The Mechanics of "Clicker Training"

Most people who own dogs have heard of clicker training. Just in case you who is reading this post has not heard of clicker training, let me give you a bit of information. A book written by Karen Pryor started the entire thing of clicker training. Name of her book was Don't Shoot the Dog. The goal of this book was to teach people how to use positive reinforcement to change the behavior of other humans. The book soon reached the dog-training population and BOOM, clicker training for dogs was developed. 

Karen Pryor described easy, fun and successful methods using a clicker to reinforce and accelerate learning "among humans." Dog trainers also found Pryor's methods easy, fun and successful over time. The phrase "Clicker Training" became a popular slang term for dog positive reinforcement training using a reward marker of some kind. The "clicker" became the methods reward marker.

Why does clicker training work? The training provides a consistent signal that the dog learns through repetitions and indicates the dog has just received a signal a reward is on the way. It marks the time gap between the dog's behavior and the delivery of a reinforcing reward. 

The secret to the clicker is that when training begins, the clicker is paired with a high-value reinforce usually a food treat until the dog has made a classic conditioned association between the clicker sound and the treat. You as the trainer creates this association by clicking the clicker and then immediately feeding the dog a treat. The trainer repeats these steps a number of times:

1. click
2. treat
3. click
4. treat

The steps continue until you notice the dog responding favorably and looking for the treat. You have created a process of "charging" the clicker. The click is significant to alert the dog that a reward is coming after the click.

Once you have charged the clicker sufficiently, you are ready to begin clicker training. The next steps are:

1. cue
2. prompt
3. lure
4. or just wait for the dog to perform a desired behavior
5. the moment the desired behavior appears you click and immediately feed the treat

After several repetitions of the steps above your dog will learn to understand that whatever he or she was doing when he or she heard the click is what made the click happen and a treat appears. The dog also learns that chances are good each time this same behavior is displayed he or she will hear a click and receive a treat again. 

The purpose of the click is to signal time between a behavior and a treat so the dog learns what behavior is being reinforced. As time goes on, if you are close enough to the dog to deliver a treat immediately after a desired behavior you no longer will have to click first. A discrete signal like the click of the clicker is still what best helps most animals to quickly discern and deliver the desired behavior.

Of course we want dogs that will behave as we want them to behave. If we reinforce behaviors we do want, and prevent reinforcement of behaviors we don't want, the end brings us a well behaved dog.

One last step in clicker training is to add cues. A cue invites the dog to do a desired behavior. The clicker marker tells the dog when desired behavior is achieved and the reward tells the dogs to repeat the same behavior. In the long haul with your dog, punishment and pain for undesirable behaviors is totally extinguished. You simply teach the dog what is acceptable behaviors. The training takes time and patience, but when done successfully rewards both the dog and you with a happier co-existence.

I always recommend to use treats that are tasty to the dog and also nutritious. Life's Abundance provides several treats you could use. Use them all and find which ones your dog likes best. Finding the treat your dog likes best will help in successful clicker training.

Life's Abundance Dog Treats

Life's Abundance provides us with Premium chews, training treats and baked goodies that offer wholesome, healthy and delicious canine rewards. No artificial flavors or colors. No corn, wheat or corn/wheat glutens.

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