Puppy Training 101
Puppy Articles
Puppy Fun & Facts
The right place for getting your dog trained!
Research has shown that any creaturewhether a dog, cat, dolphin, parrot, fish, horse, llama, or personis more likely to learn and repeat actions that result in consequences it desires and enjoys. So clicker trainers provide consequences desired by their animal in exchange for actions or behaviors desired by their trainers.
What is clicker training?
Clicker training is the process of training an animal using a conditioned reinforcer, which indicates to the animal ("marks") the precise behavior that was correct. It was originally used in training animals such as dolphins and pigeons, for which traditional methods of obedience training aren't useful.
Although it is a form of operant conditioning, the more popular name "clicker training" comes
from the fact that the conditioned reinforcer used by many dog trainers is a small mechanical noisemaker called a clicker.
Methodology
The first step in clicker training is to teach the animal that the clicker sound means that they will get a reward. To do this, the trainer does what is called "loading the clicker." Over a few sessions, the trainer clicks the clicker and immediately thereafter gives the animal a reward (usually a treat to start with; later, favorite toys can be substituted), clicks again and rewards again, and so on for about 20 repetitions each session. Dogs, for example, learn the association very quickly.
After that, the trainer can use the clicker to begin marking desired behaviors; each time that the animal performs the behavior, the trainer clicks and, quickly thereafter, rewards. The primary key to clicker training is the trainer's timing; clicking slightly too early or too late can quickly establish an incorrect association in the animal's mind.
Examples
Many desired behaviors start with the nose-touch, where the dog learns to touch an identified target, such as a small piece of plastic, with its nose; that behavior can then be transported to perform useful tasks or interesting tricks such as flipping a light switch or ringing a bell to go outside.
Training the nose touch begins with getting the dog to touch a target with its nose; trainers sometimes use a guided method, such as placing a dab of peanut butter on a small plate or plastic target; others prefer shaping, where the target is placed in easy reach, such as in the trainer's hand between the trainer and the dog, and the dog is rewarded each time he moves in the target's direction or actually touches it.
When the dog is consistently touching the target, the trainer progresses to a target with and without food and in different positions. Eventually, the trainer can transfer the behavior to a bell, for example by holding the target behind the bell so that the dog has to touch the bell to get at the target, and then rewarding the touching of the bell. When the dog is reliably touching the bell, the trainer now adds the act of opening the door to the reward each time the dog strikes the bell.
