There's a reason I don't use 'Right' as a cue

I don’t think I could get up from a chair these days without saying the word 'right' and slapping my thighs. I am very definitely British 🙈 My dogs have certainly noticed.

That one little word has become a bit of an unintentional cue for them because it’s part of my everyday vocabulary. And it's not the only seemingly meaningless activity that my dogs respond to...

The fridge door opening, picking up car keys, switching off the TV, closing my laptop...

These are all classic examples of Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs); basically how dogs learn to feel about things, even if we never meant for it to happen.

A what now?!?

In dog training talk, a conditioned emotional response is when your dog learns to associate something - like a sound, a movement or a word - with an emotional reaction. It’s similar to Pavlov’s dogs salivating at a bell, but with feelings instead of drool.

For example:

• The opening of the fridge might make your dog excited, because it often predicts snacks.

• The sound of the car keys might trigger alertness - are we going somewhere?

• Putting on wellies - walkies! 🙌

  
  

Even though we didn’t train these things intentionally, our dogs have feelings about them because those cues reliably predict something relevant and meaningful to them.

(And yes - Ripley can hear me tuck my trousers into my socks from three rooms away. That noise has a very positive CER in this house. 😬)

CERs can be positive OR negative

Most of the examples above are positive conditioned emotional responses (+CERs) - things your dog responds to with enthusiasm or anticipation. But dogs can also develop negative CERs (-CERs) if the activity predicted is less pleasant (at least in their experience)

A classic example? The vet. If a dog has only ever experienced discomfort or stress at the vets, just arriving there can spark a negative emotional reaction. 🙁

Another example in my household: Peak + nail clippers. He’s never been hurt, but is absolutely convinced I'm going to chop his feet off! 🐾

Don't panic: CERs can be changed!

If you’re happy with the emotional response your dog has to a cue - great! But if it’s too strong (wall of death because you glanced at their lead 🙈), you might want to bring it down a notch or seven.

For negative responses? You can counter-condition - pairing that experience with something pleasant so their emotional response becomes more positive over time. For instance, letting your dog just hang out and enjoy treats in the vets’ waiting room can start to soften the negative association.

And of course, when you introduce brand new things to your dog - whether that’s a word, object or sound - you can be intentional about giving them a good experience right from the start. That helps build positive associations right into your foundations.

This is why I use 'Close' instead of 'Right'

Back to my title - I avoid using 'right' as a cue because I say it all the time in normal conversation.

It would just be confusing for my dogs, and could potentially dilute the meaningfulness of the cue. I mean, I've caught myself walking down the road and literally saying 'right, left' 😜

Every time I say 'right' they believe something interesting is about to happen 😂 So now? They react emotionally to the word itself; happy and attentive, even if I'm only getting up to go to the loo...

Watch your dog, and you’ll see it everywhere

Dogs are constantly learning emotional associations - whether we planned them or not. Take a moment to observe your dog’s reactions to everyday things and see what pops up:

• Does your dog get excited when you pick up a certain bag?

• Do they tense up when you grab a particular item?

• Is there a word they seem to respond to emotionally, even though you've never trained it?

Those little reactions are evidence of CERs at work.

I’d love to hear what funny, weird or unexpected conditioned emotional responses your dog has developed - especially if they’re linked to something you never meant to train!