Getting Started with the Clicker

Clicker Training or Click and Treat training is a revolutionary new way to train your dog. Though the principal for this type of training isn’t new, its applications in training dogs (as well as other animals) are. This type of training has been used most recently to train Dolphins and Killer Whales in water parks such as Sea World. The older forms of training used, advocated avoidance of inappropriate behaviors for fear of punishment, and rewards for correct behavior. The problem with this type of training though is sometimes you get an excess of negative behaviors before you even reach a positive one. Which is frustrating both to the owner and to the animal being trained. Animals sometimes "shut down" and refuse to work because of confusion or lack of motivation, and traditional methods require you to sometimes "get tougher" on the dog by forcing them to perform even through their confusion.

When trainers were faced with the dilemma of how to train Dolphins, their game plan had to be radically altered. How on earth do you swim out and give a Dolphin a correction? The answer: YOU DON’T. Therefore you have to use positive and motivational methods ONLY. This is where the clicker comes in. The clicker is an audible one second signal that is very much like taking a snapshot of your pet’s behavior. The instant that the dog hears that click, he knows that he’s done something right and that his reward will ensue. Timing for the click is crucial, the treat however is not. The dog can wait up to a minute for his reward and it still be effective. Since the click is so important, you may need to practice a little with it before you start training your dog. Practice on your spouse, your children, or anyone other than your dog. Have them touch their nose, and then click as soon as they do. Do it until you feel confidant that you can do it well, and then do it some more. Remember the timing of the click is crucial. Take for example an exercise where you are trying to teach your dog to sit. The dog sits and then hops up quickly, and you are a little slow clicking and you actually click as the dog is standing up. Guess what you just taught your dog to do? That’s right…stand up. So try to be accurate with those clickers! If you happen to mess up, guess what? The rules of clicker training say that every time you click, you must treat. So if you messed up, you are obligated to treat your dog anyway. Just chalk it up to experience and try to be more accurate next time.

Believe it or not, this method actually fools hard headed dogs into thinking that they have YOU trained. How? Because in their mind they are thinking "what can I do to make her click me and give me a treat?" Dogs will actually do something called "throwing behavior". This means that after a few days of training, you may be sitting at home watching TV and your dog come up to you and sit, and just look at you. If you ignore him, he will get up, move and sit again. He is soliciting you for a click, and the eventual treat. This is how you know that your dog is really getting it. This type of training is truly wonderful. You will get better, more reliable results faster, and your dog will be happier to do it for you.

In using this type of training there will be no aversive training. If your dog is doing something terribly obnoxious (such as barking his fool head off for no good reason) you have three options. 1) you can ignore him, taking away any rewards for the situation or 2) you can distract him with a treat or a toy and then click for appropriate behavior (shutting up), or 3) you can put him up. Take him totally away from the situation and give him a nice 5 minute time out. It’s up to you to know what works best for your dog.

WIth clicker training you are free to choose a collar of any sort. You may use a chain collar, a leather collar, a nylon buckle collar, a prong collar, a combo collar, whatever. Since you are not trying to choke your dog to death with this method of training, you may find that a buckle collar works well. If you have an excessively rowdy dog that likes to jump and lunge, use your choke collar for the first week or two, and then try to switch to a buckle collar. The only tip I have for using a collar is that you use one that is different from his "everyday" collar. One that signifies "Okay, now it’s time to go to work". This is just another way to ease the communication barrier with your dog.

Dogs, like children have to be taught language. They don’t come automatically knowing what words mean. They eventually learn to make associations, and pair that with signals from your body language. The best way to communicate with your dog is to keep the lines open. Talk to him frequently. If he is heeling nicely by your side, tell him he’s doing well. Don’t make him heel for 500 yards before you release him and praise him. If you are standing talking to another person, and he’s sitting or standing quietly by your side, take a second out of your conversation to tell him how good he’s doing and pat him on the head. The more you talk to your dog, the better he will understand you, and the more he will learn.

Also, incorporate your training into her daily routine. Make her sit before going outside, or putting her food down. Make her wait before heading out the door with you. Make her stand while she is in the tub. Make her heel for a portion of your nightly walk together. Make her do a trick before she gets any kind of treat. The more you can work their training into their daily lives, the faster and better they will learn their lessons.

If at anytime you get discouraged, or you are having problems with your dog, whether they are training related or not, take a break, talk to someone, or get some feedback from a friend on what is going on. Sometimes it helps to get a second opinion when you are training, it you might just be able to find out what is causing the problem.  Don't take your stress out on your dog, if you just really don't feel like training or aren't making any progress, stop. What you put into your dog is what you will get out of her. If you do a great job and keep up with your lessons, you will have a well trained dog, if you don’t then you will have a dog that isn’t very reliable in her lessons. It’s up to you. I hope you will do right by your dog, and put forth your best effort possible. Good luck  and happy training.