Last week on my blog we looked at when to add a cue to the behaviours you are training with your dog. This week we look at three different types of verbal markers. What marker you choose and how you use it can help or hurt your dog training. The topic of cues and markers is one that has filled textbooks and is covered in more than one thesis, but for the purposes of a general understanding, we’re looking at verbal markers everyone would be familiar with.
Single Word Marker
Examples of single word markers are “yes”, “super”, “excellent”, “good”.
A single word can give your dog great feedback and can be used for anything. This type of verbal marker is not as specific as a clicker.
There are a couple of cautions with the use of a single word marker. If a marker like this is used in a judgmental tone, a soft dog may worry. If the timing is off, you could be marking a behaviour you don’t want to see repeated. If you’re using a single word make sure you’re really consistent with how you deliver it …. be mindful of tone and timing. Videoing your training is an ideal way to see if how and when you are using a marker like this is effective and helping your training.
General Praise (Phrase)
General praise is very closely related to a single word marker and is used well for continuously rewarding a longer duration behaviour. A phrase I use is “super of the stars”. “What a good dog” is another that you will hear frequently in any group of dog trainers.
If general praise is not used well, it could be rewarding things you don’t want to reinforce, like running by you with a toy …. and this is one you might be familiar with … saying ‘what a good dog’ as the dog blasts by you with a toy rather than bringing it to you. This is effectively letting the dog know that running away with a toy is a good thing to do as there is reinforcement from you by way of praise! You have to be careful with praise so it does not get attached to behaviours you don’t want, because praise is a reward, and that’s how reinforcement works.
The more that you reward, the more likely that your dog will repeat a behaviour. That’s why we love reinforcement, but inadvertent reinforcement is something to watch for, like in the example of praising a dog for running off with a toy.
Here’s what I think happens … I think we get self-conscious or maybe a little bit embarrassed by the behaviour of our dogs and we nervously just start spewing out praise because we’re kind people and we love our dogs. We need to be aware of what we are praising. Ask yourself, “am I reinforcing a behaviour I ‘want’ to see repeated, OR, am I reinforcing a behaviour I would ‘not’ want to see repeated?”. If the dog is running off with the toy (or insert any behaviour you don’t want to see here), don’t praise him. Instead, set your dog up for success by breaking the behaviour down into layers so you CAN reinforce him for what it is you want him to do.
Keep Going Signal
Keep going signals are repeatable …. “dat it dat it dat it” is one I use that you may have heard. If you are a student in my online programs it would be instantly recognizable. A signal to keep going can be used in a behaviour chain to tell the dog they are doing a good job and to keep going. It can be used to support the dog to continue with the task he started, while we leave to get into another position (think of weaving in agility).
A keep going signal can also be repetition of a cue (a continuous cue), and something that everyone in my Handling360 program would be very familiar with. A repeated cue (that we have trained) gives the dog critical information about where he is going on an agility course and supports his performance, providing us as handlers the freedom to get to the next place we need to be.
If you do agility, you may have heard the verbal “La La La” (la-la-la-la) being used on an agility course. This is a Handling360 verbal cue that I train to have the specific meaning to my dogs of ‘drive to back side and jump long’. I don’t need to be there, the continuous cue supports my dogs to perform this behaviour. The continuous cues I have for agility support the dog when he is performing a behaviour that has been trained to give him confidence and clarity about where he is going on course and to let him know what to do with his body.
For those of you who do agility, there’s more on the verbal cues with a pop quiz and short video on my blog post “Do Agility Dogs Really Understand Verbal Cues & A New Home for Handling360!“.
Keep going signals are very powerful. However, if not used well they can get you into trouble. Using a keep going signal before the behaviour is salient can end up attaching the cue to a behaviour you don’t want …. for example in the weave poles if you are saying ‘dat it dat it dat it’ and your dog is popping out at say pole 8, 9 or 10 that keep going signal is going to attach the behaviour of popping out.
Another way it can get you into trouble is if you are cheerleading. Often people cheerlead if their dog is going slow thinking they are encouraging their dog to go faster … but what you are doing is telling your dog “I really like that slow speed, keep it up, good job!”. Not being mindful of when we are using a keep going signal can have a similar outcome to when we are not mindful about what it is we are praising.
Keep going signals are very powerful for dog sports like agility.
Do you use all three of these markers? Have you inadvertently used markers to reinforce your dog for something you don’t want to see him do? (and if you have, don’t worry, you are not alone). Let me know in the comments your thoughts and epiphanies about markers in dog training.
Today I am grateful for everything we know about cues and markers and the science of animal training, as it allows us to be the best we can be for our dogs.
Definitely guilty of cheerleading, when my 7 year old is slow to recall or retrieve. And been embarrassed by enthusiastically praising only to have the dog drop toy, stop and sniff when about 20feet from me.
I find the hardest behavior is the barking dog in a crate. We tell them _______ which is reinforcement. But they are not quiet long enough to reward.
I use a single word verbal marker (“yes”) and as a former vocalist I have generated a very consistent tone when I use it where I communicate excitement. Sometimes that gets awkward during my conversations with people. E.g. when I used to go to restaurants, a server would ask if I was ready to order and I would reply with a very enthusiastic “yes!”
Thank you for re-sharing this article. I have been following tour work since Covid and was in your HimeSchool the Dog class. Since Then, I’ve opted to continue to participate in your “DogsThat” program. A struggle I’ve been having is my dog getting distracted when she goes out for a retrieve in the back yard. After reading this, I realized me adding focalization and “come on” to the retrieve is reinforcing Ellie stopping to smell the roses and not going right out and coming right back to deliver the bumper to hand. I definitely can see where I need improvement and will focus on trying to develop a game plan to set my girl up for success.
So the “keep going signal” must be given after the desired behavior begins? In the same behavior, the *same* verbal signal must be used?.
This is great info. We tend to think it’s “hard” for the dogs to learn “X” (ie. weave poles, or whatever) but I think this post illustrates how challenging it is for HUMANS to get it right! (If the humans get it right, for the dog, it’s pretty easy.) I think I get nervous when training because I realize this, and then I’m worried about doing it wrong (marking the wrong thing, wrong timing, wrong mechanics, etc.) and then confusing my dog or having to “un-learn/reteach” stuff. This convinces me that it’s the HUMANS that need more training than the dog! (lol)
I have two dogs that I am starting to train. I began 3 weeks ago with one of the dogs and use the word “Si” as my marker word. Now, I would like to start training the second dog. I put the first dog in her crate while I train the second dog but she still hears everything and I am afraid that she is going to start having a bad association with the word “Si”. Should I choose a new marker word to train the second dog?
Maybe this blog will give you insight in helping get to a point where both dogs can be together while you train. Have a read through see what you thin
: https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2019/03/wait-watch-work/
Am I doing this all wrong? When she enters the weaves I give a resounding “Yes!” Then it’s weave, weave, weave weave weave all thru them, sometimes alternating with yes. Or sometimes it is yes all the way thru them. Talk about inconsistent! Surprisingly she does them, but in trials I get nervous and do something to throw her off.
You are onto it Gail, consistency is the key, you’ve got this!
Always good to review! I had difficulty in getting my dog to wrap a drum in her NADAC training and quickly had to check myself when, in my excitement, I saw her about to wrap the drum I shouted ‘Yes’ and she took it as a marker to leave her line and take the weaves (which she loves) nearby. This experience has made me extra careful about the correct use of markers . even tho’ there are the unexpected mistakes to keep me on my toes!
Thank you. Several good points to think about. Great advice.
Great blog. Couple of aha moments here with praising for task being accomplished, but slowly, never really thought about this encouraging the speed as well as the task. Something to think about and definitely work on. Thank you!!
Never thought encouraging Ranger to speed up on the dog walk was actually praising him for going slow. That is my “gem” for the day.
For me the most difficult to not for get to lure or cheerlead is when one of my dogs does not want to get into the car. e.g. after a search to wait for a new turn in SAR
There is not much time as the others are waiting for me to over look their training or hide
The other scenario is when my fearful dog is not happy to enter the car- in daily life it is hard to shape him then and take the time
Concerning cues I have single word I use where always comes a “clear” reward like food or toy or free running. I have other words that have a high rate for reward but not always.
Love the post for rethinking and obeserving
I’m really busy, too, and not as patient as I should be with fearful dogs. I fixed one of my dog’s who hated the car – anytime I ate lunch for two weeks, I sat in the back seat with both doors open and ignored her. When she came close to see what I was doing, I threw her only one piece of chicken. After five minutes, she jumped in to share what I was eating. No pressure, no commands, not driving her anywhere. Pretty soon she loved the car and we could drive a block, then 100 miles with no issues. Good luck!
Oh I so cheerlead my dog through the weaves when he slows down! I have also been told recently that I sound anxious to, so could be putting this onto my poor little dog.
Time for a re-think, any suggestions?
Hi Carol, that’s a great observation. Pop back to your 2×2 foundations and keep D.A.S.H. in mind for every session. You’ve got this! Here is Susan’s blog post on D.A.S.H.
https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2017/01/dash/
Hi Susan! Thanks a lot for your words.
So, I just realized that I “cheerlead” a lot!!
I have a slow dog, and just like you said, I thought I was encouraging him by saying motivacional words and my tone, or simply by saying “good dog” just for bein in there.
How can I work his speed and motivation without doing this? My dog happens to be a rescued dog…he doesnt really k ow or likes to play with toys. I reward him with “food”.
Thanks a lot **
Hi Rita, Susan’s blog post all about D.A.S.H. in training is very helpful. D.A.S.H. stands for ‘Desire, Accuracy, Speed, Habitat’ and this way of structuring a training session can apply to all we do with our dogs.
https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2017/01/dash/
i have always wondered about the continuous cue, and why it is better than a single word cue. Why not just say “check” once, rather than repeating it multiple times, if it represents to the dog performing a specific behavior? I don’t understand why a multiple word cue is more powerful than a single word cue, if taught properly
Hi Karen, a keep going signal supports the dog to continue on with the task in behaviour chains (the weave poles are a behaviour chain). It supports the dog to do something that may be in opposition to what your body might be doing. If say the dog is weaving, and you want to head over to the tunnel to be in a good position, you can use the keep going signal to let the dog know to keep going in the poles even though you are moving away. It gives the dog clarity and confidence about what he is doing. Cues such as “check, check, check” are also predictive cues for our dog letting him know where he is going on course next and how to prepare his body.
Hi Susan!
Fantastic blog!
I have a question about the weavers, I have an amazing little Agility dog Amber, she has speed through most of the course until we get to the weavers. She does them correctly but very slow!! Do you have any tricks to get them quicker through the weavers?
Thanks!
Kym
Hi Kym,
Obviously I’m not Susan, and could not fit 1/99th of her shoe size (not literally of course), but I went to a weave clinic where they put things in front of the weaves so the dog had to “find” then entry. First just a chair. Then perhaps tip the chair down and add a pole from a jump. By the end, it looked like a garage sale pile before the weaves, just to let the dog find them. That really helps with entry, but it also helps with speed! Maybe the dog gets confidence finding them and then speeds up because he did it, I don’t know.
We also only did 6 weaves at a time, and had several sets going at a time. The dogs felt like they were competing with one another. That helped too. It sure sped up my dog. After that seminar he couldn’t WAIT to do weaves, and he was much faster!
It could be a confidence issue with your dog though, especially since she does everything else so well. If she likes to chase after toys, throwing them while in the weaves, assuming she doesn’t pop any, can sure help. If she’s treat happy, throw a ball with a treat inside. If she pops, start when she’s almost finished, then start earlier and earlier if she doesn’t pop.
Finally, how you teach weaves from day 1 can make a huge difference. My novice A dog was taught a combination of methods. My next dog I taught 2 by 2’s. Definitely faster with the 2 by 2 method. It’s not fun to go back to square one, but it could help if nothing else does. Good luck! And listen to Susan. I’m just giving you info from where I am — she has MUCH more experience!
Loved your post Bev – I’m going to do play the ‘entry game’ too to find entries. I found crate games – especially the one where the dog finds the entry to crate with crate turned away from dog – a great help. Also tunnel entries (going to play the tunnel entry game you described above for weavers too). I also do a lot of work on 4 weavers – distance and entries, then six weavers, then eight weavers. While working on skills eg distance or entries I use less weavers so the dog isn’t working on getting lots of weavers but getting the entry at a distance or from different angles.
Brilliant idea to race multiple dogs! Thanks for sharing the tip!
Some dogs are distracted by words so I have sounds and finger markers. If I’ve dropped a series of treats and the dogs are not cluing in.. They get the finer twirl search for them signal. I work with seriously timid /fearful dogs so for our agility world this is our keep going.