Clicker Training for Rabbits

Definition

• Clicker training is a method of training animals based on a tenet of behavioral psychology called "operant conditioning," where the animal is conditioned by the operator (trainer) to using positive reinforcement. The trainer uses a clicking sound to let the animal know when they have performed a desired behavior and a reward to encourage the animal to repeat the behavior. This is a safe, ethical and effective way to teach animals to do anything they're capable of doing.

How It Works

• You'll need something to make the clicking noise--a clicker (a small mechanical device that clicks when pushed) or a ballpoint pen or even your tongue. You'll also need a reward. Usually, people start with small portions of a food their rabbit loves. To start, feed your pet and click when he chews, to establish a connection between the click and the reward. Then, click and reward when he performs a simple, desired behavior, such as nosing your hand. Gradually work up to more complicated behaviors. Vary the training and rewards to keep your rabbit interested.

Rewards

• Rabbits improve their behavior in response rewards, so you'll need some rewards to give your pet. Rewards can take the form of freedom to run around, access to favorite spots, petting or most commonly a small portion of food, including raisins, dried fruit, apple, leafy green vegetables, celery, clover or carrots (see Resources for diet suggestions). If you offer your pet a plate with different foods, the one she eats first is probably her favorite.

Benefits

• In the wild, rabbits need to evade predators, find food, maintain a safe home, find mates and reproduce. House rabbits don't have these challenges. Clicker training provides a sort of mental exercise in problem-solving that helps to replace those challenges, making your pet happier and more emotionally healthy. Clicker-trained rabbits also can be trusted to spend more time outside their cages or pens running around, making them physically healthier, and giving you more time together. Finally, clicker training provides you with a tool to reduce the stress in your pet's life by giving you a way to communicate with them more effectively.

Advantages

• The biggest advantage of clicker training over other forms of positive reinforcement is that you can time your praise (the click) to coincide exactly with the desired behavior. Giving your rabbit a treat or praising him with affection takes time, and he may have moved on to some other behavior by then, leading him to believe you're praising him for something else. The human voice varies from moment to moment in pitch, volume and tone, which can be confusing. A mechanical sound is more consistent.