Whether you call it clicker training or marker training, reward-based training, or just positive reinforcement, there’s no denying that the power of training a dog (or most any animal), using the methods most commonly credited to Karen Pryor for innovating and popularizing, produce amazing results.
Capturing and shaping behaviors through the simple process of marking/releasing and rewarding desired behaviors is powerful. Best of all, almost anybody can train a dog using this method, and most any dog, even dogs that can’t hear, can learn through the principles of marker training. Lifelong learning can and does occur when this method is employed. It is fair, safe, fun and effective.
Recently, one particular video has come to our attention that really does a great job of demonstrating the value of training with markers.
The first one comes to us from our new friend in Sweden, Nicolina Lindh. About six months ago she began training her Lapp (a Swedish breed of goat) and recently, now that he is a year old, started training him for agility – just like her dogs. This video was, from what we understand, only the second attempt at running an entire course by Sindre.