| Why clicker train your dog? This amazingly simple method of
communication works by telling your dog that he has done something
right. Some of the old methods used to train dogs utilized fear
as a motivator. A great deal of time and energy was spent telling
the dog when he was wrong, and that we might hurt him for being
wrong. We did not necessarily combine this with any information
about what he might do to be RIGHT. While this style of training
often worked, thanks to the amazing adaptability of the domesticated
dog, it was not conducive to building a trusting relationship with
our favorite companion animal.
Clicker training is different. We use a precise marker signal,
the click, to tell the dog what he did right! The click also communicates
to the dog that he gets to have something he wants. Once the dog
knows how the system works, he begins to try different behaviors
in an effort to get you to give him what he wants. Behaviors that
have a positive “pay-off” (reinforcement) are much more
likely to be repeated. Some trainers call this the, “catch
your dog doing something right” style of training. By using
a clicker and a bag of treats, we learn to focus on rewarding behaviors
we like. We help to make the behaviors we like “pay off”
for the dog often enough that he will keep performing them.
Clicker training takes advantage of some proven laws of learning.
One of which is this: behavior is driven by its consequences –
good or bad. Clicker Training is effective because the good consequence
is immediate and clear to the dog. It is also fun – for the
dog as well as the trainer. This method can be used to train many
kinds of animals: fish, birds, horses, pigs, etc. not just dogs.
A similar method has been used for years in the training of marine
mammals at theme parks. As a matter of fact, Karen Pryor, a marine
mammal trainer, brought this approach to the dog-training world.
For the purposes of this article, we will only refer to training
the pet dog.
It works like this: a small noise-maker is deliberately paired
with a delicious treat or other reward such as petting, play, or
a favorite toy. Most trainers use small treats, as they are fast
and easy to get to the dog. This allows training to proceed more
quickly. Very soon your dog comes to understand that the “click”
means something good is about to happen. You will know the dog has
made the association when you see the classic “startle”
response, much like the one you get when you shake the box of dog
biscuits or open the cookie jar. In other words, your dog whips
his head around to look at you when he hears a click.
Basically, the “click” comes to mean, “YES, that’s
right!” Once your dog knows that when he hears the sound he
will get a reward, you can use the “click” to communicate
instantly that you liked what he just did. It is important to click
at the very moment the dog did what you wanted, then feed a treat.
If you want the dog to sit, you must click as he sits. If you click
as he is getting up, you will be reinforcing getting up. While you
are learning, it is better to click a little early rather than a
little late. It will take some practice to improve your timing.
The good news is that while you are learning, as long as you give
the dog his treat, there is no real harm done. Clicker training
can become a great game for both of you as your best friend will
become inclined to think up ways to get you to make that noise again
and give him another treat. In a nutshell, he thinks that he trained
you!
Note: to be effective is essential that you have something the
dog really wants. It can’t be something you think he should
want, something he wanted yesterday, or even something that advertisers
say all dogs will love. Do some taste testing to find out what your
dog is crazy about. It is also necessary that the click predict
the treat. That means the click comes first, not at the same time.
It is not very important what the dog is doing when he eats the
treat. Concentrate on clicking while he is doing the correct behavior
and worry about giving him the treat afterwards.
Many trainers today prefer this method to more “traditional”
methods utilizing force and here are some reasons why:
- Dogs learn by repetition. So do we of course. Have you ever
taken a couples dance class? How many times did you or your partner
step off in the wrong direction before you got it right?
- When we clicker train, WE get to choose what behavior the dog
repeats, for the most part anyway. We can choose to set up his
environment so that he has opportunities to repeat correct behavior.
This, by the way has the added benefit of building a trusting
relationship.
- The other choice is to push the dog around in an attempt to
make him do what we want, which can cause frustration, and in
some cases even aggression if the dog is frightened or frustrated
enough.
- If we choose to clicker train our dog he actually learns to
solve problems and to think. He becomes an active participant
in the process. He learns HOW to learn.
- If, on the other hand, we consistently punish the dog for being
wrong, he may sometimes learn what we want him to do. But he is
also learning not to think for himself, and NEVER to guess what
we want because being wrong can mean being hurt or scared.
- The click is a novel sound in the environment. It is easy for
the dog to distinguish it from all the other noise in his life.
If we use words instead of a click the dog has to work harder
to pick out important words from all the other words he hears.
- It is simple. Dogs do what works. Unlike us, dogs will not
keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different
result. Most dogs will quickly abandon an activity that doesn’t
bring a desirable result. So, if you communicate to your dog that,
sitting quietly, paying attention to you, and keeping his mouth
to himself will almost always score him small pieces of liver
brownies; voila you get a lot of sitting quietly, paying attention
and, closed mouths (except when it is open to receive the liver).
By now, you may have noticed something is missing from clicker
training. It seems that we don’t TELL the dog what to do.
Well, this is a component of clicker training that is different
from other training too. When using a clicker to train the dog,
we let the clicker do the talking. For example, if we were teaching
the dog to sit we would not say, “sit”. This is because
there is no reason to say, “sit” until the dog knows
what it means. It just becomes more verbal noise to the dog. However,
once you are sure the dog is going to sit, if you add the word just
as he is about to do it, he can start to make an association between
the sound you are making and his body dropping into a sit. In this
way, you have set things up so that it is very easy for the dog
to learn what new words mean. You will always pair new words with
a behavior he already does predictably. In time, he learns to sit
when he hears the word, because you have helped him make the association
between the word and his behavior of sitting.
It is hard for most of us to be quiet and let the clicker do the
talking. It is hard for us to change some of our old comfortable
habits and ways of thinking too. If we want to be really effective
clicker trainers, it is necessary to think about some human tendencies
and beliefs that can get in our way before we even get started:
- We humans have a tendency to notice every mistake. Therefore,
it is important to re-train our selves to focus on the positive
and IGNORE the negative. At least as much as possible.
- It is also important to remember that while you are doing the
training, your dog is doing all the work. Remember to Click and
Treat often and praise lavishly at first. Be generous.
- It is important to understand that your dog does not have the
ability to be spiteful. Now I know some people will argue this
forever but it’s true. If your dog is not doing what you
want, then the most likely reason is that he is untrained, or
more probably, incompletely trained.
- We need to be patient with ourselves. If we have always trained
our dogs using other methods, it will take us a while to feel
comfortable with clicker training.
- For beginners, it is helpful to have a plan before we start
the lesson. How can we expect the dog to know what to do if we
don’t know what we want?
Clicker Training allows us to use real and proven laws of learning.
It allows us to bypass all the confusion created when we try to
guess what our dog is thinking. Or worse: what we think he should
KNOW without proper training. Clicker Training allows us to try
something brand new and stop fretting about all the possible reasons
the dog is not doing what we want. We can choose instead to focus
on what might be possible if we train the dog using positive methods
he can understand.
The best part of clicker training is that it builds a relationship
based on trust, respect, and compassion for another living being.
It’s fun. It’s rewarding. The kids can join in. And
after all, weren’t these the reasons you got a dog in the
first place???
© 2004 Teri S. Hamrick (bio).
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