Hi guys and welcome to my dog training series on markers.
Marker training is a system I use for communication with my dog to capture behaviours.
Through marker training I am able to give my dog instant feedback on which behaviour granted them access to the reward. It allows me to snapshot a behaviour I am trying to capture with pinpoint accuracy. Think of it as building a language that you can use to communicate with your dog. Clear communication is the foundation of everything.
We are going to take a little bit of time to talk about marker training so that you have a better understanding of how to use it ,and how it pertains to dog training.
Marker training initially employs a process called classical conditioning,
classical conditioning is when we take a neutral stimulus such as a sound which means nothing to the dog ,and we pair it with an unconditioned stimulus like food that creates a physiological response in the dog such as excitement.
After the conditioning phase the sound which was a neutral stimulus will become a conditioned stimulus. Meaning it will trigger a physiological response similar to the food , without food actually being present . We are going to take a look at a graphic ,and relate it to classical conditioning examples you may have experienced yourselves already . So let’s get started!