08/27/2026
The click isn’t the reward. It tells the dog what’s coming next. 🎯
Markers can communicate different things: reinforcement, punishment, the beginning of a behavior, or the end of one.
A marker can be anything the dog hears, sees, or feels—such as a clicker, a verbal tone, a hand signal, or tactile pressure.
In this video, we’re simply building meaning into the clicker through a game of catching kibble.
Then we start using that marker to create a predictable sequence:
MARKER → MOVEMENT → REWARD
Click → handler moves to provide reinforcement → food is tossed.
In this case, the goal is to teach the dog that the marker identifies that reinforcement is coming.
Simple communication now creates clearer, more complex behaviors later.
🐕 Fowler K9 Academy
From pet dogs to protection dogs.
📍 Middleton, Idaho
