“Yes”, “Good” – Using Markers with Your Dog
What are positive markers? Positive markers are conditioned stimuli (cue) that have been taught to give your dog a dose of happiness and often accompanied by a reward.
Some examples are: clicker, a verbal mark like “yes” or “good”.
A positive marker’s main job is to freeze the exact moment in which a dog performed a desirable behaviour. Some examples can be: sitting on command, disengaging from a dog or recalling off of distraction.
The positive marker allows for a clearer communication when your dog has performed a desirable behaviour and that you wish to increase the likelihood of the behaviour reoccurring.
While markers, especially positive markers, are great for dog training – it is important to acknowledge that timing is EVERYTHING when it comes to marking! Due to this, poor timing can actually result in increased confusion and even marking the wrong behaviours thereby exacerbating undesirable behaviours.
- Such as, marking too early when your dog is fixating on a squirrel rather than marking the disengagement .
Positive markers continue to be an influential aspect to training and a great skills for all handlers to leave that want to take their obedience to the next level!
