Beyond "Yes" And "Good": Why Your Dog Needs "Spotlights" #327
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 13 March 2026
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
Moving beyond general marker words like "yes" and "good" can bring much more clarity to your dog's training, and in this episode, I share why your dog needs what I call "Spotlights." Spotlights are Location Specific Reinforcement Markers that tell your dog what reward is coming and where it will be delivered. When dogs understand where success lives, they can make better choices and feel more confident in their training. I'll walk you through the Spotlights I use with my own dogs, how they function as both markers and cues, and how introducing just a few can help your dog stay in position when needed, make confident choices, and bring more understanding and joy to your training.
In this episode, you'll hear:
• Why general marker words like "yes" and "good" can lose their meaning over time.
• About Spotlights (also known as Location Specific Reinforcement Markers) and how they bring greater clarity to your dog's training.
• The three things a Spotlight tells your dog about reinforcement.
• How dogs are such powerful predictors of reinforcement.
• How Spotlights function as both markers and cues.
• The three types of reinforcement you can use in training: food rewards, toy rewards, and activities your dog loves.
• Examples of food Spotlights I use: "goooooood," "cook," "search," "chow," and "treat."
• Examples of toy Spotlights I use: "strike," "bring," "chase," and "pit."
• How activity cues like "swim" can also become Spotlights.
• Why Spotlights help dogs stay in position instead of leaving early for a reward.
• Why clarity about reinforcement helps reduce hesitation and frustration in training.
• How the ItsYerChoice game helps dogs build the understanding needed to work around rewards with confidence.
• How you can join our ItsYerChoice Summit, 100% free.
ItsYerChoice Summit:
Learn How to Play ItsYerChoice - https://dogsthat.com/iycsummit-join/
Resources:
Podcast Episode 151: How Location Specific Reinforcement Markers Will Improve Your Dog Training! - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/151/
2. Podcast Episode 176: Why Your Dog's Emotions Are A Critical Element Of Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/176/
3. Podcast Episode 107: Pedicure Please: 3 Steps To Dog Nail Trimming Or Grooming Success At Home! - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/107/
4. Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/89/
5. Podcast Episode 205: The Hidden World Of Reinforcement For Dogs And Why You Need To Know - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/205/
6. Podcast Episode 191: Get Your Dog To Calm Down With This Common Sense Protocol For Relaxation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/191/
7. Podcast Episode 266: Hot Zone And Stays – How One Dog Training Nuance Can Fix Anxiety And Duration - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/266/
8. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/pWMf2hyIEBU
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | If you're like most people, you have certain words that are general markers for your dogs. |
| 0:05.1 | Things like good or yes or excellent, but there's a problem. |
| 0:10.6 | And that is, we use those words in everyday conversation. |
| 0:14.0 | Every single dog owner should adopt the use of spotlights. |
| 0:18.4 | Whoa, what am I getting? |
| 0:29.6 | Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. Welcome to Shape by Dog, where dog training finally makes sense at both ends of the leash. Today, I'm going to revisit a topic that I first introduced |
| 0:35.3 | in Shape by Dog episode number 151. And that is that of location |
| 0:40.5 | specific reinforcement markers. I know a mouthful. Such a mouthful that I actually have |
| 0:47.0 | rebranded that phrase to spotlights. I'll tell you why in a minute. In today's episode, |
| 0:53.9 | I'm going to share with you the spotlights that I currently tell you why in a minute. In today's episode, I'm going to share with you |
| 0:55.3 | the spotlights that I currently use for all of my dog training, why I think every single dog |
| 1:01.4 | owner should adopt the use of spotlights, what they bring to your training and what's lacking |
| 1:07.1 | when you're not using them. First up, why spotlights? Let's face it, location-specific |
| 1:12.3 | reinforcement markers. It's a mouthful. It's clunky. It's difficult to say. The word spotlight |
| 1:17.9 | does what it says. It shines a light of clarity on what's important for your dog. Now, if you're like most people, you have certain words that are |
| 1:30.3 | general markers for your dogs, things like good or yes or excellent. I myself used to use those |
| 1:38.6 | exclusively. Back in 1996, I registered my dog training business as say yes dog training. |
| 1:46.2 | Say yes because yes was the general marker word that I used for pretty much all of my dog |
| 1:52.6 | training. |
| 1:53.5 | But there's a problem with general marker words, and that is we use those words in everyday |
| 1:59.3 | conversation. |
| 2:00.0 | We may say to our dog, that was so good. Yes, excellent, good boy. |
... |
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