The 3 Dog Training Basics That Make Teaching Dogs New Tricks Easy

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Dog Lover Contributor Updated 15 August 2026 · 8 Min Read

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By David Codr, Dog Behaviorist and Founder of Dog Gone Problems

After working with thousands of dogs as a Dog Behaviorist, I found that a lack of dog training basics were the causes or strong contributing factors for many of the behavior problems that I am hired to fix.

It’s not unusual for people to want to jump ahead to the next thing, but if you don’t have a solid foundation in place, everything you build upon it is going to be at risk.

In this article I’m going to go over the 3 dog training basic techniques that apply to teaching your dog a new trick.

Dog Training Basic #1 Creating a Marker

This first dog training basic is always the first thing that I go over with my clients after I finish my “how can I help you conversation.” Introducing a marker word.

The definition I make my staff learn is “a marker is an indicator that communicates to the animal that it has done the thing that you want. It should come the instant the animal does the thing that you want, unless the thing you want has duration such as potty or stay. In those situations you would use the marker at the conclusion of the activity to say “thank you for finishing going potty,” or “thank you for staying until I released you.””

A marker is the foundational building block of all modern dog training. It establishes clear communication and provides motivation for the dog, especially when you do not say the marker. Not hearing the marker gives the dog motivation to continue offering

The most common marker word and the one that I recommend recommended my clients is the word “yes.” I do not recommend using the word “good, because of the frequency that people say “good boy,” “ good dog,” etc.

If you use the marker word “yes,” make sure you do not over pronounce it with a hiss sound at the end as that is similar to the warning that many animals give to say “no,” or “I feel uncomfortable.”.

Also be cautious in your tone. Dogs hear inflection and humans have a tendency to get overexcited when they first start training a dog. Later that change to a normal conversational inflection later. This makes it essentially two different words for the dog.

One final tip on markers, when you say the marker word, don’t say any other words for five seconds. The more words you use, the harder it is for your dog to understand.

You can also use a clicker as a marker. If you have a deaf dog, you may want to use a flashing light or flip your hands in a certain way. For blind dogs we often use an electronic collar that only has the ability to vibrate. I do not ever

recommend using a shock collar due to the numerous behavior problems they cause.

Dog Training Basic 21 - Introducing the Cue

The second dog training basic is in introducing the cue. Many people confuse their dog by repeating the cue out of context over and over when they start training a new exercise.

But dogs learn through association. If you repeatedly say a cue when the dog is not doing that action, you’re actually communicating the opposite of what you intend.

A cue is a direction, which means it should always come first (once it has become fully established). This means the cue comes before you move your hand, before you throw the treat, etc.

Make sure that each dog cue word sounds unique. Don’t use two different command cues that sound similar (example: fetch and catch) as similar sounding words can be confusing for a dog to distinguish.

There are four components to teach teaching a dog a cue

1. The cue such as sit, cum or lay down.
2. The action such as the dog sitting, coming or laying down.
3. The marker which communicates to the Dog that it has done the thing that you want
4. The reward (pet, treat or affection) which pays the dog for doing what you want.

But when we are teaching a dog a cue, we do the first step last. The dog doesn’t know what the cue word means until you put it in context.

To introduce a cue, you should first lure the dog into the position over and over until it becomes easy to do so.

You should only say the cue if you are 90% certain the dog is going to do the action after you say it.

Once you can reliably lure the dog into position, you’re ready to start introducing the cue.

I like to lure the dog into position four times in a row in a quick succession and then right before I lure them the fifth time, I say the cue. If the dog does the action, then I mark and reward as I did before.

If the dog does not do the action, I go back to luring it without saying the cue four more times and then try again on the fifth. Keep repeating this pattern, four lures, then adding the cue before the fifth repetition until your dog is doing it consistently.

This associates the cue with the action and the marker puts it into context. This is the crucial connection that the dog must make if you want them to listen for your verbal cues.

We call this the four out of five technique and its a strong dog training basic.

Dog Training Basic #3 Fading the Lure

The last foundational element is what we call fading the lure. This means removing your movement so that the dog response to the cue only.

The process for fading the lure is similar to the process of introducing a cue.

If you are trying to lure a dog into a sit, the lure would be to touch a treat to your dogs nose/lips while they are standing, then gradually move the treat up and over their head in a crescent shaped motion.

As soon as the dog’s butt hits the ground, you say the marker, then release the treat. Once your dog does this reliably, and you’ve introduced the cue as mentioned in the previous step, you’re ready to start fading the lure.

Start with your dog in a standing position, touch a treat to their lips and then say the cue “sit,” before you move the treat up over their head and back towards

their tail until they sit down. Once they sit, say your marker word and deliver the treat.

Take two steps backwards so the dog gets up out of the sit, then repeat the process. Once your dog is following the lure and sitting easily, you can use the four for five technique that I previously described.

Touch the treat to your dog’s lips, say the cue, lure them into a sit, then mark and reward. Step backwards and repeat that four times in a row

The fifth time you step back, say the word sit but do not lure into a sit with your hand.

If the dog sits with the verbal cue only, say your marker and reward them.

If they do not sit without your hand motion, lure them into position another four times in a row and then the fifth time, say the cue without the lure. This dog training basic shifts the dog’s focus from the lure to the audio cue.

This is a process that should not be expected to be completed in one or two practice sessions. A general rule of thumb should be that it takes 2 to 5 practice sessions for each step of this process. I usually recommend my clients come up with a list of all of the cues or actions that their dog knows as well as those that they want to teach.

That way they can methodically go through the process of introducing a cue and fading the lure for each one. When training, go at your dog’s pace and practice in short 1 to 2 minute practice sessions always ending with a successful rep.

Since dogs don’t generalize well, it’s advisable to practice in different locations and facing different directions. Make sure the environment is not too distracting, but switch it up each time you practice so your dog is well rounded.

One final tip. If your dog has difficulty with any lure, it’s OK to break that exercise down into smaller steps.

If you’re trying to lure your dog into a down position, but it stops tracking your treat hand halfway into the down, it’s OK to mark and reward for halfway down for a few repetitions. After a half dozen or so successful repetitions, try to lure your dog down 60 or 70% before you say your marker word.

By using these dog training basic techniques, going at your dog’s pace and backing up when things become difficult, you will make your training much more enjoyable for you and your dog.