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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
TD Yandt wears many different hats in the Canine world. You may find her at Clicker Chicks' Pet-Centric Boutique teaching obedience or conformation handling. She might be out working with Service Dogs in Training as a volunteer and the founder of AASK; Animal Assistants Inc.. You're also likely to find her in the conformation ring lead in hand or standing just outside it with her camera. TD is a certified trainer with Animal Behavior and Training Associates Inc. and a mentor with the Animal Behavior College. Her new book, on clicker training the family dog, will be out early in 2006. You can read more about Tobi-Dawne and her Canine family at noselicks.com.
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7/26/2005
Clicker training is a form of operant conditioning. It’s a way to train your pets without punishments or harsh corrections. It’s building a path of clear communication between yourself and your pet. It builds trust, increases confidence, and results in a happy, eager-to-please pet who loves being with their person.
The typical clicker is a small hand-held rectangle made of plastic. You slip your thumb into a hole in the side and push down on a metal piece that makes a clicking noise. Clickers are typically available at any good pet supply store, small mom-and-pop dog shops, or the little corner pet store. You can also find them online at several sources. They come in a range of styles and shapes, with the typical rectangle box being the most widely available. They range in price from $1.50 to about $7.50. Price does not always reflect a difference in quality.
The first thing you need to teach your pet is what the click means. The easiest way to do this is by setting up a really relaxed first training session. You aren’t teaching any tricks or shaping any behaviors, so there is no way you can do this wrong. Relax and just have fun with your pet.
Pick a favorite treat -- for dogs, a hot-dog sliced into little pieces; for a bird, a bit of raspberry; for a cat, a can of flaked tuna; for your rat, a dab of baby food, etc. Whatever your pet loves to munch. It’s important to pick something your pet really enjoys. However, some words of warning: Be sure not to pick anything too big. You want tiny nibble-sized portions whenever you are training. Something that takes more than two or three chews is too big. Think soft and tiny.
Now, with your treats beside you and your clicker in hand, you are ready to start your first tra
ining session. Click, and give your pet a treat. Do it again. Click and give him another treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Notice a pattern?
By this point, your pet should be starting to anticipate that when he hears a click, he will get a treat. Keep repeating this. Click, and give him a treat. Click, and give a treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Isn’t this fun? Once you start noticing that with every click your pet is looking to you for a treat, he has learned what the click means. It means a treat is coming. It’s a promise of something good.
Your pet may not understand the concept of conditioning, or that you are teaching him that the click is a marker and a contract between the two of you. All he knows is that he must have done something to please you, because when you click you are happy and he knows you will give him a treat he really loves. And this is what is important. It is building up your pet's confidence and trust in you.
At this point, you should end this first training session. So click one more time, and give your pet a “jackpot” - a small handful of treats; four or five treats is a perfect amount. You always want to end a training session with a success and the occasional jackpot. It’s important that you end each training session on a positive note, so your pet will look forward to training with you next time.
Now. This is when the fun really begins. It’s time to start playing the clicker game with a goal in mind. For your first behavior, it’s best to pick something really simple; a behavior that your pet already does naturally. For a dog, try sit, down, come, or a kiss. For a bird, try a whistle or a wing flap. All of these are really simple to shape.
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