Clicker Training
What is clicker training and why will it help your dog?
B.F. Skinner first devised the idea of operative conditioning. Simply put, this means creating an event (a clicking sound) that is associated with something else.
If you remember your high school psychology class, Pavlov did this with his dogs. By ringing a bell whenever he fed the dogs, he could eventually cause them to salivate just by ringing the bell.
This is the basis for clicker training. By associating a positive experience, such as a treat or playtime, with a clicking sound you will hold a very powerful training tool in your hand.
One of the challenges of animal training is communicating exactly what is wanted to your pet. Often, when praising or giving a treat, a few seconds have passed before the pet is rewarded. By this time, your dog will have forgotten what he was just doing and will not know what he is being praised for.
This is where the clicker shines. By clicking at the exact time your pet performs the preferred action, you can associate that with a reward. Your dog will then carry out that action much more frequently.
Out of all the training methods I have studied in the past years, the clicker has shone head and shoulders above all others. In both speed and reliablity, the simple clicking sounds acts as a perfect training tool.
Two good friends of mine, Morten Egtvedt & Cecilie Koeste, have developed a program to help you get all the training tips and tricks you need in one place. They take your hand and guide you through clicker training. If you think this is right for you, I suggest you check them out over at Clicker Training.
I look forward to helping you and your dog live a better life together!
