Posts tagged Clicker

Dog training has over the years developed from the harsh methods of punishment to almost an art or science where precision training is possible using only a small device called a clicker. Clicker training has long been used to train other animals like dolphins.

What is a clicker?

A clicker is what it says — a small device making a click sound when pressed. It is also known as a reward marker. The click sound marks the exact moment your dog did something that earns him a reward. If you want to teach him to sit, you will click the moment he sits, and then you will give him a reward or treat. To Fido the clicker means “Good dog, you have done this thing right!”

If used correctly, the clicker is very effective because you can catch the exact moment your dog does something right. Your timing must be perfect — practice your timing by throwing a ball into the air and clicking the moment it turns to fall back.

The philosophy behind the clicker is that the dog gets conditioned that when he hears the click sound, he will receive a treat. He will thus do whatever he knows (which he learnt through repetition) that will result in a click. A clicker trained dog will go through a whole repertoire of behaviours to get a click.

Where to start

Let us say Fido has no experience with a clicker and you want to start training him by using the clicker. First you have to introduce the clicker to him and teach him that whenever he hears the click, he will receive a reward. This is extremely important. Even when you click at the wrong moment, he should still receive a reward, else the power of the clicker will be diminished. Do this introduction by just clicking and rewarding. At this point Fido does not have to do anything. You only want him to realise that the click is a good sound and a yummy treat will follow. It will only take about 10 to 20 clicks for him to realise that. This process is also called “charging up the clicker”.

Moving on

Now that Fido knows how the clicker works, you want to start teaching him desired behaviour. Lets take an easy example: you want to teach Fido to sit when you say “Sit”. Remember: he does not yet know the word “sit”, so you cannot expect him to sit when you say the word. So just keep quiet. Take a treat in your one hand and clicker in the other. Hold the treat-hand in front of Fidos nose (do not allow him to take it!), lift your hand slightly up and backwards, luring him into the sit position. Click the second his bum hits the ground and give him the treat. Repeat 20 to 30 times.

At this point you can start adding the word “sit”. The sequence should be: Luring Fido into “sit” and at the same time saying “sit” Fido sits click treat. Repeat that sequence about 20 to 30 times. You can now test him by giving the command before luring him into the sit position. Chances are good that he will immediately sit on command and you would not even have lure him into position. If he gets it right, give a bonus treat and make a big fuss. Congratulations! You have just taught Fido to sit on command!

Whats next?

The above is a short description of the basic training method using a clicker. You can teach your dog any trick or obedience command by following that outline. Some tricks and commands are much more complex and you should break it down into smaller steps first and combining them later. This will be described in later articles so be on the lookout for those.

Tips for successful dog training

Set up your dog for success by keeping training sessions short.

End your training on a high note, while your dog still wants more.

Use really yummy treats and be generous.

Always treat after a click.

Do not train when you are in a bad mood or not feeling well!

Be consistent with your clicking, your praise and your rules.