[madblogger]

Clicker training with dogs is fairly well known, but all animals can be trained with the “Clicker” method, cats, birds, horses and most others.

Dogs soon learn that when they perform a particular action it gets them a reward immediately after hearing the click, this is a very positive way of training, which dogs react well to. They soon start performing the action in the hope of getting another treat......


Read the rest of the article here..

Dog Training and Care Tips: Clicker Training Introduction

[eley]

Are we discussing something here or merely reading the article?

[scott]

Found it interesting that there was only one, not so positive post to this thread. The problem with clicker training, and animal training in general is that far too many people are presenting it in a confusing light, like the author of this article on clicker training.
Clicker training at first seems stupid, redundant to even the experienced handler, until you grasp the concept that it is not about compelling the dog to do something, it is about rewarding your dog for it's offering to do anything. At first it's what will your dog do, not what can you make your dog do. Clicker training for owners is about quiet confident control. It is an intermediary step towards performance on demand. It is an indoor activity to be explored before dinner time.
The saddest part of it all is that there would be less animals with behavior and aggression problems, fewer animals in city pounds and animal shelters if owners would even start to attempt to embrace some of this modern training psychology.

[Whitney]

I bought a clicker when I got my first dog two years ago. I used it a few times, and I found that she didn't respond very well to the clicking sound. Melody was always more responsive to my body language and the tone of my voice. This is very important, seeing how a dog doesn't understand English, or any human language for that matter. Some dogs, and some animals respond very well to the clicker once they have it figured out, but from personal experiences, I would rather praise my dogs with a favourite toy (Policemen use this a lot with their dogs), or a pat on the back, and even food rewards (it's hard not to spoil them). I like to use something that gets them excited after they have done a good job. I find that having a dog resond to something completely vocal or a sound is almost silly, seeing how they do not understand the sound 100%, and it's difficult for us as humans seeing how most of our communication is through sounds and vocal languages. The dogs associate the clicking sound with "good", but it doesn't seem very rewarding... But, as Scott mentioned, it's a good way for owners to practice quite control. However, it doesn't seem as if it would be effective for lengthy amounts of time especially in a confusing or loud environment where the clicking sound would be washed out by background noise. Also, in my opinion... it's a boring way to train a dog and ultimately it seems cold. It's all opinion though, and of course some people will train their dogs with different methods. I say, whatever works best for the animal and the owner.

[opokki]

I find the clicker more useful than a verbal marker because our voices are something they are used to hearing whether we are speaking to them or someone else. The clicker is very distinct and consistant where are voices tend not to be.

Praise, toys and food are rewards. A clicker is a reward marker. A verbal reward marker ("good" or "yes") is not the same as praise. A marker should be consistant and unique to be most effective. If you were to decide on using a verbal marker and praise you would mark the behavior with the choosen verbal marker and then praise the dog as a reward. If the marker is never followed by a reward it loses its value.
I use a clicker or a verbal marker to mark a specific behavior the momenet it occurs. I then give praise and a treat as a reward. A clicker is mainly used to teach new behaviors but it can also be used to perfect behaviors the dog already knows. It's a tool that is used temporarily, so you won't need to have it on hand forever.

I took a clicker class with Natalie, which I learned a lot from. I had a clicker before taking the class that I used in infrequently but now that I have a better understanding of its use I use it for many things. I have used it to teach Natalie to heel properly, to touch a target, to spin, to defer to me during class and outside instead of reacting to the other dogs, and to manuver various agility obastacles.

[Whitney]

Perhaps my experiences with clickers were negative simply because my knowledge on them is slim to none. I have read up on them, but very few give detailed explainations of how and why they are used. I took Melody to puppy pre-school when she was 4 months old, and the instructor mentioned clickers and even gave us a information sheet. I bought one the next day, read the 'instructions' and found that it wasn't very specific at all. It came with a training manual, but to me... and even my friends and family, it seemed as if the click was the reward. No wonder I felt it was cold, distant and boring.

My original thinking: the clicker is used as a replacement for praise, or whatever you use as a reward. The reward marker idea makes a lot more sense now. Bah, I feel like a tool >.<

[opokki]

Originally Posted by Whitney

It came with a training manual, but to me... and even my friends and family, it seemed as if the click was the reward. No wonder I felt it was cold, distant and boring.

Timing is critical when teaching new behaviors. The clicker acts as a bridge between the behavior and the reward. It signals to the dog that a reward has been earned.
The dog must learn what the clicker (or verbal marker) means before it can be used effectively for training. To accomplish this, you would click and treat multiple times for no specific behavior just so the dog comes to associate the click with treats. You'll know that this has worked when you can click out of the blue, while the dog is not paying attention, and his head automatically turns to you. This usually only takes one or two sessions of about 20 click/treats depending on the dog. Once your dog really gains a good understanding of the clicker you will find him offering behaviors trying to get you to click.

I'm glad that you have a better understanding of how it works now.

[eley]

Has anyone else noticed that the only times madblogger posts, is to start a thread, and how some of them seem life downright advertising?