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CLICKER TRAINING

What is Positive Reinforcement?

In simple dog training terms, positive reinforcement means that you give your dog a reward when he does a behavior you like, which has the effect of strengthening (or increasing the rate of) that behavior. For instance, if a dog sits and then you promptly give him a food treat, he will be more likely to sit again, hoping to earn another food treat.

Remember … positive reinforcement makes a behavior more likely to occur again.

Why do we use a clicker?

The clicker is a valuable tool because it allows us to mark good behaviors the exact moment they occur. It's like taking a snapshot of the perfect behavior. The clicker instantly tells the dog that he is doing a good job and that a reward is coming. Good timing and clear communication allow the dog to learn quickly.

How do we introduce the clicker?

Press the clicker and then deliver a treat to the dog. (Ideally, the treat should be delivered within a second AFTER the click.) By closely pairing the click sound with a treat, the dog soon becomes excited when he hears the click because he knows something wonderful will follow. (This is called Classical Conditioning.)

Once a dog loves the click sound, we can use it to "mark" behaviors we like. Pay attention to your dog and watch for any desirable behavior that he may offer. When you see it, click it. Essentially, you are telling the dog, "Yes! You're doing a good job!" And then promptly follow the click with a treat.

What kind of treats/rewards should you use?

You know your dog best, so use a variety of rewards that are very meaningful to him. Basically, these rewards are his "paycheck" for doing a good job. Some reward ideas are:

Tasty food treats (like hotdog slivers, cubes of chicken or cheese, freeze-dried liver, etc.)
Retrieve/play with a toy
Petting and praise (But be aware this is not a high-value reward to many dogs!)

Why is the clicker better than just using verbal praise?

The click sound is unique, QUICK, clear, easily repeated and non-emotional. It allows us to mark exactly the behavior we like.

Verbal praise alone is far less effective than a clicker because we use words so much every day with our dogs and we water down their effect. We also risk reinforcing the wrong behavior because we cannot use words with the same quickness and precision as the clicker.

If necessary, other signals can be used to mark good performances (like a whistle, a mouth "cluck" or a simple, short word like "yes!" or "yip!")

How to get behaviors and when to add a cue:

When you are first teaching a new behavior, resist the temptation to give a cue right from the beginning. (After all, dogs don't speak English!) Practice for a few sessions, just clicking & treating the dog whenever he offers a behavior you like (or a part of the behavior) on his own. Some simple behaviors may be offered completely right away, like a SIT. Other more complicated behaviors might have to be "shaped" in small, step-by-step increments.

When you click/treat a behavior you like, the dog quickly figures out which behavior pays off, and he'll start offering it to you more frequently. When you see the dog is consciously and purposely offering the behavior (to earn a click/treat), NOW you can add a verbal cue. You should say the cue/word just before you expect the behavior to occur. When the dog does the behavior, click and treat. Once you start using a cue for a specific behavior, you should only click/treat this behavior when you ask for it. Now the dog learns this behavior only "scores" a treat if you give the cue first.

During the teaching process, you should always be looking for ways to "raise your standards." In other words, when the dog demonstrates a basic understanding of a behavior, you then want him to work harder for his click/treat by carefully selecting only the better performances to reward. For instance, once the dog learns a basic SIT, you may want to raise your standards in the following areas. (Just be sure to work on one point at a time.)

The SIT must occur immediately after one cue is given (no lag time!)
The actual position of the SIT must be neat and precise.
The SIT must be of a longer duration.
The dog must respond to the SIT cue around distractions.
The dog must learn to SIT at a distance from you.

Once you have the final, polished version of a skill, you won't need to use the clicker for that behavior anymore. You might surprise the dog occasionally with a treat for performing a well-known skill, and remember there are many "life rewards" you can dole out every day for good behavior, like petting, access through doors, playtime, walks, car rides, etc.

Some points to remember when using the clicker:

Click (only once!) while the behavior is occurring. Let the sound of the clicker stand alone and THEN promptly reach in to deliver a reward to your dog.
Make sure the reward you use is valuable to YOUR dog.
Occasionally when the dog's performance is exceptional, give him a "jackpot" for his efforts, such as a bunch of treats delivered one after the other.
Training sessions should be short, fun, and held in various locations.
Be patient. If the dog suddenly seems confused or has trouble with a skill (especially if you begin to practice somewhere new), go back to a simpler version of the skill in order to help your dog be successful. Then gradually increase the skill's difficulty.

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