Teaching Dogs What Words Mean: Marker Words & Cues
One of the most important parts of dog training is communication—and just like in any relationship, it all starts with teaching your dog what your words mean.
In training, we use things called marker words or cues. These are simple words or sounds (like "yes!", "nope", or the click of a clicker) that let your dog know exactly what’s going on. But before these words can be useful, we need to teach your dog what they mean. This is called loading the marker.
Imagine someone giving you directions in a language you don’t understand. You might catch a tone or gesture, but you wouldn’t know exactly what they want you to do. It’s confusing—and frustrating! That’s how our dogs can feel when we start using words they haven’t learned yet.
Common Marker Words & What They Do:
"Yes!" or a Clicker Sound – Tells your dog they did the right thing and a reward is coming.
"No" or "Nope" – Helps your dog understand that wasn’t quite it, but they should keep trying.
"Break" or “Free” – Let’s your dog know training time is over and they can go back to doing their thing.
When these are taught the right way, your dog isn’t guessing what you want—they know! And that makes training smoother, faster, and more fun for everyone involved.
Why Socialization & Exposure Matter
Raising a dog that’s confident, calm, and well-behaved in all kinds of environments doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a thoughtful combination of socialization and exposure—and no, they aren’t the same thing!
Socialization is the art of learning how to read and respond to social cues appropriately. Just like people, dogs need to learn how to “speak dog”—how to use body language, how to respect boundaries, and how to communicate clearly and respectfully.
Exposure, on the other hand, means gradually introducing your dog to a wide variety of people, places, objects, and experiences. This helps them build confidence so they don’t become overwhelmed or fearful when they encounter something new.
Here’s where things can go wrong:
A confident dog who’s encouraged to greet everyone may become over-social, barking and pulling with excitement at every passerby—whether it’s appropriate or not.
A more sensitive or nervous dog who’s forced to greet others might eventually become defensive. If no one listens to their early signs of discomfort, they may resort to barking, lunging, or snapping to make others go away.
Both dogs are reactive. That means they see something, feel a strong emotion, and act on it. But with the right kind of socialization and exposure, they can learn to see the world more calmly—just like we do when we pass strangers on the street.
Because honestly… if people barked, screamed, or lunged every time someone walked by, we’d call them reactive too!
What happens when we don’t work on these skills?
Dogs that don’t get proper exposure and socilization are more likely to get into sticky situations and dog fights. Wheather it’s beacuae they can’t read other dog’s cues or because they have a fear of being in social situations. Our Canine Conflicts Handout goes hand-in-hand with our Canine Conflicts Seminar. Email us to find out more about upcoming class dates.