Clicker Training for Dogs and Puppies
Training tools are a valuable asset when training dogs or puppies, but they should never be used as a substitute for knowledge, or obedience training. Instead, they should be used in conjunction with the training that you carry out on a regular basis with your pet.
One excellent training tool that can be used along side obedience training is a ‘clicker'. These are a palm sized plastic and metal device used to get a dog's attention. When pressed, it makes a loud ‘click' noise, and is especially useful for use in large areas, saving your voice but managing to get your dog's attention.
Even with background noise, a dog is easily able to hear a clicker, and can be used to gain the attention of a distracted dog.
Clicker training is actually a form of operant conditioning, a term you've heard if you've ever taken a psychology class. Operant conditioning encompasses the way in which animals (including humans) interact and learn from their environment.
What this means is that animals tend to repeat behaviors that result in positive reactions, and not to repeat behaviors that result in negative consequences. As dogs generally want to please their owners, training a dog works with their nature, and not against it, meaning excellent results can be achieved if the time and effort is put in.
Clickers are most often used as a form of positive reinforcement in training. The noise reaches the dog far more quickly than oral praise, letting your pet know that you are happy with the behavior it has just exhibited. When teamed with oral praise and pats, the dog learns to associate the clicker sound with a positive response from its owner, and so will try to repeat the behavior.
When first beginning to use a clicker, most people find it helpful to use together with the dog's favorite treat. Give a basic command such as ‘sit' or ‘come' to the dog. If the dog responds with the correct behavior, click once, then also hand over a treat, along with lavish praise. Repeat a couple more times with the treat, then begin to simply use the clicker.
Because animals are obviously not verbal creatures, clickers work well as the dog is able to discern immediately when it is being ‘told' that is has behaved correctly. A clicker is far more effective than a human voice, as the way we express our words may change on a day to day basis, based on our mood or situation. A clicker will always repeat the same noise, providing a consistency that is not possible from humans, even when we are giving the same command as the previous day.
One reason that so many people are now using clicker training is that there is no ‘punishment' for incorrect behavior. Instead it is simply ignored. When most dogs realize that they haven't received a ‘click' after being given a command, they are more likely to try and focus in order to follow what you have just said, in order to get their reward.
Obviously simply using a clicker with no training guidance will not result in correct behavior being displayed. But when teamed with regular, patient obedience training, a clicker is highly effective. Make sure to begin with one behavior at a time when first introducing the clicker to ensure that the dog has an understanding of what a ‘click' means. When one behavior is established, move onto the next, and before long, you'll have a well trained, obedient dog.
