Marker training is the power behind successful positive reinforcement training and is built on Classical and Operant Conditioning. The marker is the secondary reinforcer when using classical conditioning. Without marker training, positive reinforcement training will not be nearly as effective because it is hard to communicate clearly without marker training and it is harder to transfer the value of the food to the work without the marker. When done correctly, marker training gives a means for clear communication while it creates a highly motivated dog. Marker trained dogs will be much more inclined to please their trainers because they want to, rather than simply because they are being forced to. In this chapter, we’re going to discuss what marker training is, give reasons for its importance, and give you some principles for how to use it.
What Is A Marker?
Before discussing marker training, let’s get a good definition of a marker.
A marker is a neutral stimulus that is paired to a non-neutral stimulus. When paired a sufficient number of times, the value of the non-neutral stimulus will pass to the marker (the neutral stimulus).
For example, I use the word “Yes” (a neutral stimulus) to tell a dog that he has succeeded in doing what I want him to do and that his reward (a non-neutral stimulus) is on the way.
The marker enables the trainer to communicate to the dog an exact moment when the dog does the correct behavior, thereby enabling the dog to connect the right behavior to the reward.
The marker can be anything that precedes reward. Dog trainers typically use a sound: either a marker word or a mechanical device called a clicker.
You may have heard of clicker training. In clicker training, the marker is the sound made by pressing a metal box called a clicker. However, more and more trainers are beginning to see the value of a verbal marker.
If you choose to use your voice, the sound can be any sound as long as it is a sound that the dog can easily distinguish from normal conversation. Many trainers say “yes” in a tone of voice that they don’t normally use when carrying on normal conversation.
Why Marker Training is Important
Without a marker, many of the benefits of positive reinforcement training would be difficult to attain. In fact, some of the benefits of positive reinforcement training wouldn’t be attainable at all. Many trainers see the lack of results from poorly applied positive reinforcement. They therefore believe that positive reinforcement training without positive punishments can not create a fully trained dog. However, when markers are correctly used, training without positive punishments is not only effective in creating good behavior, it creates a dog who wants to please his handler and has the confidence, focus, and self control to be able to do the work. If a trainer’s current method of using positive reinforcement method isn’t working, it’s almost always because the correct use of a marker is not in place.
Here are a few reasons why marker training is necessary to accomplish great things with positive reinforcement training without adding punishments.
First of all, the marker provides a means for good communication with a dog. Without the marker, it is impossible to adequately time the presentation of the reward. A poorly timed reward can lead to a dog that doesn’t know exactly what he did to earn the reward.
Secondly, the marker provides a tool to harnesses the power of classical conditioning to create powerful motivation. When a trainer uses marker training correctly, it will help to build a dog who sees his work and the performance of correct behavior as a game that he very much wants to play.
Thirdly, the marker gives a trainer a way to get the dog to focus on the work of earning the reward instead of focusing on the reward itself.
How to Use Marker Training
There are several rules that both dog and handler must follow for marker training to yield its maximum benefit. These rules are discussed in detail in our chapters on Shaping and our Shaping Game.
For now, suffice it to say that when marker training is done in the context of a game, the dog views the game as a chance to do what it takes to get his trainer to make the sound of the marker. The sound of the marker will signal to the dog that he has succeeded in his work and has earned the right to turn his attention from the work to attaining his reward.
From the viewpoint of the trainer, the goal of this same game is not only to build good behavior but to also structure the game in such a way that it builds internal qualities in the dog. These internal qualities are built through classical conditioning. Classical conditioning happens whether you want it to or not but the marker makes it easier to precisely use classical conditioning to build your dog into the confident, happy, obedience partner of your dreams.
Marker Training Changes the Dog From the Inside Out
In a dog that has been conditioned to respond to the sound of a marker, the marker becomes a tremendously valuable training tool. The marker makes communication clear to the dog. It makes training easier for both the dog and the trainer. Most importantly, the marker gives a means for changing the dog’s wants and desires. A dog who has been correctly trained with markers works for a person because he wants to, not because he has to.
Eventually, the marker can be classically conditioned to be very rewarding to the dog. More importantly, when marker training is done correctly, the work itself will become classically conditioned to be fun in and of itself. Most dogs love their food. However, many dogs who have learned the marker training game get more excited about training time than they get about getting free food in a bowl!
