For those of y'all who do marker training and own more than one dog, do you take the dog you are training at the time into another room so the other dogs don't hear the marker and expect something?

Also, do you use a word or a clicker as your marker?

You could unless you are looking to get some amount of group focus from them. I rarely do anything at home with mine. I usually alternate which one I'm working with and take him someplace.

With the one that I do actual marker training with, I like to use a clicker for most things. He's so sensitive to the tone of my voice, it's just easier for a clod like me.

I used clicker, voice, food, hand signals.

Really just depends on the dog and what I am training.

I find it hard to have both dogs in the room when doing marker training. Any excitement, reaction by the "non-training" dog can influence the one I'm working with. Plus, I'm easily distracted as well...

I use my voice vs a clicker simply because I always have it with me.

I use my voice (Yes is my marker for Belle) since I like to have both hands free to alternate where the treat/toy is coming from.

I use the marker "Yes" for the simple reason that I'm a bit of a klutz and can't manage a leash, clicker and treats without dropping something. Also, I always have my voice with me.

 Quote: lucillehollander

... do you take the dog you are training at the time into another room so the other dogs don't hear the marker and expect something?

No, I don't, myself. They are all almost always around, both with their roommate-dogs and the dogs of other people who I might be working with.

They seem to have no trouble knowing who's being addressed and worked with, although there is the occasional hopeful try when one "accidentally" drifts into my line of sight and suddenly runs through his entire repertoire a few feet behind the dog whose session it really is.

I also use their names. But that's just me, because I rarely have just one dog nearby.

But it depends on how it works out for you. Do your dogs have a "place" command? Or an "invisible line" command? If they crowd around, etc., you may want to physically control who is right with you for now. As for seeing/hearing, I don't mind at all that the dogs wanting their turns are psyched by the whole training process.



The verbal or mechanical marker is a whole 'nother topic. I use a verbal marker 90% of the time, but I have discovered that the folks who maintain that a clicker or other mechanical sound can be faster, clearer, etc. -- are right.

OTOH, I've had no trouble at all acclimating any dog to both. I don't mean all at once at the beginning, but I've loaded and used a clicker (or a retractible ball-point pen or empty mini-stapler) with dogs already accustomed to the verbal marker and have seen no confusion at all.

Are you just starting, with loading your marker?

Edited by Connie Sutherland (07/18/2010 09:18 PM)
Edit reason: typo