Developing puppies with marker training

Northwoods Redbreast (Northwoods Rolls Royce x Northwoods Minerva, 2021) happily complies with the “place” command using marker training.

I’m continually looking for new ways to enhance the development of our puppies.

For many years, we used the “treat” only technique to teach our puppies the kennel and recall commands. We used treats to lure the them into the desired behavior; such as tossing a treat into the dog crate for kennel or letting them see I had a treat in my hand for recall. With that technique, the puppies didn’t have to think about what they were doing; they automatically followed the food.

But then I found Gary Wilkes.

Gary is a professional dog trainer in Phoenix, Ariz., who got his start in the late 1980s. His resume is impressive, including experience training guide dogs, service dogs and military special operations dogs. An innovative person, he has developed techniques that dogs understand intuitively and respond to quickly.

One of Gary’s methods to teach new behaviors to dogs is called marker training. Initially used for training marine animals, marker training is now mainstream for training dogs. The concept is simple: wait for the desired behavior to occur and then “mark” it with a click and a treat. With this technique, the puppy has to think about what it has to do to get its reward.

And for me, a thinking dog is a better dog. It is more adaptable, more effective in the field and more interesting to be around.

Here is a video of 10-week-old Northwoods Redbreast (Northwoods Rolls Royce x Northwoods Minerva, 2021) working on the three behaviors I taught her:  kennel, sit and place.

For more information about marker training and many insightful tips on dog training, check out Gary’s website at clickandtreat.com.