We had out first puppy class last night with Titan. We like that she is getting to be social and it seems like a good class. The teacher of the class insists on us saying YES after she does a trick. Since we have had Titan I have always said good girl and then she knows to get the treat. I was doing this last night at puppy class and the teacher made the comment that we need to be using YES and not good girl or anything else. If we dont use YES the only other option is using a clicker.

Is there something wrong with saying good girl? She seems to respond to it very well.

I just feel wierd saying yes.

Nothing wrong with saying "good girl", "yes", "ok" or any other marker word for good behavior. Just be consistent and use what works, don't switch what you do because someone told you to. Our first trainer was actually really awesome about that, and asked us all on the first day if we had specific marker words or hand signals already. Other than that how was class?

Don't think of it so much as what's wrong with saying Good Girl, think of it in terms of the benefit of saying Yes or using a clicker.  

The idea is marking a specific moment in time, a snapshot if you will, that represents exactly what you want her to be doing. With formal training, this marking is much more precise and effective, not to mention more serious and far less casual than Good Girl.

Think of all the times you say Good Girl: when she's being sweet, when she is excited to see you, when she is paying attention, lounging around doing nothing...the list goes on right?  It gets to the point that it means nothing anymore, specifically from a formal training point of view.  It means a lot, don't get me wrong, but for formal training it is far less effective and more diluted than a snapshot marking of a precise moment.

By marker training, you can eventually teach more complex things like spin, roll over, cover your face...with just a simple mark.  

Good Girl also tends to be said excitedly, and the point in formal training is not to excite your dog but keep her focused and calm, usually the opposite of what we want when we say Good Girl.  

Hope that helps.

i was always taught to not only comment on the good "job" but to say what it was, like telling sierra to go night night potty, i say ok lets go night night potty and when she does i say good potty! so they can connect the request with the job they did. or as simple as telling them to sit, you ask them to sit, when they sit you say good sit, or what ever you are asking. i don't see why YES has to be the word used....

Yes is preferred generally as a formality in the training world in most places.  It could be the word Kite or Cup, it just needs to be more neutral, less emotional, and less casual than Good Girl.  It's usually encouraged to say it very concertedly and sharp too, to further its usefulness.

Even when we are just lounging around doing nothing and we pet our dog and say Good Girl or Good Boy, that's great, but then the tone and intention and sound and underlying emotion of that phrase is lost and in a formal training scenario is too confusing and not as effective as a neutral, one syllable word like Yes.

blueeyedghost wrote:

Nothing wrong with saying "good girl", "yes", "ok" or any other marker word for good behavior.  Just be consistent and use what works, don't switch what you do because someone told you to.  Our first trainer was actually really awesome about that, and asked us all on the first day if we had specific marker words or hand signals already.  Other than that how was class?

It was good! She was really scared at first and only wanted to play with the smaller dogs. Then when she got excited she started to play with the bigger dogs, but when they tried to play she would just lay on her back and not really know what to do. She likes nipping at then and jumping on them, but as soon as they jump back she is like OH CRAP!

seattlesibe wrote:

Yes is preferred generally as a formality in the training world in most places.  It could be the word Kite or Cup, it just needs to be more neutral, less emotional, and less casual than Good Girl.  It's usually encouraged to say it very concertedly and sharp too, to further its usefulness.

Even when we are just lounging around doing nothing and we pet our dog and say Good Girl or Good Boy, that's great, but then the tone and intention and sound and underlying emotion of that phrase is lost and in a formal training scenario is too confusing and not as effective as a neutral, one syllable word like Yes.

This makes sense, I have no problem saying yes. It just feels weird. Aslong as it will be helping her in the long run I am okay with it. I just wanted to make sure, before i took the time to train her that YES is the word and not good girl.

Awesome, glad to hear you are liking puppy class. I loved ours!

You should absolutely say Good Girl as much as you want, even in casual training or things like walking and hiking eventually. Nothing wrong with it.

You could even say Good in formal training, but Good (sharp and full stop) is still better than Good Girl!! said excitedly and all lovey

The main point is staying calm and neutral.

Good luck in class and keep us posted on how she progresses

How much do puppy classes average to attend? I have been thinking about going but clueless on what to budget before getting into it.

For us it was every thursday for 6 weeks and it was $60.

Puppy had to be betwenn 8 and 12 weeks old.

I say "good sit" (or whatever) as well. With multiple dogs in my house, I address them by name and then say mark the behavior. What works for some doesn't work for others. Whatever you decide to do, stay consistent.

lillith87 wrote:

How much do puppy classes average to attend? I have been thinking about going but clueless on what to budget before getting into it.

Mine was $130 for a 7 week class every Saturday morning. This price lasts for the life of your dog, so if you want to bring them back every time she has a basic/puppy class (even when they're years older) you could to brush up on basic obedience and work on things that didn't stick completely the first time. And not have to pay another fee ever again, until you wanted to move to her advanced class.

Titan wrote:

For us it was every thursday for 6 weeks and it was $60.  

Puppy had to be betwenn 8 and 12 weeks old.

That is soooo cheap!

Ours was $145 for six weeks.

Wow i guess we got a steal! She is liking puppy class, but is VERY anti social. She likes dogs when it is 1 on 1 at our house in her comfort zone or when she is on her leash at puppy class she will go crazy and try to play with the other puppies. As soon as the leash comes off she is right under our chair watching all the other dogs play, and if we bring her a toy one of the other dogs with come and try to play with it with her and she just lets them have it.