If you've read our part one on marker training, you are already starting to understand the benefits of doing this with your dog. And if you're wondering how to get started, then you have come to the right place. Marker training is simple enough that anyone who wants to can do it. So let's get into how you can getit done.
Picking Your Marker
The first step to marker training is to pick the word or sound you want to use as your marker. If you pick a word, I reccomend a short, single syllable word. However, I always encourage people to not use the word "good". Your marker word is going to predict a reward 100% of the time, which means you can't say it to your dog unless you are going to reward them. So if you use "good" then saying "good dog" or "who's a good boy?" or "what a good girl" or any similar phrases are going to devalue your mark and make it useless. Other than that though, any word is fine. "Yes" is a very common choice of word or a simpler derivation, like "yep". If you do pick a word, be conscious of your tone. Deliver your marker in a constant tone of voice, and make that tone of voice slightly different than your normal, conversational voice. This will help your dog instantly realize that something different is happening.
Another very popular choice is a clicker. In fact, clickers were so popular at one time that marker training was typically called "clicker training". Clickers are great because they produce the exact same sound every time no matter what. They are also a unique sound, unlike any sound that dogs hear on a regular basis, so they are likely to catch the dog's attention immediately. However, handling a clicker along with treats, a leash, and potentially other gear can be a lot. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you pick as your marker, as long as you are consistent. So pick anything that makes sense to you, and get started.
Choosing Your Rewards
Marker training requires rewards, and the most common rewards are treats or toys. I always reccomend that people teach the mark with treats, and move to other rewards after the dog has a good understanding of the marker. This is because treats are easy to handle, they are accessible, and just about every dog is motivated by food. Once a treat is eaten, the dog is ready for more, which is exactly what we want. The most important thing when choosing your rewards is this; your dog decides what is rewarding. You can't make somehting a reward if your dog does not find it rewarding. As obvious as that sounds, it is very common for people to try and use rewards that the dog does not like. Now let's get into the specifics of how to pick your treats.
When choosing your treats, keep a few things in mind. We want these treats to be small, easy to eat, and of course, something your dog likes. Size will depend at least a bit on
the size of your dog, but the most importnat thing is that the dog is able to eat the treat in one bite. We want training to be fun, and we want the dog to focus on us and what we're doing. We don't want them taking five seconds to stop and chew a milk bone after every repitition, nor do we want your dog pausing to snuffle around for crumbs. So make sure the treat can be safely eaten in a single bite without leaving a lot of crumbs around.
For the most part, I use a mix of my dog's kibble, soft training treats from any pet store, and small pieces of meat. About 80% of my treat bag will be kibble, 15% will be regular treats, and 5% will be the meat. This keeps training more exciting because every treat could be a really good one, but not every treat is. This possibility keeps the mundane treats exciting, but also keeps the more rare treats an occasional treat. Believe it or not, if you train with boiled chicken all day every day, your dog will get sick of it. So use a mix of treats to keep things fresh and exciting for your dog.
Charging the Mark
Now that you have chosen a mark, it's time to give it meaning to your dog. Like anything we say, the mark won't have meaning until you give it meaning and we call the process of giving the mark meaning "charging the mark". Think of your mark like a battery; by charging it, we give it power, and once it has power, it can work for us. There are certain activities we can do in the charging the mark process to give our mark more power, so let's take a look at some of them.
The first is to use high value treats. High value treats are treats that your dog just loves. Things you wouldn't normally give them, like cheese, pieces of chicken, or other really enticing treats. Grab a few of whatever you've chosen, and put them in your pocket, or in a treat pouch. Don't just have them in your hand, have them somewhere out of sight of your dog. Once you're ready, call your dog's name and when they look at you, give your mark, then offer them a treat. As soon as they eat it, give your mark again, and offer them another treat. Repeat three or four times, and end while the dog is wanting more. They will likely be confused at first, but that's ok. Do a few short sessions a day for a day or two and your dog will catch one.
The second way we can add some extra power to our mark is to say it at times when our dog is already excited. When a dog learns something new, their mindset while they learn it is built into the behavior. So we want to use our mark at a time when our dog is excited and happy, which will then make them excited and happy when we give the mark later on. For most dogs there is one time when they are more exicted and happy then just about any other time of the day, and that is meal time. So what you are going to do is get your dog's meal prepared like normal and before you go to give it to them, give your mark, then give them a bit of their dinner. Once they've eaten the bit you gave them, do it again. Do this a few times, then put the bowl down and feed them the rest like normal.
Doing both of these things once or twice a day for a couple days should teach your dog what your mark is, and that it means a reward is coming.
Testing Your Mark
Once you have done a few sessions of charging the mark, test it to be sure that it is giving the reaction that you want. The reaction that we want is for your dog to turn and look at you when you give your mark, regardless of what else is happening, and expect their reward. Once you have gone through the charging proces, and you want to test to see if you've been successful there is a simple way to test it. When you are around the house and doing nothing in particular, and your dog is nearby doing nothing in particular but not really paying attention to you, give your mark (and reward). If your dog turns and looks at you immediately, then congratulations! Your dog understands the marker and is ready to incorperate it into training. If your dog does not look at you, then spend a few more sessions practicing until your dog is responding the way we want.
Incorporating Your Mark Into Training
So now that your dog knows a marker, how do we go about working it into training? Now that your dog understands that the mark predicts a reward, we can use the mark to let the dog know anytime they have done something we like. So we can incorperate that into formal training sessions, like when you are taking time to specifically work on teaching your dog to sit, or come, or other basic behavior. For example when you are trying to teach your dog to sit, mark them as soon as their butt hits the ground, then give them their reward. That will help them understand what you're asking, and give them a reason to do it again. This will accellerate their training and increase the dog's desire to train.We can also incorperate it into daily life when your dog is behaving appropriately. For example if your dog is struggling with barking at people, you can mark and reward when they are quiet when people come to the door.
One of the big questions that I get when treaching people this system is "so I just have to have treats on me forever now?" and the short answer to that is "no" but the long answer is a little more complicated. You do not need to have treats on you 24/7 for the rest of your dog's life just because you taught them a mark. You should have treats in your house somewhere easily accessible to you, so you can mark and go get a treat as needed, and you should of course have treats on you when you do a formal training session. However, the mark is a teaching device not a permanent addition to a behavior. This means that you use the mark to teach your dog something but you don't need to mark a behavior every time the dog does it once they know what you are asking and they have a strong desire to do it. To tell if you have reached that level of understanding with your dog, simply give your cue for your behavior one time. If your dog responds quickly and appropriately (i.e. they sit immediately if you said sit, come immediately if you said come etc.) great! Repeat it five times, and if your dog responds correctly four out of the five repetitions then they are ready to not get marked every time they do the behavior, and they can be trusted to do this behavior under greater distraction (for example if your dog is proficient with sit at home, you don't need to mark at home but be ready to mark and reward out in public). I always recommend marking and rewarding every behavior occasionally, just to keep it valuable to the dog, but for most dogs, once they know it, they will remember it.
Now that you've taught your mark, and using it int training will typically maintain the dog's understanding of the mark. The biggest thing to remember is that everytime you mark, you reward. Period. Even if you mark in error, reward the dog. The mark is the backbone of this training system and without it, we have to go back to the beginning and teach it again. So do yourself and your dog a favor and reward when you use the mark, no matter what.
Marker Trouble Shooting
Is your dog not responding appropriately to your mark, even though you've spent time charging it? Check to see if you're making any of these common mistakes.
The biggest thing you need to be aware of is that you don't move at all before you
are finished saying your marker. Dogs are much more likely to key into body language
than spoken language, so if you move to reach for a treat before you are done giving your mark, your dog is going to key into the movement, not the word. I reccomend practicing with someone or while looking in a mirror or recording yourself and watching it back. See if you're moving before you mark, and if you are work to break the habit. For me, I find giving the mark, counting to one in my head, then moving to be very effective. It is a built in momentary pause that prevents me from moving when or even before I mark.
Also check how you are delivering your treat. Often times, we want to push the treat into our dogs' mouths, but this can be offputting for some dogs. Instead, move your hand away from your dog when you mark. Don't jerk it away if your dog is reaching for the treat, just smoothly move it to one side or the other. This does a couple different things; first it lets the dog get a little excited about the chase. Second, it helps them move around us, not necessarily directly at us which can be helpful for dogs who are spacially sensetive.
While we are on the subject of treats, be mindful of how you hold your treat before you give your mark. It is so common for people to, intentionally or not, hold a treat out for the dog to see when they mark. This undermines the mark, because the dog isn't listening to the words you say, they are looking at what is in your hand. So keep your hands at your sides in a totally neutral position until after you have given your mark, then reach for your treat, and offer it to your dog. I recommend that everyone keep their treats in their pocket until after they have marked while they are learning how to use markers, since it will eliminate this common hurdle.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg on marker training and we will add more resources on how to take your marker training to the next level. For now, use this to get started and reach out if you have any questions!
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