Content
- What is the clicker?
- Advantages of Clicker Training
- load the clicker
- Example of Clicker Training
- Truths and lies about clicker training
- Incorrect use of the clicker
- What if there is no clicker?
It has certainly happened more than once that you want to tell your pet that this behavior you just had was to your liking. Developing communication between your dog and you is a beautiful and passionate process, although for some owners it is very frustrating as they don't get results.
The basis of all communication is affection and patience, although it is also useful for us to understand how our pet thinks. At PeritoAnimal we will explain to you the use of a very interesting tool to improve communication with your pet and also enhance your training, the clicker.
Keep reading this article and find out what is and how the clicker for dogs works.
What is the clicker?
O clicker it's a little box with a button that makes a sound every time you click on it. This instrument is a behavior reinforcer, so every time the dog hears the "click" he will realize that he did something good. It's like telling your pet "very well done" and he understands.
This behavior reinforcer helps us in two aspects, on the one hand it is a candy substitute (food is still a positive reinforcement of behavior) and on the other hand, we can reward spontaneous behavior of the dog.
Imagine you are in the park with your dog. Your dog is loose and a few meters away from you. Suddenly, a puppy appears and jumps on top of your dog because it wants to play. Your puppy sits down and patiently supports the smallest puppy. You see this behavior and you want to say to your dog "okay, this behavior is really good." Instead of running to give your puppy a treat, as it is likely that by the time you reach him it would be too late, you can simply click on the clicker button to reward him.
With the clicker you can also get closer to your pet and improve your communication, this tool will help you understand each other better. And don't forget that the best relationship you can have with a dog is one based on affection.
Advantages of Clicker Training
O clicker training has a whole series of advantages that you should take into account if you still have doubts about its use. One of the most remarkable is that through this method the dog learns to pursue a purpose, not out of habit. In this way, learning takes longer because the dog is aware of the behavior and action it is taking. In addition to this, the following points stand out:
- Simple: Its handling is very easy to understand.
- Creativity: By facilitating communication between you and your dog, it will be easier for you to teach him many tricks. Let your imagination fly and have a great time teaching your pet new orders.
- Stimulus: This type of learning makes your puppy more motivated and interested.
- Concentration: Food is a great reinforcer, but sometimes our puppy is too dependent on it and doesn't pay attention to exercise. With the clicker there is no such problem.
- Medium distance reinforcement: It can reward actions that your puppy will always be on your side.
load the clicker
Loading the clicker is nothing more than the process or exercise that your dog must perform in order for him to associate the click sound with a prize.
The basic loading exercise is to emit the "click" sound and then give your dog a treat. To learn more about this process, go to our article on loading the dog's clicker into training. It is important that before proceeding with clicker training, make sure that this step has been correctly performed and that your dog understands how the clicker works.
Example of Clicker Training
Imagine that you want to teach your dog to pretend to be crying or sad, that is, to put his paw in his face.
For this follow these steps:
- Choose a word to give that order. Remember that it must be a word that your puppy doesn't hear normally, otherwise you run the risk of confusing him and not getting the training to work.
- Put something on the dog's nose that catches his attention. For example, a post-it.
- When you see that he puts his paw to want to take it out say the chosen word "sad", for example.
- Then click on the clicker.
- When teaching the dog a new order, you can use small treats in addition to the clicker, so you will certainly not forget and learn more quickly.
As you can see, this is a very quick exercise. Doing it just with treats can make it harder for your dog to learn.
Truths and lies about clicker training
You can teach the dog an exercise without even touching him: true.
With clicker training you can teach him exercises without the need to touch him or put on a collar.
You can get your puppy perfectly trained without ever putting on a leash or collar: a lie.
Although you can teach the exercises without the need to put your puppy on a leash, you will need a collar and leash for learning. This is necessary when starting the exercises in places where there are many distractions, such as the street or in a park.
Anyway, the collar and the leash are only used as safety measures to prevent your puppy from walking or car in dangerous areas, such as a road. They are not used as corrective or punishment methods.
You will have to reward your puppy forever with food: a lie.
You can gradually eliminate food rewards with a variable reinforcement program and diversifying reinforcers. Or, better yet, using reinforcers from everyday life.
An old dog can learn new tricks with clicker training: true.
It doesn't matter what age your dog is. Both older dogs and puppies can learn from this technique. The only requirement is that your dog has the necessary strength to follow a training program.
Incorrect use of the clicker
Some trainers have the idea that the clicker is a kind of magic box that works without the need to feed the dog or provide games for the dog. These trainers have a habit of clicking multiple times without giving any reinforcer. So in your training sessions you hear a lot of "click-click-click-click-click", but you don't see much reinforcement.
By doing this, trainers negate the value of the clicker as it does not reinforce the dog's behaviors. At best, this is a useless procedure that bothers but does not affect training. In the worst case, the trainer focuses more on the tool than the training and does not progress.
What if there is no clicker?
The clicker is very useful, however it is not essential. If you don't have a clicker, you can replace it by clicking with your tongue or using a short word.
Remember to use a short word and not use it often so as not to confuse the dog. The sound you use in place of the click must be different from orders of canine obedience.