# Most Bang for the Buck



## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Just throwing out topics right now...

What's the fasted "bang for the buck" when it comes to training and training aides; food, toys, bites, verbals, or just the ability to work? I know folks with their puppies are facing new and different levels and rewards for their critters. If you could redo what you did years ago, what would you use? 

For me, it is the verbal marker. Labs and Chessies could have seen more, done more and I would have gone further with them. With the BCs, no matter what I use, it seems like any little bit of praise and they fall apart!!!


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Howard Gaines III said:


> Just throwing out topics right now...
> 
> What's the fasted "bang for the buck" when it comes to training and training aides; food, toys, bites, verbals, or just the ability to work? I know folks with their puppies are facing new and different levels and rewards for their critters. If you could redo what you did years ago, what would you use?
> 
> For me, it is the verbal marker. Labs and Chessies could have seen more, done more and I would have gone further with them. With the BCs, no matter what I use, it seems like any little bit of praise and they fall apart!!!


Since you didn't mention dogs until the 5th sentence, I was going to mention that I personally would sit up and beg for a descent ****ing steak down here. :grin:


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

lee--can't you ship in "omaha steaks"?


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## Jennifer Marshall (Dec 13, 2007)

Howard Gaines III said:


> With the BCs, no matter what I use, it seems like any little bit of praise and they fall apart!!!


Howard I'm confused - they fall apart with praise? In what way? 

I use any means of reward and motivation I can. Markers have been the most profound addition to my training as it makes the communication with the dog a lot more clear and quick, if timed properly. If not timed properly you can end up with some silly stuff.

I can motivate my bulldog with just about anything. If I pick up a frying pan and make my eyes wide and get a little excited about holding the frying pan my dog will do anything for the chance to bite it. I did about 10 minutes of OB/heeling/possitions etc. at a park with a dried up maple leaf as his reward.


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## Terrasita Cuffie (Jun 8, 2008)

Marker training for the learning the concept. How do the BCs fall apart with praise and is this on stock or off? The BC we have is a tad weird but does learn with marker training. His problem is that if there is ANYTHING moving in the environment, he is so distracted, he has zero food drive to overcome it.

Terrasita


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Howard Gaines III said:


> ... What's the fasted "bang for the buck" when it comes to training and training aides; food, toys, bites, verbals, or just the ability to work? I know folks with their puppies are facing new and different levels and rewards for their critters. If you could redo what you did years ago, what would you use?
> 
> For me, it is the verbal marker. ....


Markers for me too, verbal or not. I wish that marker training had come my way a long time before it did and that "clickers" had not carried the ignorant (on my part) connotation that they did before I learned what marker training was.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

100% on the marker training! 
I look back on certain dogs I've had and wonder "what if".


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

ann schnerre said:


> lee--can't you ship in "omaha steaks"?


Anything weighing more than 4 pounds goes to customs. The customs office is far away and they steal. Fed Ex is too expensive. A normal envelope is almost a hundred bucks to send from the US to CR.

The problem with beef is it is a different animal, too lean, very tough and grass fed not grain.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

wow!! that does kinda limit the options, doesn't it?

back OT: verbal marker!!


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

"Omaha" Lee would first have to spell it! LOL Then the other issue is knowing how to properly cook one...Ya got to kill it first, they jump of the grill if ya don't...:mrgreen:


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Markers for me too, verbal or not. I wish that marker training had come my way a long time before it did and that "clickers" had not carried the ignorant (on my part) connotation that they did before I learned what marker training was.


 Connie don't you have the jumbo orange, red, and green set of markers? Those early ones were cool! #-o


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

Jennifer Marshall said:


> I can motivate my bulldog with just about anything. If I pick up a frying pan and make my eyes wide and get a little excited about holding the frying pan my dog will do anything for the chance to bite it. I did about 10 minutes of OB/heeling/possitions etc. at a park with a dried up maple leaf as his reward.


 
haha...........sounds very familiar...........wonder why that would be 8-[

t


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## Jennifer Marshall (Dec 13, 2007)

Tracey, haha couldn't possibly be genetic! He is super easy to motivate as I am sure you know all about! He is handler sensitive(read: me) but not soft. If I am a little harsh working on OB under distraction he does not shut down and even if confused or unsure he does not need to be "built back up" just move on to something else. If he is getting a little flat from too much talking or confusion or a little tired, just do some fast happy OB real quick, love on him, and he's good to go.

Sorry OT! I like dogs that are easy to motivate, but even with dogs that aren't as crazy as Cuda, that are not as driven or are more limited to food drive for example, marker training has definitely been the best addition to my bag of tricks. Otherwise I think the experience I gained from working with soft, weak nerved rescues/pets helped me as a person and to better control myself and fine tune more aspects of my training while also using markers.


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