Most dog owners have heard of clicker training. It really isn’t a new training technique, but has been used for many years in training marine mammals such as dolphins and seals. As more and more people move away from choker chain training, gentle methods such as clicker training will only become more popular.
What is this clicker training anyway?
A clicker is a small plastic device with a metal strip; you press the strip and it clicks very distinctly. The key to training with it is to teach the dog that the click means a reward is coming.
When you train any animal, you need to reward them the instant that they do what you want. The problem that most people have when training their dog is that they’re too slow. They give their dog the reward after the behavior is performed, which confuses the dog. To train with a clicker, you need to teach the dog the click means a treat is coming. When he understands that, you can use the clicker to pinpoint exactly the moment your dog does the right thing.
Take your clicker, grab a few small treats and call your dog to you. Now, click and simultaneously give the dog a treat. Wait a little bit, then again click and give a treat at the same time. Repeat this ten to twenty times, and then stop. Repeat these little training sessions several times a day. When you click and you notice your dog reacts with interest, he understands that the click means treat. At this point you can start to use it for training.
One example of training with a clicker is teaching your dog to sit. Show him a treat and lift it above his head. As soon as his rump touches the ground you should click, then give them the treat. He’ll learn that to get the click and the treat, he needs to put his rump on the ground. Instead of showing your dog what he’s doing wrong, as you do when you correct him with a choker chain, you’re showing him exactly what he’s doing right. Can you see the difference, and why a dog would learn much quicker with a clicker?
The other advantage to the clicker is that it allows you to reward the dog without them being right next to you. For anyone who trains dogs for agility or teaches complicated tricks, this is very handy. Many service dogs, such as those who assist people in wheelchairs, have been taught their tasks using a clicker.
The best part of clicker training is that there is no fear or confusion for your dog. If you get the timing wrong, the worst that happens is that your dog gets a free treat. That’s quite unlike correction training, where a poorly timed check with the chain will leave your dog wondering what it was he did wrong.
There are so many positives to clicker training, and it’s also a lot of fun. So grab a clicker, and start training!
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