General Principals for Clicker Training Dogs

Clicker Training Dogs can be a fast, effective way to teach your dog to do what you ask him to and feel good about it at the same time. Clickers, small metal noisemakers (make a sound similar to popping the lid back and forth on a Snapple bottle), are used to train dogs, dolphins and many other animals to a high degree of precision.

The noise a clicker makes is a type of praise or reinforcement. Generally when we think of dog training we think of 3 different types of reinforcement (rewards). Positive praise/petting, food/treats and toys. These 3 reinforcements are effective in shaping a dog's behavior because the dog likes them and is willing to do work in order to get them.

The curious thing about clicker training dogs is that, when you start out, the noise the clicker makes is not something the dog likes (or dislikes). It's a neutral part of his environment and he's not willing to do any work just to hear a click.

The key to making clicker training effective for dogs is to help him learn to associate the noise the clicker makes with some other positive experience. Think of Pavlov's dogs... they heard a bell shortly before they were fed each day, and learned to associate the bell with something they liked... food! Pavlov took a neutral stimulus (a bell) and built a very strong relationship to that stimulus in the dog's minds and bodies.

When you start out clicker training dogs, and begin to build teach your dog that the clicker is a reward, you're attempting to do the same thing as Pavlov. Use the clicker to make a noise right before you praise the dog or give him a food treat. Eventually the dog associates the noise of the clicker with something positive.

After you've built the association of the clicker as a reward, you can use the clicker to "mark" positive behavior during a training session. You may see an agility champion running through a complex maze of obstacles during a competition. After each successful move, the trainer will give him a click to "mark" his positive behavior. Think of yourself playing a pinball game and hearing the "DING" every time the ball hits a knob that gives you a point. For a clicker-trained dog that click means "Great job, you got a point!"

At the end of a series of activities rewarded by a clicker, remember to give the dog a more substantial reward. At the end of an agility round, for example, the trainer will generally offer the dog praise, treats, pats or a combination of these. If you're training at home, consider giving an larger reward after ever 3 clicks. Then work up to 5 or 10 clicks between rewards.

This helps the dog retain his strong mental association with the sound of the clicks and his belief that something good is coming his way shortly!

Pros of Clicker Training Dogs:

• Clicker Training Dogs can be very effective.
• Works whether or not the dog is hungry. When you reward with treats, the dog may not respond if he isn't hungry for the treat.
• You can give effective rewards even when you can't reach the dog to give him a treat or pat, or when you don't want to stop him or distract him from what he is doing.
• You can reward the dog and move on quickly.
• You don't have to strain your voice or fake a "good mood" to give your dog praise.

Cons of Clicker Training Dogs

• If you don't have the clicker with you, your dog may be confused at different types of rewards or lack of reward/click for good behavior.
• Clicker training dogs takes a higher level of knowledge and the understanding of psychological principals in order to be executed effectively (e.g. It's a bit harder to learn!)
• It can take some time to help the dog associate the sound of the click to something positive.
• Some consider it a more "sterile" training method, where you don't get involved in bonding with your dog by offering him praise he associates with YOU!

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