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That is basically how I use my markers with my personal dog. I don’t see any issues with it at all. It’s a simple and clear way to communicate.
For me, “Yes” means definite reward is coming for what you just did at that exact moment. I do not limit this to only food however, I use food, tug, ball, or whatever my dog finds rewarding at the moment.
I use “yes” to teach more complicated behavior or to teach new behavior since it is more precise as a marker sound, allowing me to mark for more subtle things. It’s also nice to have “save it” for only times I will reward, so it means more to my dog when I use it (since I use good girl a lot naturally throughout the day).
“good girl/boy” is also marker I use. Both as a way of saying “keep doing what you are doing” (while he holds a down stay for example) but also as a way of rewarding my dog via affection when I don’t want to reward her with treats/toys/etc but still want to let her know she did a good job.
Not to say that I don’t give treats/toys/ etc to my dog when I use the “good boy/girl” marker. I do. It’s just not 100% of the time. I do mix it in there to make sure my dog’s understanding and association of the word “good boy/girl” remains positive, but I do not “charge” it every single time like I do with the marker “yes”.
