Say Yes! Improving communication with your dog using reward markers.

You hear a lot about reward markers in dog training. I myself talk about them often in training sessions, and it is the first thing that I teach any dog that I am working with. So why are they so important? To understand why they are a critical part of dog training, we must first understand what a reward marker really is. 

What is a reward marker?

A reward marker is a word or sound that marks a precise moment that a behavior occurs. This can be done through clicker training, or with a specific word used consistently. While I would argue that clicker training delivers a more consistent sound that can be beneficial, I have found that a verbal reward marker is easier to utilize in real world settings. You may not always have your clicker handy, but you always have your voice. For this reason, I use the word “yes” for my reward marker. Any word can be a reward maker, many people like to use the word “good”, but I feel that “yes” is short, precise and has a natural positive inflection in your voice, making it a perfect choice. 

Why do you need a reward marker in training?

In order for you to effectively communicate with your dog that they performed the correct behavior you were asking for, you need to be able to deliver the treat within 1-3 seconds of them performing the behavior. That can be a tricky task to do if your treat is in your pocket. A reward marker helps bridge that gap and improve the communication with your dog. Better communication results in faster training. Your dog will learn better when he understands what he earned the treat for so that he does not have to guess. Another huge benefit of using a marker in training is that it reduces your dog’s dependency on treats. Without a marker, you likely will have the treat out and ready, which can become more of a bribe to your dog than a reward. (Read more about rewards vs bribes here.) Finally, one of the biggest reasons to use a marker is that it allows you to effectively wean off of treats. One of the biggest breakdowns I see in training comes from a lack of communication when treats are not present. For example, you ask your dog to sit and he does, then nothing happens because you are weaning off of treats. Next you ask him for a down and he reluctantly complies, while still pondering if his sit was incorrect because he performed his part and you did not reward him. Then after there is still not a treat present, the dog may start offering other behaviors to try to guess what will earn him a treat, or start ignoring the commands all together because he is unsure what you are asking for and gets frustrated with training. A reward marker tells your dog “yes!”, you did the right thing, but keep working to earn the treat. Thus making weaning off treats easier and less frustrating for both of you. 

How do you build value to your marker word?

To teach your dog a marker word, start with an easy command, it can be something the dog already knows. For example, the command sit. Ask your dog to sit, and the moment his bottom touches the floor, say an excited “yes” followed immediately by the treat. Make sure that the dog is still in the sit position (or whatever you asked him to do) when he receives the treat. The treat should come about 1 second after the yes. Repeat this 10-15 times, making sure that your yes is positive and upbeat. Finish the training session with praise and play making sure that it was an overall positive experience.

 Once your dog has a good grasp on the marker word, you can begin using it in other aspects of training and for teaching new commands. When I begin weaning off treats with a reward marker, I will ask the dog for 3-4 commands in a row, giving him an enthusiastic yes each time he performs the correct command, but I will reserve the treat until after he completes multiple tasks instead of for each yes. Make sure to randomize how often the treats are given. This may look like one command, yes, treat, followed by 3 or 4  commands with a yes each time, then one treat, and then back to 1 or  2 commands with a yes each time followed by one treat, and so on. Each time the dog performs the correct task, he is told “yes!” to mark the behavior and make sure he understands that he did the right command, only the treat part is randomized to begin the weaning process. 

Shaping other behaviors with marker words. 

Once your dog understands that yes means he did something you like, it can become a powerful tool for marking other behaviors that you would like repeated. If your dog is laying calmly on his bed, say yes and toss him a treat. If he doesn’t bark when someone walks by the window, say yes and reward. Your dog will quickly look to repeat behaviors that earn him praise. Often we ignore good behavior and only address the problem behaviors that we see. A reward marker helps you shift that way of thinking into proactively shaping the behaviors that you do want in your dog. 

The better your communication becomes with your dog, the more productive your training sessions will become. You will see your dog more engaged in training sessions and as a result, see faster progress.