What is clicker training?

Clicker training is a form of “operant conditioning.” It relies on positive reinforcement, and the dog associating a certain sound with a reward for performing an action. It does away with the negative techniques we associate with conventional training, i.e., choke chains, dragging reluctant dogs (or being reluctantly dragged around by dogs!), putting them into different positions such as “sit” or “down” and hoping that they start to understand the commands. Operant conditioning is used successfully with dolphins and killer whales, mammals you simply cannot train by traditional methods.

Do I need any special equipment to clicker train?

Sometimes, people clicker train by snapping their fingers, or making a verbal clicking noise. But it is probably best to use a “clicker,” a small box with a metal strip on the top, available from most pet shops or on the internet. If you press and release the metal bar, it makes a clicking noise. It is a unique sound for the dog, in amongst human chatter that may be going on, and the sound can be made instantaneously, which is imperative in this sort of training. By the time you have rewarded a dog verbally by saying something like “Good puppy,” the desired action has probably morphed into something else completely. With a clicker, the action is caught the moment it happens.

What is the first step in clicker training?

Your young pup will no doubt be carrying out lots of natural actions – lying down, sitting up, turning round, sniffing objects – opportunities for training are endless. Firstly though, ensure that your youngster associates the “click” sound with a tasty treat. Once your pet starts looking for the treat when the click is heard, you can start using the clicker as a training aid. Some trainers call this “powering up the clicker.”

How would I clicker train a basic behaviour?

Let’s say you wanted your puppy to learn to sit on command. Whenever you saw him preparing to sit down, you would wait until the moment his bottom touches the floor, and click and treat immediately. Timing needs to be very accurate – you are aiming for a nice stable sit, and not a squat. You can train some really unusual behaviors if you’re not careful!

Your puppy will figure out for himself that sitting down earns him a click and treat, and should soon start offering a “sit” in an attempt to earn a reward. Once he has done this, you can start adding the verbal cue of “sit” to the behavior along with the clicker, and then start fading out the clicker. It will take some time for the dog to associate the cue with the action, so don’t be too hasty in dropping the clicker reinforcement.

Can you switch your dog over from conventional training to clicker training?

Dogs which change to clicker training from traditional training methods are known as “cross-over” dogs. They are usually capable of adapting to clicker training, but may take a bit of time to pick it up. This doesn’t necessarily hold true though. I switched my adolescent dog to clicker training, as she was very sensitive and got down-hearted very easily in traditional training sessions. Within a couple of weeks, she had really got into the swing of clicker training, and, if you presented her with a plastic box, she would nose it, climb into it, and out of it, stand on top of it, whatever she thought would bring a reward.

However, my golden retriever, who was a bit older and more happy-go-lucky than the other dog, and with a less creative way of looking at things, did cross-over but it took far longer for her to figure out what was required. She had never been asked to use her initiative before, and expected to be told what to do a lot of the time.

Even, my old dog who had never had any real training at all, learned a few basic actions like presenting a sit, turning round, and touching my palm. So, it just shows that you can teach an old dog new “clicker tricks.”

How do you clicker train a behavior that doesn't come naturally to a dog?

If you want to teach your dog to do an action or trick that is not natural to him, you can use a “lure” to do so. You lure your pet by using a treat to encourage the movement you are looking for. If you wanted to teach your dog to beg, and had him sitting, you would persuade him to raise his front legs off the floor by holding a treat just out of reach above his head. You would then click and treat immediately.

How long should a clicker training session last?

It is better to have short, frequent clicker training sessions - certainly no longer than 5 minutes at a time. Your dog will stay much fresher and keen to perform. If you are teaching a new behavior, you should be clicking and treating intensively, every few seconds. So make sure your treats are tasty and easily eaten. Food consumed should be subtracted from the dog’s daily food allowance, or you could end up with a really fat dog!

How would you clicker train deaf dogs?

As you can imagine, it would be impossible to clicker train deaf dogs, but you can teach them by a similar method. Instead of using a clicker to reward an action, you use a small pen flashlight. Once the dog is offering the behavior you are shaping on a regular basis, you would add a hand-signal cue instead of a verbal one.

Can you use clicker training to deal with unwanted behaviors?

There are several ways of extinguishing unwanted behaviors. A clicker-trained dog recognizes that it gains some sort of reward for its actions. If none is forthcoming for the behavior it is producing, the animal is liable to drop it from its repertoire as it is of no use to it. Another solution is to click and treat the unwanted behavior, then put it on cue, and never ask for it. If your dog barks and strains to get at other dogs, you could click and treat it if it turns to look at you, put this action on cue eventually, and extinguish the other one.

Is clicker training used for other than basic dog training?

Dog handlers in all sorts of disciplines use clicker training, especially with agility, obedience and heelwork-to-music dogs. And a lot of dogs working in the acting business are trained this way. With clicker training, you can eventually add whole sequences of intricate behavior together. You may be surprised at what your dog is able to do, when you unleash his natural enthusiasm and intelligence. But, be aware, if you have a dog that’s up for it, and willing to learn, both you and he could find the whole training method quite addictive, and you might end up with a dog that’s a whole lot smarter than you are!