There are a lot of guides out there for how to clicker train, but this is mine.
My post on Operant Conditioning might help you to understand more about how clicker training (a kind of positive reinforcement) works, but it isn’t required reading to understand this post.
As stated elsewhere on this blog, I’m relatively new to training dogs. So I’m learning too! But I’ve had a lot of success with training Buddy to lie down and sit, and I’m currently working on a few more tricks. I was amazed how easily he picked things up once he made the connection between the click and the treat.
Why clicker train?
Positive reinforcement is a widely-preferred method of training dogs and other animals… but why use a clicker to do it?
The simple answer is that a clicker makes positive reinforcement easier to apply, and more effective. Unlike a human voice, a clicker doesn’t have a varied tone, which can confuse an animal. It’s also hard to say things at the exact same time, every time.
The click is given at the exact moment your dog performs the behaviour you want them to repeat. The click marks the behaviour. The reward does not. The reward is given afterwards.
Instead of tossing a treat towards your pet, or frantically rummaging in your pockets to find one before they stop displaying the behaviour you like, you can click, letting your dog know to expect a reward, and then give it. It makes things far less hectic, in my experience.
How to start:
First, you will need:
- a clicker (easily available from Amazon and many many pet stores)
- a supply of treats/pieces of dry food to reward your dog
The first step is associating the ‘click’ noise with the food reward. How long it takes depends on the individual dog, but for mine it took 2-3 sessions.
Steps to associating the clicker with the reward:
- Choose a calm, quiet environment to begin. Your dog will be distracted if he is outside at the park, or there are people running about everywhere. Some people additionally recommend starting after your dog has been on a walk (so they won’t be hyper and focus on you more easily) and/or before a meal (so the treats will be more motivating).
- Get the clicker, and your treats. Make sure your pet is awake and alert.
- Click and then offer a treat immediately after.
- Repeat this over and over until the dog looks to you expecting the treat after she hears the click.
It’s that simple. Eventually your dog will come to learn that ‘click’ = ‘treat’, and will happily repeat the behaviours that get them rewarded.
Tips:
- Don’t take the word ‘treats’ literally. When you’re going to be rewarding frequently (and in the beginning stages of clicker training, you will be) it’s often best to just take a fraction of your dog’s normal dried food and offer that every time you click. I use 1/3rd usually – 1/3rd for a morning meal, 1/3rd for the evening, and 1/3rd for clicker training. Later on you may want to use richer treats as a ‘jackpot’ or in distracting situations, but for right now dry food should be fine.
- Try to vary the timing and method of how you deliver the treats. Sometimes offer them in your hand, sometimes toss them nearby, sometimes immediately, sometimes after a few seconds. The reason for that is twofold. First of all, there will be situations where you cannot reach a treat immediately, and it is useful to train your dog to wait for a reward. Secondly, focusing so hard on making sure you give a treat RIGHT NOW NOW NOW can make you stressed out and make your pooch uneasy, while also meaning you’re paying less attention to the things that really matter.
- Make sure when you’re in this initial stage, you’re not inadvertantly rewarding negative behaviours. A common boo-boo would be starting when your dog is looking up at you, begging for some of your lunch or dinner. It seems like a perfect opportunity, since you have your dog’s focus, but when you click and treat them for it, you’re encouraging the (likely unwanted) begging.
- It’s better to have a lot of short sessions than one longer one. It will be more effective to click and treat 5 times in a session with breaks in between, than to click over and over until the dog is bored.
- …But also keep an eye on your dog’s response. When I first started clicker training I made the mistake of stretching the induction period over several days, clicking and treating my dog for nothing long after she understood that ‘click’ = treat. Once you’re certain your dog has made that connection, don’t keep arbritraily C+Ting. It’s pointless at best, and at worst can slow training once it begins.
Clicker training is something that seems tricky at first, but is actually incredibly simple once you start. Anybody can do it – don’t be intimidated!
Look out for my later posts on using clicker training to teach your dog to give eye contact on hearing their name, and teaching ‘sit’!
That Dog Kid 