7 Tips to Help Pet Parents Better Communicate With Their Dogs

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1. Marker signal

There are many tricks that can help pet parents do a better job when training their beloved furry friends, and one thing you should keep in mind is to use a marker signal.

That’s going to help you a lot because it offers positive reinforcement, especially when accompanied by rewards they love, such as their favorite treats.

These simple signals will communicate to your dog that they followed a command correctly, and they will be more motivated to adopt these types of behaviors because they know they’ll get something.

A marker signal can be anything you want, from a handheld training clicker to a verbal “yes”. Lots of trainers like the consistency that clicker training offers due to the fact that these items don’t change volume or tone, unlike people’s voices.

Your pup will have a reaction when you use a device like this, from a twitch of an ear to a small turn of the head.

However, you can also use a single hand as a marker. Don’t forget that all your hand signals should be visible to dogs who aren’t that fortunate, and they’re deaf.

Your treat or reinforcer should come within 1-3 seconds after your marker signal, so your pup can have time to process and learn.

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