Marking the Right Behaviour, Why? – Dog Training Done Right!

Marking the Right Behaviour, Why? – Dog Training Done Right!

Positive Dog Training Services Sydney Wide – Eazy Dog Training

Marking the right behaviour is extremely important when training dogs, but why? And how to do it right? You should see marking the right behaviour as positive communication between you and your dog. It’s the common language between the two of you that allows your dog to understand what behaviours you like. Marking the right behaviour simply put means using a precise and fast marker, such as a click from a clicker or a short marker word ‘yes’, to mark moments your dog is doing something right. To be exact, the marker must happen at that exact moment your dog is doing the right behaviour. And then what? What happens after the marker? After marking a behaviour a dog must be rewarded as soon as possible, within 2 seconds. This will put that positive spin and association on the marker, creating a dog who wants to hear that marker and starts to work for the marker, not a treat. A treat will follow of course, especially when training something new. But the real beauty of a marker is that eventually when you start fading out food rewards the dog still understands what behaviours are beneficial to repeat in order to get rewarded when you mark them even if a treat doesn’t follow every single time. Because let’s face it, food rewards should be faded away eventually to create reliable obedience. But the marker doesn’t get faded away, it can always be used for communicating what behaviours you like and would like to get repeated. So how to use a marker correctly?

1. First associate a treat with your marker. Click/say yes and give a treat to your dog IMMEDIATELY. Not 5 seconds later, right away, within 2 seconds. This is very important for the correct association!
2. Mark the right moment. Timing is everything! Your dog must be doing the right thing when you mark it.
3. Follow through with the 2-second rule for rewarding after the marker when you start training. This is the most common mistake I see with clients, they simply take way too long to reward after marking a behaviour. It should happen immediately, especially when training new things!
4. Mark all right behaviours. Communication is the key, especially with young dogs. Let them know when they do the right things and make good decisions!