Basics of Clicker Training

Conditioning

• Operant conditioning occurs when an animal deliberately executes an action or series of actions in order to accomplish a specific result, as Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs proved. For example, the family dog approaches you and sits, waiting for you to notice its "good" behavior. If you fail to observe the deed, the dog moves on to "shake" offering you a paw and scratching your leg in the process, which generally gets your attention. Through operant conditioning it has learned that this sequence of events many times leads to a reward. Your dog may have also learned to mentally connect a behavior, object, place or person with a given outcome. The more times the event and the outcome occur in sequence, the stronger the connection. For example, your dog may get excited when it sees the leash in your hand. This is because many times when you're holding the leash, the dog gets to go for a walk. This is known as classical conditioning and signifies an automatic response rather than a chosen behavior. Clicker training starts out as classical conditioning, as the dog rapidly learns to associate the click with a reward. It then becomes operant conditioning as the dog begins to deliberately replicate an action in an attempt to gain another reward.

The Clicker

• The clicker emits a unique sound (the click) at the exact moment the animal being trained performs the desired action. It works, in part, because it is the only time the sound is heard. Unlike the trainer's voice, which is heard under a variety of circumstances, the click is sounded only when a reward is on the way. And because there is no time lapse between the behavior and the click, the association between the two is made much quicker than with traditional training methods.

Method

• Trainers use the clicker to indicate a preferred behavior the instant it occurs, and then they immediately deliver a treat or reward. Within a few clicks the animal will begin to connect the sound of the training device with the positive experience of being rewarded. It is important to keep the treats out of sight until the clicker is sounded, otherwise the treats may end up being a lure rather than a treat. You must also keep the training device hidden. It's the noise you want them interested in, not the item that makes it. If performed correctly, with a few lessons the animal in training will begin understand that it is the behavior that causes the clicker to sound and leads to the prize. At this point a word command can be added and, eventually, the clicker can be replaced with verbal directions. The reward is still given, providing positive reinforcement and encouraging a repeat performance.

Benefits

• Recent studies show that using a clicker for animal training can significantly reduce the time spent on mastering any given command, according to the Canine Concepts website. This is because the clicker allows the trainer to respond without delay to the animal, rather than taking the time to verbally praise and then reward the trainee. It provides a method of precise communication, enabling the animal to grasp what the desired behavior is. Additionally, the clicker offers the trainer a method for effectively teaching an animal with no need for negative consequences, punishments or coercion.

Misconceptions

• Many people seem to think that an animal trained with a clicker will never perform a desired action without clicking and cannot be trained for exercises that take them out of hearing range. The clicker is used only during the behavior acquisition phase, according to dog trainer Stacy Braslau-Schneck at Wag 'N Train. It is not used for retaining target behavior once it has been learned. And if you are working on distance training, an animal that has become accustomed to the clicker will readily accept another similar instrument with a sound that carries farther---such as a whistle. The idea that clickers cannot be used in noisy environments or around other animal trainers is also a common misconception. Animals will quickly learn to focus on the sound that brings the reward, while distracting noises are ignored.