subject: 5 Guidelines For You To Begin Clicker Training Your Dog [print this page] In the past, dog training mainly involved using a choke chain to drag your dog around to teach him to mind. Fortunately, after years of using the operant conditioning principles to train marine mammals, the clicker training method of training a dog has emerged. This method uses positive reinforcement like treats, along with a clicker to mark the behavior. Pet owners are quickly discovering that they can train their dogs, horses, and cats, while building better relationships with them.
The theory is really very simple: When a behavior marker is associated with a reward, the dog begins to realize that good things happen after they hear a marker (a simple "YES!" or a click from a clicker). With just a little bit of practice, you will be able to click precisely when the desired behavior is achieved and your dog will continue to repeat the behavior he was rewarded for.
Example: you click and treat (c/t) when the dog's rear touches the floor to teach "sit."
Getting started
1.) This may seem obvious, but we'll mention it anyway: in order for your training efforts to be effective you must first identify what your dog finds rewarding. For most dogs, that will be food; for a few others, it might be a game of fetch, access to a favorite toy (make it extra special by letting him play with it ONLY during training), or a belly rub.
Any food reward that's used should be considered "high value" like small bits of cheese, hot dog, or cooked chicken. Bring out a few samples to discover what really makes him salivate.
2.) Conditioning the clicker
This is a vital step to this new training method. Without it, you won't be successful. It's critical that your dog learn to associate a click with the reward.
Begin in a room that's quiet and without distractions. Keep a bowl nearby that's filled with yummy treats. These treats should be cut up into small enough pieces so that no chewing is required. Immediately after a click, give you dog one on the treats. Make sure you reach for the treats immediately after you click or the dog may associate the treat with the movement. Repeat this 5 or 6 times and then take a short break. The next step is to c/t as you are moving around in the room. Do this 5-10 times before taking another short break. Allow your dog to walk freely around the room a little bit, and then click. If he turns immediately to look at you, expecting a treat, he's starting to catch on. Repeat this a few more times and then take a break from the training session.
Later in the day, find another location for the click and treat training. When he begins to look at you every time you click, you'll be ready to move on to the real training.
Keep all training sessions short, especially with puppies. Short and frequent is better than long and few. If the dog loses interest, quit the session, and try a more yummy treat the next time. C/t only one behavior per session.
The following methods can be used concurrently in order to achieve different behaviors.
3.) Luring
This is one of the easiest methods to use for teaching the basic behaviors, like down and sit. To teach your dog to sit, hold a tasty treat directly in front of his nose, and start slowly raising your hand up and over the dogs head. Because his eyes and nose will automatically want to follow the tasty treat, he'll have to lower his rear. As soon as he sits, click and give him a treat. Repeat these steps about 5 times and then show him the treat without raising your hand. If he sits when he sees the treat, you've hit the jackpot. Go ahead a give him a bunch of treats for doing so well!
4.) Shaping
In order to successfully shape a behavior you'll have to break it down into a series of movements first. For example, if you want to shape a left turn, start out with a c/t when your dog looks to the left, then takes one step, two steps, and so on. This does time some time and plenty of effort, but once your dog understands, the behavior quickly becomes solid.
5.) Capturing
This could very well be the hardest to teach and it will require both preparedness and vigilance from you. Does your dog have a pose that's especially cute? As soon as he does it, immediately c/t. If you've been doing clicker training for awhile, your dog is going to try to figure out what he did to earn the click and will likely start offering different behaviors. Remain patient! Only c/t when he does the pose you want him to. If he loses interest and walks away, simply stop the session. Be prepared for the next time. With a bit of patience and diligence, he'll eventually get it.
What is next
During the initial training sessions, you have to keep quiet so you don't confuse your dog. Once he has learned the desired behavior you can add a cue (hand signal or specific word). Say the word "sit" as soon as your dog begins to lower his rump, then c/t when he is sitting. Repeat this a few times, then try saying the word before he actually starts to sit. Remain patient. If you taught him to sit with the luring method, he will associate your hand movement as the cue so you can use that movement rather than the word.
Are you looking for more fun? If you are, you have to try target training. The target can be something like a piece of paper on the floor, your hand, or a target stick. When you teach this method, you are teaching your dog to touch the target object with his paw or nose. Most dogs quickly learn to touch their nose to the palm of your hand. You can increase his interest in you hand by rubbing the palm with a hot dog or chicken. Don't move your hand toward your dog. Once he successfully targets your hand, move it left, right, low, high, and against another object you'd like him to touch. Using a target stick works the same and can be used to teach your dog loose leash walking.
Clicker training is a lot of fun for you and your dog. Before you know it, you'll be a pro at it and be teaching your dog all sorts of tricks to entertain your friends!
