Clicker Training Basics

By Susan Weber

Clicker training is a wonderful tool in the arsenal of positive trainers and is based on the method developed while training dolphins. While there are many methods of positive reinforcement (as opposed to negative reinforcement or punishment or force), what is unique about clicker training is that it encourages your dog to think. It depends on your dog "offering" behaviors until it finds what works for them. These behaviors can then be "shaped" into a desired end action. This is why it is also called "shaping".

What is a clicker? It is a mechanical device that makes a distinct "click" sound when pressed. They come in many different shapes and sizes. It is usually a metal tab encased in plastic where you press the tab and the noise is made by the metal bending. Some are very loud and some can be very soft (usually with a plastic button to press instead of a metal tab). Which you use will depend on your dog. If he is sound sensitive, lean toward the softer sounding ones. All you need is the clicker itself. If you want to get fancy, you can get one on a band that goes around your finger (2a and 2b), or a wristband (1 and 3b), or lanyard, or on a clip for your belt. This is a matter of style and utility and entirely up to you. The clickers on the right are defined as follows:

#1. Standard box clicker with wrist band. It can be purchased in any Pet store.

#2a and 2b. Mega box clicker with finger loop This is loud like a standard box clicker but can be put on the ground and operated with your foot leaving hands free. (Gary Wilkes' MEGA-CLICKER, www.clickandtreat.com )

#3a and 3b. I-Click by Karen Prior, a softer click than the standard box clicker and works well with dogs that are startled by the louder standard box clicker. (www.cleanrun.com and many other places)

#4. C'mere, high pitch sound (with flash light), trained like all clickers but useful when wanting to recall dogs that are at a distance or out of sight. (www.cleanrun.com)

Clicker training is actually very easy for you, the trainer, to learn. There aren't many rules. The first step in clicker training your dog is to do what we call "prime the clicker". This means teaching your dog that the "click" sound is something they want to hear because it results in an immediate reward. So, go get your clicker and a large cup of small, easily chewed, high value treats. Now, get your dog's attention. Click and treat in quick succession several times. (This is why the treats need to be small and easily chewed.) Right now, the dog is doing nothing to earn them. He is just learning to associate the sound and the reward. Do this several times until you are sure your dog has made the association. You will know this because as soon as he hears the click, he will be looking at your hand expecting the treat to follow. You may need to do this at the start of each training session for awhile to reinforce the concept.

Many people do not like to use treats for training and you don't have to. The reward can be anything that the dog values - a toy, a game, etc. But, it needs to be able to be delivered immediately after the click. For this reason, I would highly suggest using treats at least in the beginning to prime the clicker.

Now, the other question that people commonly ask is why the clicker is necessary. Can't you use your voice? Well, yes, you can. You need to find a unique word used only for this purpose and you have to be fast enough with it. It must happen almost at the exact second of the behavior you want to reinforce. I think you will find that the reaction time of your finger on the clicker is faster than that of the word on your tongue. That is why the clicker is preferred.

OK, now your dog understands that the clicker is a very good thing.

One way to use clicker training is to put something your dog already does on command. In this case, try to set up the situation where the dog is likely to perform the action. Let's say that your dog likes to watch TV and will jump straight up in the air like a bunny when he sees something he likes. Have your clicker and treats ready as you settle in for the evening to watch TV. When he hops in the air, click and treat. Be ready - don't miss your chance. The odds are that he will not understand what it is that got the click. Don't give in if other cute behaviors are offered. He'll eventually turn his attention back to the TV. When he does and hops up again, click and treat. This is why the immediacy of the click to the action desired is so important. It is "marking" the exact behavior you want. The rate at which different dogs will put it together will vary. Once you think they have made the connection, you can start to put a word or phrase to it. When you anticipate they will perform, say your word (in this case, something like "be a bunny"). Do this a few times before trying it away from the TV with just your word. BE PATIENT and wait them out. Don't keep repeating the word. Let them think it out. If you're absolutely convinced they don't have it yet, go back to the beginning (TV).

Here's another rule of clicker training. The click is always followed by the reward. Even if you clicked in error, you must reward or you will de-value the clicker. It was your mistake, not the dog's.

Now, let's talk about shaping. This requires that you break the desired result down into tiny pieces. I'm going to use the example of teaching a dog that has absolutely no interest in a ball into retrieving it and putting it into your hand. Since the dog is not interested in the ball, my first step would be to stand with the dog nearby and drop the ball. The second your dog looks at the dropped ball (just the acting of dropping it will naturally get their attention), click and treat. Do this several times. When you think they have it, leave the ball on the ground after the reward and wait for them to look at it again. Click and treat. After a few repetitions of this, we have now shaped the behavior of your dog looking at the ball in order to get the desired result - a treat. At this point, stop clicking for looking at the ball. Wait for the dog to step towards it or dip their head towards it (depending on how close they are to the ball). Click and treat this action until it has been shaped. When looking at the ball and taking a step closer to it is solid, go to the next step which could be walking all the way up to the ball. Click and treat and on it goes. Next require them to touch it - with nose or paw. Then pick it up and drop it. Then carry it a little way, Finally carry it back near you - to you - drop it at your feet - place it in your hand. Shape it all the way to the final desired result. If at any point, your dog loses interest, you have either pushed too far too fast (in which case you need to back up to where they are successful at least 90% of the time) or your reward isn't of a high enough value (go get something better!). Once you are getting the behavior at a fairly reliable rate, add your word for it. You can also use a hand signal in addition to or instead of a verbal cue.

Eventually, you want to "fade" the clicker. You can bridge the gap by using a word. This works at this point because the timing is not as important as it was before they knew what was wanted. Or, you can skip the intermediate word. The important thing is to always rewards when you first discontinue the clicker. Then, gradually move to a variable reinforcement.

If you just want to have fun with the clicker, grab an object your dog has no association with - like am empty cardboard box or a skateboard. Let your dog experiment with it and click any behaviors you like. Perhaps they put a paw on the skateboard - I would click that. That could progress all the way to pushing it along with two paws on - who knows. Just be careful that you are clicking the same behavior for awhile and that it progresses naturally to another behavior you find cute. This is great for trick training. I know dogs that can sneeze on command, wink, etc.

So, let's review the basic rules:

1. First, prime the clicker.
2. Always reward if you click.
3. Time the click at precisely the behavior you want.
4. Break complicated behaviors down into tiny increments (shaping).
5. Put a command to it only after the behavior is solid.
6. Fade the clicker after awhile.

Resources:

Karen Pryor is the foremost authority on clicker training. Her book Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs is short, clear, and easy to understand. It is published by Sunshine Books and is available from her website www.clickertraining.com.

An excellent book on using clicker training for agility is "Click" & Play Agility by Angelica Steinker. It is only available from her website www.CourteousCanine.com.

This article was written by Susan Weber and the Danish/Swedish Farmdog Club of America, Inc. (DSFCA)Web Committee for the use of the DSFCA Web sites. This article shall remain a part of the DSFCA archives.The article was freely submitted for posting not copied, thus granting an implied license. Permission to use this article other than on www.farmdogs.org must be granted by the author and DSFCA's Board of Directors. - First published on farmdogs.org 04/01/2009