Meet the Clicker:
An unprepossessing instrument, the clicker is a small, hand-held device with a metal strip you depress with your thumb, to achieve a sharp, loud click. And I do stress "loud". Don't click it too near your dog's ears, or you may have just ruined your dog for clicker training altogether.
An unprepossessing instrument, the clicker is a small, hand-held device with a metal strip you depress with your thumb, to achieve a sharp, loud click. And I do stress "loud". Don't click it too near your dog's ears, or you may have just ruined your dog for clicker training altogether.
How to start:
Load your pockets or a small container full of tiny pieces of cheese or meat (for rewards). Try a few experimental clicks around your dog, to be sure it doesn't frighten him. Once you have his attention though, it's time to start.
Load your pockets or a small container full of tiny pieces of cheese or meat (for rewards). Try a few experimental clicks around your dog, to be sure it doesn't frighten him. Once you have his attention though, it's time to start.
You want him to associate the sound of the clicker with a reward. Click the clicker, and give him a piece of the chosen reward (cheese or meat). Do this about ten times; click and treat. After the tenth time, click again, but withhold the treat. Does he look for a treat? If so, go ahead and give him a treat, and click and treat again to reinforce it. Throughout the day, click and check his response. If he comes running to you looking for a treat, he's made the right connection.
How it Works:
The primary use of the clicker is to "mark" behaviours. Instead of yelling "Good boy!" or some other positive word, you press the clicker, which is a much faster reinforcement, and tends to eliminate mistakes of timing. Once the behaviour has been "marked" by a click, following up with a treat is less time sensitive, since the dog already knows he did the correct thing.
The primary use of the clicker is to "mark" behaviours. Instead of yelling "Good boy!" or some other positive word, you press the clicker, which is a much faster reinforcement, and tends to eliminate mistakes of timing. Once the behaviour has been "marked" by a click, following up with a treat is less time sensitive, since the dog already knows he did the correct thing.
Books for Clicker Training:
Getting Started - Clicker Training for Dogs
Clicker Fun
Click for Joy
Clicking With Your Dog: Step-By-Step in Pictures