If your dog is new to marker training, I recommend using only one marker such as “yes” until your dog has a very solid understanding of marker training and the one marker has attained substantial value to your dog. My primary verbal marker is “yes” as has been discussed.
There are many other types of markers, some of which I use. Others, I don’t. I’ll discuss all of those I use, plus a few more, so you can decide which might be helpful for you and your dog as you progress in training. .
The Release
Before we begin our discussions on the various types of verbal markers, I want to talk a little about another type of verbal: the release. A release is a special type of cue that tells the dog that he is released and free to do what he wants. We use the word “okay” as our release. Some trainers use “free”. Others use “break”. Which word you use doesn’t matter, but you do need a release word. When we use a release word, we do not follow the word with a reward. The dog’s reward is the opportunity to do what he wants (within house rules).
Terminal Markers: “Yes” and Location Specific Markers
A “terminal” marker is a marker that tells the dog that his work is finished and that he will be getting his reward soon.
Saying “yes” as we recommend is a terminal marker. It meets the above definition. There are other terminal markers that some trainers use called “Location Specific Markers”. These markers tell the dog the same thing (that he was correct and that he will soon be getting his reward). However, they give more information to the dog about the forthcoming reward. These markers can tell the dog where he will receive his reward or what his reward is.
For instance, the trainer can say something like “bed” to tell the dog to get his reward on his bed. Or a trainer could say “get it” to cue the dog to get a toy that is in a particular place. That place could be in your hand, in a placed location, or it could be thrown to a particular location. These words can act as a marker when spoken immediately after a desire behavior and just before the dog is given his primary reward. Location specific markers could be used at any time that the “yes” would be used.
On the surface, I think location specific markers are an interesting idea. However, I think that initially they should not be used. When multiple terminal markers are used, none of them obtain as much value as you can build when you only use one.
Therefore, we recommend building one marker (such as “yes”) until it is very strong. Then if you see where adding a second marker could be helpful, try building value into another.
The only location specific marker I occasionally use is “get it”. When I say “get it”, the dogs that I use it with know that their reward is a toy. I didn’t begin using the “get it” until the “yes” had been used thousands of times. And even now, I rarely use “get it”, even when I throw a toy. “Yes” is still my go to marker word. The only time I use “get it” is when there might be some confusion as to what my dog’s reward will be and where he is to receive that reward.
It is rare that dogs need that extra information. Dogs are smart enough to understand what they are working for by the context of most training situations. If I set a toy on the floor, the dog knows that it is his reward. If I throw a toy, the dog knows that is his reward. A tug toy in my hand indicates that the reward will be a game of tug. A training pouch around my waste tells the dog that I’ll be pulling treats from a pouch. At an obedience trial practice match, my dogs know that their reward will be a small bowl of food on a mat just outside the ring. Most of my rewards at trials, at home, and in classes are given in a crate. Therefore, my dogs know where to run to receive their reward during those times. Most importantly, by having only one terminal marker, I’m able to keep that one marker strong, easily recognizable, and valuable to the dog. Still, there are those few occasions when a “get it” marker is helpful.
Communicating With Your Dog When They are Wrong
A “no” marker tells the dog that he is wrong and needs to try something else. If the word “no” has been conditioned to have negative feelings attached to it, then I strongly recommend that you do not use the word. I don’t use the word “no” in isolation myself because it is hard to keep emotions out of the word. I do use it in conjunction with another word in certain situations. When my dogs are wrong, I communicate with my dog using one of three protocols depending on the situation.
The first situation for communication to the dog that he is wrong is when the dog is trying things that are totally wrong. For instance, if I cue a dog that is new to training to “sit” and they go into a down, I might initially wait a moment in silence to see if the dog will try something else. If the dog doesn’t understand that he is wrong and needs to try again, I’ll do what I call “chatting them up”. I will say in a happy voice, “try again,” “that’s not it,” “show me what you can do”. The chatting is my way to communicate to the dog that he’s not correct. I continue chatting cheerfully to the dog until they get it right. Then I say “yes” and give the reward.
Sometimes, when a dog is first learning a new behavior, they will try every behavior in their repertoire of behaviors until finally hitting on the right one. The dog learning to down might sit, then stand, then spin to the right, and then spin to the left until they finally try the down. This chatting lets them know that they are wrong in a tone of voice that encourages them to keep trying. This situation is most common when teaching new behaviors.
The second situation is when I am working with an experienced dog and I am shaping more perfect performances of behaviors that do not have a clear right and wrong. Examples would be straight fronts and finishes. I do not use this technique until the dog is at the level where reward placement (which will be discussed in a later chapter) is no longer used.
With these subjective behaviors and with these more experienced dogs, I have ever increasing criteria for reward. If the dog doesn’t perform to the level that I think he is capable, I’ll ask him to repeat the behavior until he gets it to the level of perfection I want. I will use the word “no” in a quiet and calm tone and then follow the “no” with a repeat of the name of the behavior that the dog needs to perform at a higher level of perfection. For instance, if the dog comes into the front position and is not as straight as I know he is capable, I will say “no, front” to communicate to the dog that he needs to straighten himself out. I might ask him to repeat his front a couple of times in a row always keeping my tone calm and without any evidence of frustration or even disappointment with the dog. When the dog gets it right, I’ll either say “yes” or use a third type of marker called a carry own marker. Which type marker I use will depend on the dog’s level of training.
The Carry On Marker
A carry on marker is a marker used to communicate to the dog that he is on the right track and if he continues he’ll receive his “yes” in due time. Most trainers including me use “good” as a carry on marker.
I think the carry on marker is highly overused. I’m gonna describe a few situations where I use a carry on marker and then I’ll give some examples of times that I believe this marker is not only unnecessary but also could be setting training back in some ways.
Times I Use a Carry On Marker
Both the terminal marker and the carry on marker tell the dog that he is doing a good job. The difference in a terminal marker and a carry on marker is that the terminal marker communicates to the dog that he has completed his task whereas the carry on marker tells the dog that he needs to continue doing whatever he is doing.
There are three specific incidents where I feel that a carry on or “good” marker can be beneficial.
I Use a Carry on Marker When A Dog is Learning or Practicing Straight Fronts and Finishes Without Reward Placement
The first situation where I use a carry on marker is with the dog who is learning to perform straight fronts and finishes without reward placement. This is the only time I use a carry on marker for the long term.
If the dog sits in less than a perfect front or finish, I will initially ask the dog to repeat the behavior until he gets it right as described above in our discussion on the “no” marker. Once the dog gets it right, I will say “good” to communicate to the dog that he is correct and that I want him to remain in that position. Having the dog stay in that position helps the dog to understand and experience exactly where I want him to be.
What I do next depends on the dog’s level of training.
If the dog is just learning to find perfect position without reward placement, I will say “yes” after the dog has sat there for several seconds and give the dog his reward.
Once the dog knows very well how to find straight fronts and finishes, I’ll ask the dog to do another behavior before giving the terminal marker. Once a dog is experienced and capable of consistent straight fronts and finishes, I don’t want him to learn that he can come into the front or finish position with sloppiness and then have the opportunity to fix himself. The experienced dog must get the front or finish correct the first time in order to get his terminal mark.
Though the experienced dog doesn’t get his mark, I don’t just leave him there with nothing. The dog did eventually get the behavior correct. His effort needs some kind of reward or the dog won’t be inclined to fix crooked sits the next time. My solution to this dilemma is to reward the dog with the opportunity to either try again from scratch with the original behavior or to have the opportunity to try a straight sit in a different position. More details on fixing crooked fronts and finishes will be discussed in a separate lesson.
I Use a Carry on Marker When a Dog is First Learning Duration During Behaviors
A second use of the carry on marker for me is when first training duration with dogs that tend to want to jump to different behaviors when they don’t quickly hear the “yes”. Not all dogs need a carry on marker when learning duration, but many do. My Border Collie needed the “good” marker for awhile with every new sustained behavior because she needed assurance that continuing to hold position is what I was after. Most dogs only need the “good” for a short time with new sustained behaviors. I fade this marker as quickly as possible. My goal is to transition the “good” marker for sustained behaviors into building a good understanding in the dog that my silence is the same as a carry on marker.
I Use a Carry on Marker When a Dog is First Learning to String Multiple Behaviors Together Before Hearing the Terminal Marker
A third use of the carry on marker is when a trainer first begins to string multiple behaviors together. I will tell the dog “good” between the first and second behavior. I only use the carry on marker in this situation for a very short time. Eventually, I want the dog to understand that I want the dog to perform each asked for behavior in sequence until the dog hears the “yes”. Once the dog understands the idea of stringing together behaviors, I no longer use the “good” marker at all for this situations and the dog understands that silence means the same thing as “good”.
When I Don’t Use a Carry On Marker
I do not use a carry on marker to tell the dog that his heeling is good. Nor do I use a carry on marker to tell an experienced dog that he needs to hold position or keep working. In these situations, my dogs understand that silence means they are on the correct path to success.
Many trainers will use a carry on marker once the dog is proficient at an entire routine, but struggling with a particular portion of it in the middle. The purpose of the marker in this situation is to assure the dog that he is correct. In my system, if a dog is struggling with any part of an exercise, that portion of the exercise needs more than a carry on marker. In my opinion, the struggling dog needs consistent reinforcement until that part of the exercise is once again solid. Any portion of any exercises that isn’t solid needs to be practiced alone or be the last piece of behaviors strung together. When my dogs get something right that is difficult for them, I always give a terminal marker and reinforce the behavior.
Types of Releases with Markers
Depending on what type work we are doing with a dog, we classify our makers as either stationary or explosive release markers. In actuality, both markers are release markers in that the dog is free after the mark. His work is done once he hears his marker to take his reward any way he prefers. The difference in how we refer to the markers is in how we give the marker and if we encourage the dog to quickly reconnect and work again.
The Stationary Marker
When using what we call a stationary marker, we want the dog to take his food quickly, remain where he is, and quickly reinitiate the game with eye contact. When using a stationary marker, we will have the food on us in a training pouch. We will use our food and reward placement to help get the dog in the best position to re-start the work. We convey to the dog that the quicker he sets up for the next play of the game, the quicker he can earn his mark and another reward. Therefore, with this technique, dogs are highly motivated to remain in their current position even though it’s not a requirement for reward. In the initial stages of training, all of our work is with a stationary marker.
The Explosive Release Marker
The explosive release marker is for the dog that is more advanced in training and has reached the following milestones.
1. The dog has a thorough understanding of the behaviors you are working with and no longer needs reward placement.
2. The dog no longer needs consistent reinforcement, but will work for random rewards.
3. The dog is proficient enough to perform two behaviors without a reinforcement in between.
The explosive release marker is a marker whereby the handler releases the dog with energy giving him an exciting reward event consisting of running to a jackpot of food that is off of the handler’s body.
Though we won’t be using this release marker when training the foundational exercises discussed in this book, a cursory understanding of it will be helpful so that you know where the training is going.
Final Thoughts on Types of Verbal Markers
I like to keep a simple and clean system for marker training heavily using the word “yes”. I reserve “no” and “good” only for occasional use. Location specific markers in my system are rare. However, for some dogs, giving the extra information that location specific markers provides might be helpful.
All markers except for the carry on or “good” marker are releases. However, when training many exercises, I encourage the dog to remain in place. Remaining in place is especially helpful in the early stages of training when reinforcement is heavy. Having the dog stay in place saves time in setting up the dog for the next repetition and keeps the training session flowing better. Better flow makes it easier to keep the dog engaged. In more advanced training when rewards are less often but need to be more powerful reinforcements, I’ll use an explosive release marker.
There are no hard and fast rules other than the fact that the marker must clearly come before the primary reinforcer.
