Hi Wendy,

Yeah, I've had Blade since he was 7 weeks old. My sister had some neighbors that lived above her that had 8 puppies and they didn't have homes for any of them, so I adopted Blade for free - just had to fly down from WA to CA to pick him up, and then back to WA. I must say, getting him was priceless! Love him!

I wasn't saying so much that I can't get my voice high enough, it just seemed that it wasn't intriguing enough for Blade to get interested.. so I didn't feel very confident in my marker. But yeah, your last bit about getting my dog excited/interested was what I was getting at.. he wasn't doing that, so didn't feel confident in this new training method.

However, like others have said, because there is no correction at this stage, even if I'm having a harder time getting into it, I'm not hurting him in any way. I love what Ed said in the DVDs, "This look easy and rather simple, but it isn't" Boy was he right!

Update on the tethering:

Just got home and put Blade on a tether, lol, but then had to put some stuff in the refidgerator, so the poor guy was so conflicted as we've trained him not to go into the Kitchen. Oops! The look on his face was priceless, "Daddy, I know I'm not supposed to be in the kitchen but I'm attached to your hip, what do you expect me to do?"

Got some hotdog and cheese from the store - thanks for all the suggestions.

Here are some pictures of Blade (as I know you guys/gals like pictures):
Tired Dog, Happy Dog
SnowDog!
Younger Days
California Puppy Pic!

I think Cheese/Hotdog mix does the trick!

The cheese I don't think lasts one milisecond in his mouth before it's gone and his eyes almost don't seem to leave me, lol. Is that the definition of high value treat? He isn't bouncing off the walls, but rather is attentive and sitting at my feet

Hi Jonathan,
Have you considered using a clicker instead of your voice? This might reduce the confusion factor for the dog.

It also removes any possibility of the tone of your voice influencing how your dog responds...

I agree with that Lynne,
For me the clicker has been an invaluable tool.

 Quote: Jonathan Holen

I think Cheese/Hotdog mix does the trick!

The cheese I don't think lasts one milisecond in his mouth before it's gone and his eyes almost don't seem to leave me, lol. Is that the definition of high value treat? He isn't bouncing off the walls, but rather is attentive and sitting at my feet

Yup, that's what the definition is. Something the dog goes over the top for. If it's hot dogs & cheese, so be it!

How long have you been loading the marker for now?

How fun, Jonathan.

I love marker training! Transitioning a dog from traditional training can be so much fun, but also takes a bit for the dog to learn that he controls the "game" as much as you do. It poses unique challenges, which it sounds like you are experiencing.

If he likes cheese, I have an idea for you: cans of spray cheese. Yep, that gross stuff that some insane people spray on crackers. Spray cheese is great, because it doesn't need to be refrigerated, and is very high value for most dogs. If it doesn't start off that way, it becomes high value over time. Kind of like dog "crack".

You can leave cans all around the house in convenient spots. Just practice squirting out only a 1/4 - 1/2" "taste" of the stuff first.

The great thing about spray cheese is that you can just "catch" him doing something you like, say "yes!" and reach for the can (because remember, you have them strategically placed all around the house).

It's not the most natural/healthy on the planet, but all he needs are little tastes. (I feed alternately raw and very high quality grain free kibble, but this stuff is so powerful as a training tool, I am willing to compromise.)

You won't be needing a tether once you start this little program. He'll learn to stick to you like glue.

Have fun and good luck!
T

I think this is what a "light bulb" moment for my dog looks like:
Light bulb!

I snapped his picture half-way through the charging the mark session we had after I got home from work this morning.

I used the cheese and hotdog mixture again this morning, and would say "Yes" and then pause for a second, then reward. Did from both hands, and from my mouth a few times. Also did this a few times when I took him outside to do his business, tried to especially do it when he wasn't intently looking at me, and after that "Yes" he was right back looking at me.

How do you know when they know well enough to start using the marker?

p.s. as I type this he is just laying beside the chair staring at me lol

Well our training has been continuing..

Yesterday morning Blade and I went out to the local college parking lot to get some training in - there was a local driver's ed course being done in the next parking lot over, so we had some distractions, but nothing he couldn't handle. Just had him on his flat collar and harness with a long drag leash and just worked on charging the mark initially. Then started calling his name while moving backwards, and would mark the moment he started running towards me, "Yes", and then reward when he got to me - this seemed to work and build some drive. We did this for a few minutes. Also did a few minutes of training him to lure - ie. getting him to follow my hand, spin around in both directions with both hands, etc. I then tried to see if he was interested enough in the tug.

Just tried building some drive with the tug in a new environment, however no commands or anything. It took a bit of hooting and hollering and running around with the tug to get him interested, but he had a good 2-3 minutes of some tug play where he was energetic enough. His outs are good, however he has a hard time re-engaging after I out him. I think getting my wife to Post with him (as seen in the Michael Ellis DVD) would be benefitial, just to build some drive.

Anyways, things are going good - just need to stay positive on my progress the two of us are making. Still not 100% sure he is getting the Mark yet - think I'll continue with a few more just charging the mark sessions before I try any positions/commands.