Reference
Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the training, behavior and veterinary terms this manual uses, each with the chapter that explains it.
Each definition is this manual's own short version. The chapter linked beside it gives the full explanation and the sources. Where trainers and veterinarians use a word differently, the chapter says so.
| Term | Meaning | Where it is explained |
|---|---|---|
| 80 percent rule | One practitioner's guideline: raise difficulty only at about 80 percent success, and make the step smaller below 50 percent. | Proof it and keep going |
| 80-percent rule | One practitioner's guideline: raise the difficulty at about 80 percent success and split the step below 50 percent. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| accident | A dog going somewhere other than the chosen place; information about the interval or the supervision, not a reason to punish. | House training |
| active supervision | An adult fully awake and watching the dog and child, close enough to step in (Family Paws). | Read your dog |
| adjustment period | The first weeks in a new home, treated as a time for lower expectations, not a fixed schedule. | How dogs learn |
| adolescence | The stage from about 6 to 18 months, when responses to the main carer may dip for a while. | Proof it and keep going |
| alert or territorial barking | Barking at people, dogs or vehicles passing or approaching the home, yard or car. | Everyday problems |
| alone-time ladder | A series of absences that get longer in small steps, each logged, with the next step taken only after the dog was settled on the last. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| antecedent | What happens just before a behavior, such as the doorbell or a guest bending down. | Everyday problems |
| appeasement signal | A posture meant to reduce a threat, such as looking away, lowering the head and tail, or turning aside. | Read your dog |
| appeasement signals | Quiet signals a dog uses to avoid conflict, such as averting the eyes, licking or turning away (VCA). | Body-language reference |
| arousal | A state of strong excitement or alarm (stiff body, dilated pupils, rapid tense wag); bites are most likely when it is high. | Body-language reference |
| aversive methods | Training methods that work by force, pain, discomfort, fear or startle. | How dogs learn |
| aversive tool | A tool that works by causing pain, discomfort, fear or startle, such as a choke chain, prong collar or shock collar; this manual describes these and does not use them. | Set up to train |
| back-clip harness | A body harness with the leash ring between the shoulders. | Set up to train, Loose-leash walking |
| basket muzzle | A cage-style muzzle that lets a dog pant, drink, take treats and show expressions while preventing a bite. | Everyday problems |
| bite inhibition | A dog's control over the force of its mouth. | Everyday problems |
| boundary stay | A stay in which the dog remains on a mat, platform or behind a line rather than frozen in one position. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| bridge | Another name for the marker: it bridges the gap between the behavior and the treat. | How dogs learn |
| Canine Good Citizen | The American Kennel Club's ten-item test of everyday manners, scored by an approved evaluator on one day. | Proof it and keep going |
| capturing | Waiting for the dog to do a behavior on its own, then marking and rewarding it. | How dogs learn, First behaviors |
| CBCC-KA | A behavior consultant certification from CCPDT, based on behavior-consulting hours and a knowledge exam. | Proof it and keep going |
| CDBC | A dog behavior consultant certification from IAABC, based on consulting experience and a written case-study examination. | Proof it and keep going |
| certified applied animal behaviorist | A behavior professional certified by the Animal Behavior Society (CAAB, or ACAAB at the associate level) on education and experience. | Proof it and keep going |
| charging a cue | Pairing a new cue word with good things until the word alone makes the dog turn toward you. | Come when called |
| charging the marker | Pairing the marker with food many times, before asking for any behavior, so the sound itself predicts a treat; also called loading. | How dogs learn |
| classical conditioning | Learning in which a neutral signal comes to predict something and produces the same anticipation. | How dogs learn |
| closing period | The weeks after the core socialization period (about 12 to 18 weeks, per the ASPCA) in which each week makes new things harder to accept. | Socialization and confidence |
| cluster | A group of signals read together (eyes, mouth, ears, tail, body) along with what happened just before. | Body-language reference |
| collar grab ("gotcha") | A game in which a gentle hand on the collar is followed by a treat, so the dog welcomes being held after a recall. | Come when called |
| confinement | Keeping the dog in a crate, exercise pen or small gated room when no one can watch it, for stretches it can hold. | House training, Crate, pen and alone time |
| consequence | What happens right after a behavior; in a problem plan, what the dog gets from it. | Everyday problems |
| continuous reinforcement | Rewarding a behavior every time it happens, used while the behavior is new. | How dogs learn, Proof it and keep going |
| core vaccines | The vaccines every dog should receive whatever its lifestyle. The puppy series for one combination of them, distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus, is at least three doses between 6 and 16 weeks; rabies and leptospirosis follow their own schedules, and your veterinarian sets the plan. | Socialization and confidence |
| counter surfing | A dog standing up at a counter or table to take food. | Everyday problems |
| counterconditioning | Pairing a trigger with something that produces a positive response, usually food, to change how the dog feels about it. | Read your dog |
| CPDT-KA | A dog trainer certification from CCPDT, based on training hours and a knowledge exam. | Proof it and keep going |
| CPDT-KSA | A dog trainer certification from CCPDT that also assesses hands-on skills through recorded exercises. | Proof it and keep going |
| crate | A small wire or plastic enclosure with a door, big enough for the dog to stand, turn around and lie down. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| cue | The word or hand signal that tells the dog which behavior will pay right now; added after the dog offers the behavior readily. | How dogs learn, First behaviors |
| cue inventory | The cues sheet in the training log: one row per behavior with its word, hand signal and the furthest stage the dog reaches five times out of five. | First behaviors |
| defensive and offensive postures | A defensive dog that cannot escape may strike once and retreat; an offensive dog looks large, weight forward, with a hard stare. | Read your dog |
| demand or attention barking | Barking at a person to get food, play, a walk or attention. | Everyday problems |
| desensitization | Exposing the dog gradually and systematically to a trigger at low intensity until it no longer produces an emotional response. | Read your dog |
| digging zone | One patch of loose soil where a dog is allowed and encouraged to dig. | Everyday problems |
| distance | How far the dog is from you when a cue is given; one of the three Ds. | Come when called, Settle, stay and leave it |
| distraction | What else is happening when a cue is given; one of the three Ds. | Come when called, Settle, stay and leave it |
| dominance | In behavior science, a relationship between two particular animals over a particular resource, not a personality trait; AVSAB says it does not explain most pet misbehavior. | How dogs learn |
| drop it | A cue asking the dog to let go of something in its mouth, taught as a trade. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| duration | How long the dog has been away or busy, or how long it holds a position; one of the three Ds. | Come when called, Settle, stay and leave it |
| elimination cue | A word the dog learns to associate with going, said only during the act at first and earlier once the dog goes reliably. | House training |
| emergency recall | A second recall word kept for emergencies and paired only with the best rewards. | Come when called |
| enrichment | Regular outlets for normal dog behavior such as sniffing, chewing, foraging, play and learning. | Everyday problems |
| enzymatic cleaner | A cleaner that breaks down the compounds in urine and feces that carry the smell, rather than covering it. | House training |
| excitement urination | A small release of urine when a dog is active and excited but not afraid; not deliberate. | House training |
| exposure | A planned meeting with one new thing, at an intensity the dog can handle, followed by something the dog likes. | Socialization and confidence |
| extinction | The fading of a behavior that has stopped paying; it often gets worse briefly first. | How dogs learn |
| fade | To remove a lure or prompt in small steps while the behavior keeps happening; the marker and the reward are not faded this way. | First behaviors |
| fear period | A stretch of weeks in which a puppy reacts more strongly to frightening things; the first is at about 8 to 10 weeks. | Socialization and confidence |
| flat collar | A buckle or snap collar that carries ID and a leash clip; fitted so two fingers slide underneath. | Loose-leash walking |
| flooding | Exposing a dog to the full trigger until it stops reacting; a professional-only last resort, not taught in this manual. | Read your dog, Socialization and confidence |
| food toy | A toy that releases food slowly as the dog works at it, such as a packed hollow rubber toy, a kibble ball or a lick mat. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| freeze | The dog goes suddenly still and stiff; Penn Vet says it is fearful and may bite if the interaction continues. | Body-language reference |
| front-clip harness | A body harness with the leash ring at the center of the chest, designed to reduce pulling. | Set up to train, Loose-leash walking |
| gated room | A kitchen, laundry room or bathroom closed off with a baby gate and cleared of anything the dog could chew or swallow. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| generalization | A dog responding to a cue across places, people, positions and distractions, not only where it was taught. | Proof it and keep going |
| hand signal | A movement of the hand that the dog has learned predicts a behavior; in this manual it grows out of the lure motion. | First behaviors |
| hand target | A behavior in which the dog touches its nose to the handler's flat palm when it is presented. | First behaviors |
| handling exercises | Short sessions that pair touching paws, ears, mouth and collar with food, in small steps, so that handling predicts good things. | Socialization and confidence |
| hard stare | Direct, fixed eye contact, usually an attempt to stop an approach; VCA's subtlest assertive signal. | Body-language reference |
| head halter | A strap around the muzzle and behind the ears with the leash at the chin, so gentle pressure turns the head; it needs gradual conditioning and is not a muzzle. | Set up to train, Loose-leash walking |
| hold rule | The rule of thumb that a puppy can hold its bladder about one hour per month of age, give or take an hour; used as a limit on crate time. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| holding interval | The longest stretch a dog can reasonably be asked to wait between breaks; for puppies, about one hour per month of age, give or take an hour. | House training |
| house soiling | The veterinary term for urinating or defecating in the house; in a trained dog it is a veterinary question first. | House training |
| house training | Teaching a dog to empty its bladder and bowels in the chosen place and to wait between chances. | House training |
| household agreement | The short written list of cue words and house rules that everyone who handles the dog uses the same way. | Set up to train |
| impulse control | The everyday name for a set of taught behaviors in which a dog holds back from something it wants until invited. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| incompatible behavior | A replacement behavior that makes the problem behavior impossible while it lasts, such as sitting instead of jumping. | Everyday problems |
| ladder of communication | Kendal Shepherd's picture of dog signals from mild (yawning, looking away) to severe (growl, snap, bite); dogs may skip rungs. | Read your dog, Body-language reference |
| latency | The time from the cue to the dog's first movement in response. | Come when called, Proof it and keep going |
| leave it | A cue asking the dog not to take something it has noticed. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| life reward | Something the dog already wants in daily life, such as a door opening or a sniff, used as a reward for a behavior. | Set up to train, Loose-leash walking, Proof it and keep going |
| life-stage factor | The multiplier applied to the resting energy requirement for a dog's age, neuter status and activity, such as 3.0 for a puppy under 4 months or 1.4 to 1.6 for a neutered adult (AAHA Box 1). | Set up to train |
| LIMA | Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive: CCPDT's policy and six-step hierarchy for its certified trainers, with health first and positive punishment last. | How dogs learn, Proof it and keep going |
| long line | A leash much longer than the usual six feet (VCA mentions up to 50 feet), used for recall practice in open space. | Set up to train, Loose-leash walking, Come when called |
| long lip | A closed mouth with the corners pulled back, seen in a fearful or tense dog. | Body-language reference |
| loose leash | A leash that hangs in a curve (a "J") between the handler's hand and the dog, wherever the dog is walking. | Loose-leash walking |
| loose step | One of the handler's steps taken while the leash stays loose; the unit this manual uses to measure leash progress. | Loose-leash walking |
| lure | Food or a toy held where the dog's nose will follow it, used to guide the dog into a position before the behavior has a cue. | First behaviors |
| luring | Guiding the dog into a position with food in your hand, then switching to an empty hand within a few repetitions. | How dogs learn |
| maintenance energy requirement (MER) | The calories a dog uses in a normal day, estimated as the resting energy requirement times a life-stage factor. | Set up to train |
| management | Arranging the dog's surroundings so an unwanted behavior cannot happen or cannot pay while something else is taught. | How dogs learn, Everyday problems |
| management only | Changing the dog's surroundings so a problem cannot happen, with no training through the trigger, until a professional has seen the dog. | Everyday problems |
| marker | A short, distinct sound (a word or a click) that marks the instant a behavior happened and promises food; also called a bridge. | How dogs learn |
| marking | Urine or feces used to send a social signal, often small amounts on upright objects. | House training |
| martingale collar | A collar that tightens a limited amount, so a dog with a narrow head cannot back out of it. | Set up to train, Loose-leash walking |
| mat settle | A dog going to a particular mat or bed and lying there, relaxed, until released. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| muzzle conditioning | Pairing a muzzle with good things in small steps until the dog puts its own nose in. | Everyday problems |
| negative punishment | Taking away something the dog wants after a behavior, which makes the behavior less likely. | How dogs learn |
| negative reinforcement | Taking away something the dog wants to avoid after a behavior, which makes the behavior more likely; named so it can be recognized, not taught. | How dogs learn |
| nothing in life is free | A program that requires a cue before the dog gets anything it wants; this manual does not use its framing. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| operant conditioning | Learning in which a behavior changes because of the consequences that follow it. | How dogs learn |
| pairing | Making a new thing predict something good by following its appearance with food, play or praise. | Socialization and confidence |
| parallel walking | Walking two dogs in the same direction at a distance, then closer, so they meet without facing each other head on. | Socialization and confidence |
| pen | A set of free-standing panels (an exercise pen) that encloses a larger area, often with a bed at one end and a toileting surface at the other. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| play bow | Front end lowered, rear end up; an invitation to play. | Body-language reference |
| poisoned cue | A cue word that has been repeated while ignored or followed by something the dog dislikes, so it now predicts nothing or something unpleasant. | Come when called |
| positive punishment | Adding something the dog wants to avoid after a behavior, which makes the behavior less likely; named so it can be recognized, not taught. | How dogs learn |
| positive reinforcement | Adding something the dog wants after a behavior, which makes the behavior more likely. | How dogs learn |
| potty log | The record of every break, result and accident with its time, place and what came before; it overrules the timetable within a week. | House training |
| pre-potty signs | The behaviors just before a dog goes, such as sniffing, circling, walking with stiff back legs and squatting. | House training |
| proactive supervision | Planning and preparing safe separation, with gates, a crate or a closed door, for times no adult can watch (Family Paws). | Read your dog |
| problem plan | A written plan for one unwanted behavior: what happens before it, what the dog gets, a management change, a replacement behavior, its reward, who does what, and the record. | Everyday problems |
| proofing | Practicing a known cue on purpose in new places and with new distractions, one change at a time, until it holds. | Proof it and keep going |
| raised hackles | Hair standing up along the back; a sign of high arousal or upset, not necessarily aggression. | Body-language reference |
| rate of reinforcement | The number of rewards a dog earns per minute; one practitioner's rough guideline for a new behavior is about 10 to 15. | Set up to train, Loose-leash walking |
| recall | A dog coming to you when called, all the way and on the first call. | Come when called |
| reinforcement | Any consequence that makes the behavior just before it more likely to happen again; the dog's next behavior shows whether it worked. | How dogs learn |
| relaxation protocol | Karen Overall's published series of task sheets that rewards a dog for relaxing while the handler does gradually harder things nearby. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| release word | A word that tells the dog the behavior is finished and it is free to move. | First behaviors, Settle, stay and leave it |
| replacement behavior | Something the dog does instead of the problem behavior in the same situation. | Everyday problems |
| resource guarding | A dog's use of body language or aggression to keep people or animals away from food or objects it values. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| Responsible Dog Owner's Pledge | AKC's list of 13 owner commitments in four groups, agreed to for the Canine Good Citizen test. | Proof it and keep going |
| resting energy requirement (RER) | The calories a dog at rest uses in a day, estimated as 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. | Set up to train |
| retractable leash | A leash that pays out and reels in on a spring, keeping slight tension on the dog whenever it is out. | Loose-leash walking |
| reward | Anything the dog will work to get (food, a toy, a game, a sniff, a door opening); the dog decides what counts. | How dogs learn, Set up to train |
| reward spot | The place beside the handler's leg where every treat is delivered during leash training. | Loose-leash walking |
| round robin | A recall game in which several people take turns calling the dog. | Come when called |
| routine (house training) | The set of break times: on waking, after meals, after play, drinks, chews and naps, at intervals, and before bed. | House training |
| rung | One step of the alone-time ladder: how long you are gone, where you are and where the dog is. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| self-rewarding behavior | A behavior whose payoff comes from the act itself, such as eating found food, chewing or digging. | Everyday problems |
| separation anxiety | A clinical diagnosis, made by a veterinarian, for a dog that panics when left alone; treated by a veterinarian and a behavior professional, often with medication. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| session | One short stretch of training on one or two behaviors, with a start and an end, usually a few minutes. | Set up to train |
| shaping | Rewarding small steps toward a behavior, one approximation at a time. | How dogs learn, First behaviors, Settle, stay and leave it |
| socialization | The process by which a young dog learns which people, animals, places, sounds, surfaces and kinds of handling are safe and ordinary. | Socialization and confidence |
| socialization period | The weeks (from about 3 weeks to about 12, with sources differing on the end) in which a puppy accepts new things most easily; also called the sensitive period. | Socialization and confidence |
| stay | Hold this position, here, until released. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| stimulus control | A dog doing a behavior when cued, not offering it uncued in training, and not doing it to the wrong cue. | Proof it and keep going |
| submissive grin | Front teeth shown with a soft body, squinting eyes and a wag; read differently by ASPCApro (greeting) and Penn Vet (social anxiety), not a threat. | Body-language reference |
| submissive urination | A small release of urine in an otherwise house-trained dog during submissive postures, with no signs of fear or aggression; not deliberate. | House training |
| supervision (house training) | Being able to see the dog and reach it within seconds, about 10 feet away in VCA's figure. | House training |
| teething | The stage, ending around six months, when a puppy's baby teeth fall out and adult teeth come in. | Everyday problems |
| tether | A light line about 6 feet long attaching the dog to a person, to keep it close when watching is hard. | House training |
| three Ds | Duration, distraction and distance: the three settings raised one at a time when building a stay or settle. | Settle, stay and leave it, Proof it and keep going |
| threshold | The distance or intensity at which the dog can still eat, look away from the trigger and respond to you. | Read your dog, Loose-leash walking |
| trade | Offering a dog something it values more in exchange for an item it has. | Everyday problems |
| training portion | The part of the day's meals measured out each morning for training, so that the day's total calories do not change. It is meal food, not an extra, and is sized by the sessions, not by the extras budget. | Set up to train |
| treat | Any food given in addition to a complete and balanced diet (WSAVA's definition); kibble taken from the dog's own ration is not an extra. | Set up to train |
| treat allowance (extras budget) | The daily calories a dog can get from treats, chews and other food added on top of its meals, about 10 percent of its daily calories (AAHA: at most 10 percent; WSAVA: less than 10 percent). Meal food used as rewards is not an extra. | Set up to train |
| trigger | Anything that sets off a stress response in a particular dog, such as another dog, a person in a hat or the vacuum. | Read your dog |
| trigger stacking | Stressful events arriving one after another with no time to calm down, until the dog reacts to something it would normally cope with; Dogs Trust calls it situation stacking. | Read your dog |
| value tier | The place a food or other reward holds in the dog's own ranking at a given moment and place, from everyday kibble to soft, strong-smelling food. | Set up to train |
| variable schedule | Rewarding a reliable behavior at unpredictable intervals rather than every time (also called intermittent reinforcement). | How dogs learn, Proof it and keep going |
| veterinary behaviorist | A veterinarian board-certified in behavior (DACVB) who can diagnose medical causes and prescribe medication alongside behavior work. | Read your dog, Proof it and keep going |
| voluntary entry | The dog walks into the crate or pen on its own because good things happen there, rather than being pushed in. | Crate, pen and alone time |
| wait | A short pause, often at a door or before food, ended by the release word or the next cue. | Settle, stay and leave it |
| whale eye | The whites of the eye showing as the dog keeps its head turned but watches; a sign of feeling threatened or stressed. | Read your dog, Body-language reference |
Limits
Clinical words in this glossary (separation anxiety, resource guarding, fear, aggression) name conditions a veterinarian or a behavior professional diagnoses. Knowing the word does not settle whether it applies to your dog; the stop-and-call list in Read your dog says whom to ask.