THE POWER OF YES

Marker

In dog training, a marker, typically a verbal “YES!”, marks the exact behavior you’d like to reinforce. It bridges the gap between the behavior and the delivery of the reward.

This prevents relying on bribery. It avoids the problem of a dog demanding “show me the money!” and needing to see or smell treats on you before they will listen.

Clarity

A marker drastically speeds up the training process by adding clarity for your dog.

With a marker, your dog will be crystal clear about the exact behavior that they should repeat.

Without a marker, your dog may be unsure which behavior you are rewarding. You may end up reinforcing the wrong behavior, or you may not reinforce any behavior at all – even if you are rewarding! Training without markers limits the speed of your progress.

Clarity reduces confusion and frustration for both dogs and humans, making training more fun and much faster.

Technique

Say “YES!” the exact moment your dog does a behavior you want to be repeated. Follow it up with payment within a few seconds.

Payment

For many dogs, a yummy treat is an adequate payment. For some, nothing is higher value than a tossed ball. Spend time learning what your dog values most so you can harness it’s power to use as reinforcement.

Happy training!