Many of you have most likely heard the terms "marker" or "clicker" in reference to dog training. Some of you have possibly even experimented a little with these training tools. But what exactly is clicker or marker training and how can you use it in your every day training?
Using a marker in training is a way to capture the EXACT moment a desirable behavior happens and to bridge the gap between the time the dog gives the behavior and the time it takes you to offer a reward. For our communication to be clear, our timing in dog training is critical. In order to properly reward a dog for a desirable behavior, the reward should come within a 1/2 second of the dog giving the behavior. But not all of us can reward that fast! In some cases, it can take a handler up to 4 or 5 seconds to offer a reward and in some circumstances, the original behavior we were trying to reward has been lost. For example, lets say you are teaching your dog to "Sit". Your dog offers the sit and as you reach into your pocket to grab Fido's favorite treat, he pops up into a stand. You give him the reward. You have now successfully rewarded your dog for standing! The marker will help to eliminate this confusion and, if used properly can be a great tool for teaching your pooch some more advanced behaviors. If you properly introduce a marker, you can essentially tell your dog they've done it right the moment that they have and then, take your time getting them their physical reward.
A clicker, is simply a marker. We can also use simple words such as "YES!", or "BRAVO" or "VOILA". So long as the marker sound is the same every time, you can use pretty much anything you'd like!
To get started using marker training, the first step is to "load" the marker. Pick your marker word or sound and fill your pocket full of your pooch's favorite treat. High value rewards are a must at early stages of marker training. Keep the treats out of site so your pooch doesn't accidentally cue to the presence of food. To load the marker (or give it meaning to the dog), start with your dog right in front of you and simply say your marker word and then immediately reach into your pocket and offer your dog a treat. Its imperative that your dog immediately gets the reward so they learn to associate your marker word or sound with a food reward. Be careful in this stage not to offer the marker word when your pooch is doing something undesirable as you may end up inadvertently rewarding that negative behavior! Practice "loading" your marker 5-10 times in a row, several times per day for the first few days.
Once you have loaded your marker, you can begin by "marking" basic behaviors that your dog already knows. For example, ask your dog for a "sit". The moment your pooch is in the sit, mark the behavior with your word or sound. Then reach into your pocket and offer a reward! Be careful not to mark and simultaneously reach into your pocket for the treat as we want the dog to cue to the marker word as opposed to the movement of your hand to your pocket.
Once your dog starts to get the idea, you can begin using your markers to teach basic obedience and more complex behaviors. In addition, you can use your marker to capture behaviors that happen naturally that you'd like your dog to repeat but you have no idea how to teach. Some examples are: teaching your dog to smile or teaching your dog to sneeze. To capture these behaviors, just be ready with your marker word and treats and when your dog naturally offers the behaviors you want to reinforce, mark and reward! Once the dog forms the association and understands those things are desirable, they will begin offering them more frequently in anticipation of a tasty snack!
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