Use hand signals to indicate to the dolphin that you want it to perform a desired behavior. Use a target (a stick with a small float at the end) to indicate how and where to perform the behavior. When the dolphin follows the target and performs the behavior correctly, he should be rewarded.
Start a bridging stimulus to tell the dolphin that the behavior is done correctly. A bridging stimulus is a signal -- such as a loud whistle -- a verbal message like "Good Job" or "Good Girl", or fish or toys given the moment the dolphin does the behavior correctly.
Give a neutral response instead of a bridging stimulus if the dolphin has done something wrong. Give the dolphin a time-out for several seconds. The time out is an effective technique, as it will give the dolphin time to reflect that it did not perform the desired behavior correctly. After the time out, the same behavior should be repeated until the dolphin performs the action correctly. A bridging stimulus must be given as a reward when the correct behavior is performed.
Every signal from the trainer should be distinctive and accurate, from the beginning of the training. This is important because dolphins link each signal with appropriate behavior. This will not confuse the animal when it is asked to perform a new step.