Clicker training is a way of training your dog to perform various behaviors with little or no force. Dogs can quickly be taught to understand the meaning of a clicker if the person on the loop end of the leash understands the concepts clearly. This post is designed to get you started on clicker training concepts, but I highly recommend watching a ‘good’ clicker trainer with a clicker savvy dog and you will likely grasp the concept better. I also recommend working with a trainer in a clicker training ‘human training’ (no dog present) scenario.
1. Click is a positive marker like ‘good’ or ‘yes’. It means the dog has done something right. A click is more specific than a word and acts as a behavior snapshot.
2. A click promises a reward. Always follow the click with a treat. In advanced training or dogs who do not like food rewards you can use access to a toy or belly rub etc. immediately following the click.
3. No matter how excited you get, only click once for a behavior.
4. Have good timing. Good timing means the moment the dog is doing what you want, click. For example if you were clicker training a dog to lie down you would click as soon as the elbows hit the ground. If you click at the wrong time you will mark the wrong behavior.
There are many sub-training methods (ways to get behavior) in clicker training. Many people use more than one of the following: **Thanks to Kathy Sdao for sharing the following information at the 2009 Oakland National APDT Conferences.
A. Physical force or pressure/molding – this is almost never used.
B. Prompting – this is asking for the behavior in one way or the other: voice, movement, placement of reward (food or toy), placement of target, etc. Most clicker trainers argue about the use of this method.
C. Luring – is a way of prompting.
D. Targeting – asking the dog to touch a target such as a hand or the end of a stick.
E. Capturing – this is clicking a behavior when it happens naturally (without prompting).
F. Shaping – taking a behavior how you can get it and refining it to be how you want it. This is usually used for complex behaviors and takes a degree of patience.
Steps in clicker training a behavior:
1. Define the behavior precicely.
2. Get the behavior to happen.
3. Fade any lures or prompts almost immediately.
4. Change the picture.
5. Shape the behavior (make it harder).
Usually 6. but might be 7. Add a cue (name the behavior).
Usually 7. but might be 6. Vary the reimforcement (become unpredictable).
8. Integrate new behavior into repertoire of established behaviors.
