So you’re ready to start training? Well, grab a clicker and let’s go!
What’s clicker training you ask?
I’ll be happy to tell you all about it!
Clicker training is a scientific approach to learning, and can be used with literally any species out there. It’s the exact same process being used with the whales in Sea World! It can even be used on humans, but we call it TAG Teaching. The clicker is a marking device that marks the desirable behavior, and then we reward the dog with something they enjoy. By ignoring the less desirable behaviors, and rewarding the behaviors we want, this will lessen the bad behaviors (because they aren’t being rewarded for them), and reinforce the good.
The clicker is used as a bridge between the behavior we like and the reward we want to give them for it. Since we cannot offer a dog a reward right as they are performing the behavior, the clicker allows us to capture the behavior and reward after. Dogs live in the moment and do not associate something that happens after a behavior with the behavior they performed (after a dog pees in the house, it does no good scolding them for it), therefore this allows us to make the connection.
The clicker is used as a bridge between the behavior we like and the reward we want to give them for it. Since we cannot offer a dog a reward right as they are performing the behavior, the clicker allows us to capture the behavior and reward after. Dogs live in the moment and do not associate something that happens after a behavior with the behavior they performed (after a dog pees in the house, it does no good scolding them for it), therefore this allows us to make the connection.
Since clicker training uses no aversive methods, dogs build a positive association with the training, their owners, and the environment in which they train. What an excellent way to help dogs that are fearful or have low self-esteem/confidence! You know that old saying, if you don’t use it, you lose it? Well, that’s so not true with clicker training! Dogs will actually remember things they learned years ago with clicker training because they were actively learning instead of passively learning. This means that the dog knew exactly what they did to receive the reward while they do not consciously know why they were being corrected.
So why should you use a clicker instead of a marker word? Well, a clicker is awesome because it is such a unique sound. If we used a marker word, our voice can fluctuate many different ways, and let’s face it; our dogs are used to hearing us blab. A clicker only has one meaning, which makes it very easy for our dogs to understand what we’re doing. Studies are currently being performed which will hopefully show that the clicker sound goes directly to the learning part of the brain, while a verbal marker must be consciously thought about by the dog. They are hoping to prove that the clicker noise will actually speed up training over a verbal marker.
So how do you clicker train?
There are a few other things to know about clicker training, like food isn’t the only reinforcer you can use, but in the beginning and highly distracting environments, it can be the best. Other rewards you can take advantage of include toys, and what we like to call ‘life rewards’. This includes things like, being able to say hi to a guest after offering us a sit, or being allowed access to the yard after they sat and waited at the door until their release cue. These things really come in handy! And the dogs really learn quickly with them.
So you’re worried about having to carry around a clicker forever? Well, don’t worry, clickers are only needed when teaching a new behavior, or brushing up on an old one in a new environment! Once your dog knows the behavior and cue, you don’t need your clicker anymore! However, do remember that dogs don’t generalize very well, so while your dog may know sit in the house, asking for sit in a highly distracted park is an entirely different story, so you may need to pull out the clicker again there. Usually it doesn’t take as long to retrain a sit in a new situation as they do know the cue somewhere.
So why should you use a clicker instead of a marker word? Well, a clicker is awesome because it is such a unique sound. If we used a marker word, our voice can fluctuate many different ways, and let’s face it; our dogs are used to hearing us blab. A clicker only has one meaning, which makes it very easy for our dogs to understand what we’re doing. Studies are currently being performed which will hopefully show that the clicker sound goes directly to the learning part of the brain, while a verbal marker must be consciously thought about by the dog. They are hoping to prove that the clicker noise will actually speed up training over a verbal marker.
So how do you clicker train?
- A click connects the exact behavior with a reward that we cannot get to the dog fast enough. Clicker training works by ‘clicking’ the exact moment the behavior you want occurs, not before or after. It’s like taking a picture with a camera!
- A treat is delivered to your dog after the click, not before or with the click.
- Soon enough, the click and the treat will begin to be associated together. If the dog wants the treat (meaning it holds enough value for the distractions around you), the dog will start to consciously repeat the desired behavior.
- Another thing that may differ with clicker training than your average, old training methods is the fact that we do not add the cue in until the dog is consistently offering us the behavior we want. Once they are offering the behavior over and over, we can add a cue! To do this:
- Say the cue right as the animal is offering the behavior, and click at that time.
- Now that we are saying the cue, we are going to slowly move the cue out to right before the animal offers the behavior. This can take a few tries, but eventually we want to be able to say the cue, and then the dog offers the behavior.
- After our dog is catching on, we will begin to only reinforce the behaviors that we have said the cue for, ignoring any offering that we didn’t ask for.
There are a few other things to know about clicker training, like food isn’t the only reinforcer you can use, but in the beginning and highly distracting environments, it can be the best. Other rewards you can take advantage of include toys, and what we like to call ‘life rewards’. This includes things like, being able to say hi to a guest after offering us a sit, or being allowed access to the yard after they sat and waited at the door until their release cue. These things really come in handy! And the dogs really learn quickly with them.
So you’re worried about having to carry around a clicker forever? Well, don’t worry, clickers are only needed when teaching a new behavior, or brushing up on an old one in a new environment! Once your dog knows the behavior and cue, you don’t need your clicker anymore! However, do remember that dogs don’t generalize very well, so while your dog may know sit in the house, asking for sit in a highly distracted park is an entirely different story, so you may need to pull out the clicker again there. Usually it doesn’t take as long to retrain a sit in a new situation as they do know the cue somewhere.
Alright, you’re all set, so here’s your clicker, grab some treats, and let’s start having some fun with our dogs!
Monica Callahan BS KPA-CTP
440.865.0822
Monica@AnythingsPossibleTraining.com
Copyright © 2015 Anything's Possible LLC
