THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MARK TRAINING

Mark Training is Part of OCEAN Where Simple Actions Lead to Astonishing Outcomes!

Also Available as a Self Study @ Cleanrun.com
Note to OCEAN Members: This course is included in your OCEAN Membership for Free

Mark Training Course Summary

Mark Training makes it easy to put OCEAN's five key principles into action so Mark Training is part of OCEAN Foundations but is also a stand alone course.

Whether your dog is new to Mark Training or already knows how to put her front feet on a raised surface, OCEAN Foundations will teach you how to use Mark Training to build and balance your dog's drive & thoughtfulness, enthusiasm + impulse control, and independence + connection.

You'll also learn about the physical benefits of Mark Training and how to use this phenomenal yet simple training technique to develop independent obstacle performances and confidence at any distance.  And last but not least, you'll learn about the profound effects this simple action can have on the mental and emotional states of dogs.

Mark Training helps solve perplexing behavior or performance problems by providing clear-cut, never-changing rules, which expose the root causes of problems and bring more clarity and joy to the training experience for dogs and people.  This results in a deeper connection, improved 2-way communication, and increased trust, resilience, and joy which create clear paths to progress.

OCEAN is based on the following premise: When communication flows freely and equally in both directions, dog-training becomes a shared language between dogs and humans. -- Dev Sperber

Mark Training is part of OCEAN Foundations

OCEAN provides a simple and fun road map to happier, more satisfying dog-training experiences for dogs and people.  

OCEAN unlocks each dog’s highest potential by uncovering what’s been getting in the way of progress and success.  

OCEAN solves perplexing performance problems by focusing on the root causes and providing a series of simple actions that create a clear path to progress.

OCEAN features simple actions designed to improve 2-way communication, resulting in increased confidence, trust, and resilience.

OCEAN transforms impulse control from drudgery to a source of upbeat motivation, which results in improved performance, better teamwork, and a whole lot more fun!

OCEAN improves 2-way communication by making it easy for you to notice and respond to the subtle ways your dog communicates her thoughts and emotions (through body-language) so small ripples don't turn into tsunamis.  

OCEAN deepens the connection between you and your dog by providing you with simple, positive training techniques that continue to evolve and grow as you progress along your unique journey with your dog.  

OCEAN provides a supportive community of like-minded individuals. Once you’ve embarked on the OCEAN Journey with your dog, you'll recognize other OCEAN Goers by their easy and relaxed manner with their dogs and the joyful engagement being expressed in both directions!

OCEAN deepens the bond between dogs and people by improving 2-way communication and creating more joy, spontaneity, and creativity in training, for better teamwork and a deeper connection, so that progress becomes a natural byproduct of joyful collaboration.

OCEAN is based on the following premise: When communication flows freely and equally in both directions, dog-training becomes a shared language between dogs and humans. -- Dev Sperber

The OCEAN JOURNEY

Simple Actions that Lead to Astonishing Outcomes!

EXPLORE

EXPLORE is the first step towards creating more joyful and satisfying training experiences with your dog.  In this stage you are focusing on your dog’s attitude and responsiveness to help you define “where you are today” and “where you want to be” so you can track your dog’s progress during OCEAN.

OBSERVE

In this stage, you are connecting the dots between your dog's behavioral hiccups and performance problems. You are using your eyes and hands with a heightened sense of awareness that is resulting in clearer, deeper 2-way communication with your dog.

CONNECT

In this stage, you are deepening your connection with your dog by observing and responding to subtle nuances in your dog's body-language while engaging in simple actions designed to uncover your dog’s likes and dislikes so you can do more of what she likes and less of what she doesn’t.

ENGAGEMENT

By this point, training sessions have reached new levels of light-hearted spontaneity, and are filled with joyful engagement as a result of focusing on Observing your Dog and Connecting with Compassion while training simple behaviors.  

ATTITUDE

By now, Observe you Dog, Connect with Compassion, and Engagement with Joy are becoming habit and as a result, your dog is bringing higher levels of EPIC Joy to training sessions which is accelerating learning and making training more fun than ever! 

NEVER STOP

You have experienced first-hand how OCEAN's techniques improve 2-way communication and deepen the bond between dogs and people.  You have clarity about any core issues that have been getting in your dog’s way in agility or in other activities. You are ready to put OCEAN principles into action in all areas of your dog’s life.

COMMUNITY

The OCEAN Community is here to support you by providing an inspiring and encouraging space where we can connect and support one another in envisioning and creating happier, more satisfying lifes and training experiences with our dogs. It's also a place for continued learning to help you and your dog continue to grow and progress along your unique OCEAN journey.

OCEAN Transforms the Lives of Dogs and People

Dawn Kovell

Director
Behavior &  Training
Marin Humane

Adding Mark Training to my agility toolbox has been a transformative experience. This simple training technique has been useful for all three of my wildly different dogs. My sensitive Border Whippet needs very fine behavior slices as he feels most comfortable with a methodical "error free" training plan, and using mark buckets has provided handling clarity for my rocket ship Tervuren who stresses up with late cues. Finally, the simplicity of Mark Training has made foundation work much easier for the puppy as we could focus on the relevant behavior.

However, the intangibles may prove to be even more beneficial as Ocean has subtly altered my thinking and training. As a goal-oriented trainer, it proved fruitful to reexamine my priorities. And, they have been found wanting. Ocean has moved my dogs' emotional and mental needs to the forefront of thinking without sacrificing any of my goals. I am on a more harmonious and intuitive path. 

Heather Harris

Boulder, CO

My dog Echo has always been super sonic fast and just could never seem to learn collection well. But I have seen a HUGE difference in her since doing more Mark Training and as a result of progressing through OCEAN Foundations. Echo had already been trained on MT since puppyhood, but not to the extent that we have worked it now. It has made a world of difference and she has finally, after 5 years of struggle, learned how to collect, be more focused, watch me better instead of taking her own course at break neck speed.  

OCEAN has also changed Echo's demeanor in the house with the other dogs; she is happier, less stressed and more confident!

Kathleen Alles
 Heart Dog Agility

Ben Lomond, CA

I introduced Mark Training to a very low drive Border Collie and her owner in their lesson this morning. Both the dog and owner loved it! The owner was very happy with her dog's energy and engagement especially when her dog maintained that energy throughout the whole lesson...The dog even did happy feet on the bowl and wagged her tail the whole time. It was great to see this dog so happy and engaged.

Course Curriculum