Dog A dog trained specifically to help a disabled person. A Service Dog. An assistive device.

Balance The first aim of training. The trainer helps the dog find an appropriate attitude between calm and excited, between thinking and obeying, between fear of people and desire to visit.

Behavior Anything a dog does that can be reinforced or punished.

Bribe A potential reinforcer presented before the behavior happens. A food lure is a bribe. Bribes tend to produce an attitude of "no bribe, no behavior".

Bridge Generally, a click or word which identifies what the dog has done correctly and which forms a connection between the act and the reinforcer or punisher.

Capturing The process whereby a trainer marks a naturally-occurring behavior in order to reinforce it.

Chutes and Ladders (formerly
300-Peck) A method of explaining an increase in distance or duration while keeping the dog In The Game. Described in the Introduction.

Client The person the dog is being trained to assist.

Collar Any strap put around the dog's neck which is capable of physically controlling the dog. Freedom Dogs use a flat collar with a metal or plastic non-slip buckle, or a flat limited-slip collar which opens enough to allow it to slip on over the dog's head, and tightens only enough to prevent it from slipping off over the dog's head.

Come A behavior where the dog moves close to the handler, generally in front of the handler.

COME A cue meaning get close enough to the handler that he can grasp the collar or harness. In front of the handler is implied, and eye contact is a default.

Command A more common word for "cue". We prefer "cue" because "command" suggests that bellowing at the dog will get a response when a simple request will not.

Consequence The result of a behavior. A trainer does not aim to control a dog; rather the trainer aims to control the consequences of a dog's behavior in order to ensure that the dog learns what the trainer wants her to learn.

Contract Training A method of training in which both trainer and dog understand that each must give something the other wants in order to get something she wants.

Control of Dog Control comes from the dog. An untrained dog must be physically controlled by the trainer. A trained dog controls herself through knowledge of consequences.


Crate A behavior where the dog gets into a container and stays there without fussing.

Criteria The specific requirements of a behavior, decided before the behavior is taught.

Cue A word or signal to tell a dog that she has an opportunity to earn a reward. A dog may Sit a hundred times on her own, but when the trainer says SIT, "the bar is open". At this point, if the dog Sits, she may get a reward (the behavior may be reinforced).

Default Behavior The first behavior the dog thinks to offer. More specifically, a behavior for which the cues are generally too subtle to be noticed by the trainer.

Deliver A behavior where the dog takes an object to a person other than the handler.

Distance Behaviors where the dog performs away from the handler.

Distraction Any mental or physical event which diverts the dog's attention from the job at hand. Another dog, a sprain, a child, a sore tooth, a squirrel, and spit on the sidewalk are all examples of possible distractions.

DOG'S NAME A cue meaning "pay attention, the handler is about to say something important".

Down A behavior where the dog's elbows, chest, and hocks are on the ground, or any position lower than that.

DOWN A cue meaning to assume the Down position.

Down/Stay A behavior where the dog remains in the Down position without fussing or moving anything but her head or tail for the required length of time.

Duration A measurement of how long a behavior can be performed. Stays, Watch, and Retrieve are examples of duration behaviors.

EXCUSE ME A cue meaning wherever you are, move out of the way.

Eye lock The ability of the dog to make and hold eye-to-eye contact with the trainer.

Fluency The ability of the dog to perform a behavior under any and all circumstances. When a behavior is said to be truly fluent, it a) happens every time it's cued; and b) is never offered when it isn't cued.

FOLLOW A cue meaning duck behind the handler to pass through a narrow space. There is generally a default return to the original position once the obstacle has been negotiated.

FORWARD A cue meaning go in front of the handler, usually through a door or narrow space. There is generally a default return to the original position once the obstacle has been negotiated.

Freedom Reflex The natural tendency of the animal to push back against pressure. In order to learn to walk on a loose leash, a dog must be taught to loosen the leash by moving into the pressure rather than away from it. Opposition Reflex.

Generalize The ability to perform a behavior in second situation that was taught in a previous situation. Dogs are not good at this, causing poor trainers to say "he does it at home!" or "he's blowing me off - he knows this!"

GET IN A cue meaning to enter a crate or other small space.

GET IT A cue meaning to Retrieve an item.

Get Lost Game A game played to encourage the dog to hold eye contact.

GIVE IT TO (JOE) A cue meaning take a Retrieved item to another person.

GO AROUND A cue meaning to go to the other side of an object and return to the handler.

GO LIE DOWN A cue meaning to Go To Mat. It is applicable in the presence of a mat, any other object such as a jacket, chair, or leash, or with no object at all.

GO NOW, HURRY UP A cue meaning to eliminate.

Go To Mat A behavior where the dog goes any required distance to lie down on anything. When duration is added, the Down position may be waived, but the dog must remain on the mat object without fussing.

Guide Dog A Service Dog trained to assist a blind person.

Halter A control device made of straps which fits around the dog's head and muzzle.

Handler The person using the dog.

Handling Behaviors where the handler is able to touch or manipulate any part of the dog's body.

Harness A device made of straps which fits around the dog's body and chest. A harness with a leash attachment on the front is a control device. A harness with a leash attachment at the top of the back is designed for the dog to pull with (see Freedom Reflex).

Hearing Dog A Service Dog trained to assist a deaf person.

HEEL A cue meaning to assume the Service Dog Walk on the handler's left side.

Heel A behavior where the dog is maintaining a position parallel to the handler, as close to the handler as possible without bumping him, with the head to shoulder area of the dog even with the handler's hip. This behavior is maintained within an inch. It is a difficult behavior to perform for more than a few minutes. It is not a Freedom Dog behavior.


Hey Stupid! Reaction The moment in training when a dog has performed a behavior and expects a click and reward, but the trainer is looking for more behavior so does nothing. This frustrates the dog and she gives more behavior to be sure the trainer notices.

HUP A cue meaning to jump over or onto an object.

In The Game Ready, willing, and able to work with the trainer. A prerequisite to all training. A dog who is Coming slowly while sniffing the ground may be obeying a command, but she's not taking advantage of a cue, and she's not In The Game.

Latency The measure of time between the cue and the behavior. When a trainer is not getting the desired response to a cue (poor latency), she should stop using the cue, retrain the behavior, and add the cue back in when the behavior is strong and fast again.

Leading The Dance A list of techniques for a trainer to use to help the dog understand her position in the universe.

Leash A strap used to keep the dog from getting hit by a truck. It is not for controlling, punishing, or teaching.

Left Side Behaviors where the dog works on the left side of the handler, usually the Service Dog Walk. The handler's left side is "home", the default position.

LL  Lazy Leash (Loose Leash Walking), a default behavior.

LOOK A cue meaning to swing the head away from the handler, generally to search for a Retrieve object. When the handler is convince the dog has focused on the correct object, he can cue the Retrieve.

Loose Leash Walking  (Lazy Leash) At all times while moving or standing still the dog maintains a slack leash with the weight of the leash snap supported by the collar or harness. The only other rules for LLW are that the dog not cross in front of the handler or impede his progress in any way. This is a very relaxed behavior.

Lumping The natural tendency of humans to look only at the total desired behavior rather than the steps required to teach it. "Now Jimmy, daddy doesn't have time to change diapers, so I'm going to need you to be toilet trained before you come home from the hospital, OK?"

Luring Using a treat or target object to "pull" the dog's head into the desired position.

Mobility Dog A Service Dog trained to assist a person who has difficulty walking or bending.

Modeling Physically moving the dog's body into a desired position. An extremely inefficient method of teaching, as the trainer does all the work and the animal is not required to think at all.

Monkey In The Middle A game played to balance a dog. Described in the Introduction.

Negative Removal of something from a situation in order to affect the dog's behavior.

Negative Punishment Removal of something from a situation in order to decrease the chances of a behavior happening again.

Negative Reinforcement Removal of something from a situation in order to increase the chances of a behavior happening again.

Neutral NO A cue meaning what you're doing is not what I'm paying for right now. It is also the Zen cue meaning don't touch this. It is not a correction.

Opposition Reflex See Freedom Reflex.

PAWS UP A cue to stand upright on the back paws and put the front paws on the handler, a table, or other object.

Positive Addition of something to a situation in order to affect the dog's behavior. In a general description of training methods, "positive" refers to training which does not involve physical pain, such as that which is applied with choke chains, pinch collars, or electric collars.

Positive Punishment Addition of something to a situation in order to decrease the chances of a behavior happening again.

Positive Reinforcement Addition of something to a situation in order to increase the chances of a behavior happening again.

PULL A cue to place a particular tug strap or other item between the molars and pull back on it.

Punishment Anything which decreases the chances of a behavior happening again. Note that behaviors are punished, dogs are not.

PUPPY, PUPPY Generic call to a dog when trying to elicit a Come without using the Come cue or the dog's name.

PUSH A cue to place a front paw on an object.

PUT IT IN THERE A cue to drop a Retrieve object in a particular place such as a waste bin or laundry basket.

Rapid-Fire Reinforcement Click/treat Click/treat Click/treat Click/treat and repeat at least ten times as fast as possible. This tends to focus the dog on the trainer.

Rate Of Reinforcement How many repetitions of a behavior are achieved in a minute. A dog new to training might need 30 or more repetitions per minute, while a more sophisticated clicker dog might continue learning with only one or two per minute.

Reinforcement Anything which increases the chances of a behavior happening again. Food, opening a door, opportunity to play with another dog or person or to escape from a stressful situation are all possible reinforcers. A more correct word for "reward".

Retrieve A behavior where the dog goes out, picks an object up, and returns it to the handler.

Reward Reinforcer.

Right Side Behaviors where the dog works on the right side of the handler, usually the Service Dog Walk. The handler's right side is "the summer cottage", a place where the dog is comfortable working.

SAY HELLO A cue to go to a person, slip the muzzle under the person's hand, and hold that position.

SDW Service Dog Walk

Seeing Eye Dog A dog trained specifically by the Seeing Eye Institute as a guide for a blind person.

Service Dog A dog specifically trained in public access behaviors and to assist a disabled person. An assistive device.

Service Dog Walk A behavior where the dog is maintaining a position parallel to the handler, as close to the handler as possible without bumping him, with the ribcage to shoulder area of the dog even with the handler's hip so the handler can see the dog peripherally while walking upright and facing forward.

Shaping A method of achieving a behavior where the dog offers behaviors and the trainer selectively rewards attempts which are closer and closer to the desired goal.

Shark A dog who uses her teeth too aggressively in taking food from people's hands. "Land Shark" is a term used to refer to Police Dogs.

SIDE A cue meaning to assume the Service Dog Walk on the handler's right side.

Sit A behavior where the dog assumes a position with the hocks and tail on the ground and the front legs as close to vertical as possible.

SIT A cue meaning to assume the Sit position.

Sit/Stay A behavior where the dog remains in the Sit position without fussing or moving anything but her head or tail for the required length of time.

Splitting The act of breaking a large behavior such as retrieving into tiny increments such as "look at the object", "move toward the object", "touch the object", open mouth on the object", "grasp the object", etc, which can each be trained before combining them all into one larger behavior.

Stand A behavior where the dog assumes a position with the body in a straight line and four feet only touching the ground.

STAND A cue meaning to assume the Stand position.

Stand/Stay A behavior where the dog remains in the Stand position without fussing or moving anything but her head or tail for the required length of time.

STAY A cue meaning to hold whatever position you are in without fussing until released.

Superstitious Behavior A behavior inadvertently rewarded when trying to teach a different behavior, such as a dog learning to swing her head to the left before beginning each cued clockwise circle.

Surfaces Behaviors where the dog demonstrates that she is comfortable on a large variety of textures and types of floors.

Target Behaviors where the dog touches a designated object either with her nose or her paw.

THANK YOU A cue to release a Retrieve object.

Therapy Dog A dog trained to visit patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy Dogs are not Service Dogs and are not covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act.


Three-Minute Behavior A behavior which may be useful which is easily trained by expanding on basic behaviors from the Levels.

Threshold The point at which the dog becomes unable to perform a behavior, for instance a dog can sit on cue 6' from a stranger, but cannot sit on cue 5'11" from the stranger. The aim of training is to enable the dog to move her threshold until she is able to perform anywhere.

Timing The relevance of the click to the desired behavior. The trainer will reinforce what is clicked, not what s/he wanted if the click doesn't precisely mark the desired behavior.

TOUCH A cue to put the nose on the indicated object.

Trainer The person teaching the dog. The person ultimately responsible for the education, behavior, and safety of the dog.

Training Hole A basic required behavior or bit of knowledge inadvertently glossed over in training, like graduating a child from Grade 12 but forgetting to teach him to divide.

Vest The dog's official bandana or cape indicating to the dog, her handler, and the public that she is a Service Dog or Service Dog In Training. As there are behaviors inappropriate for a military dress uniform, there are many behaviors inappropriate for the dog to perform in her vest, such as playing with other dogs.

Watch Behaviors where the dog makes and holds eye contact with the handler. A dog making eye contact is automatically attentive and In The Game.

WATCH A cue to make and hold eye contact with the handler.

Zen The idea that the dog must control herself in order to get what she wants. To get where she wants to go, she must keep the leash loose. To get a treat, she must stay away from the treat.