For all those pups out there who asked me about clicker training, I thought I’d do a post to show you how to get started with using the clicker!
I know some of you are already experienced clicker pups so I hope this won’t be too boring for you – but I thought it was still good to go ‘back to basics’ for those pups who are just starting out…
So here is a special movie that my human, Hsin-Yi, and I made to show you how we do it: (I have never tried to be a teacher in a movie before so we were not sure how to do it…as you can see, my human cut off her own head! Hopefully, she will be better in Part 2! 
)
Also, here is an article that Hsin-Yi wrote about clicker training which will help answer some of your questions on clicker training:
(© 2009 Hsin-Yi Cohen – please do not reproduce any part of this article without permission)
.
(c) Mike Theiss
Clicker training was first developed by dolphin trainers who needed a way to communicate with these powerful and intelligent marine mammals. Traditional animal training techniques often relied on punishment and force but these failed miserably with an animal which could not be restrained or physically forced to do anything.
The answer was a whistle which marked the exact moment when they performed the desired action. The dolphins soon associated the sound of the whistle with treats - and they also realised they could “make” their trainers whistle and give them treats by performing certain behaviours (such as jumping through a hoop).
(Thanks to Sally Jones of www.dogsrdogs.btinternet.co.uk for use of the photo)
In dogs, the whistle was replaced by a “clicker”.
Since then, “clicker training” has been widely used with a variety of wild and domesticated animals, from all breeds of dogs and cats, rabbits, horses and birds to zoo animals, marine mammals and even fish!
.
.
.
.
.
Seizing the moment
So how does clicker training work? The idea is all about capturing a moment in time – much like a camera taking a picture – when your dog does a behaviour you want. That moment is marked by a clear signal, so that the dog understands exactly which action was the right one. It is like saying “That’s it!”. This marker signal is produced using a clicker which makes a unique and distinct CLICK sound when pressed.
First, though, you must make the CLICK meaningful to your dog by associating it with a reward, such as a food treat. How? Just press the clicker and feed a treat, press again, then feed…and so on, until your dog starts to anticipate treats when it hears the click. You will see its head snap around as soon as it hears the click or it will be watching you avidly, waiting for the click.
Now you’re ready to start training: choose an action you want your dog to do and click at exactly the moment the dog does it (followed by a treat); eg. for Sit, click as soon as your dog’s bum hits the ground; to get your dog to lie down, click only when your dog’s elbows touch the ground.
Some behaviours, such as Sit, are frequently offered by most dogs and you simply need to wait a bit to catch the action. Others, such as lying down, may need a bit of luring and coaxing with a treat, in order to get the dog into the position you want to mark with the click and reward.
Once a dog has worked out which behaviours produce a click, he will start to repeat those actions willingly (and often, very enthusiastically!) to try and get more clicks and rewards. (imagine if you found a button in the wall which drops cash into your pocket when you pressed it…wouldn’t you start pressing that button again and again? )
Using the same principles, you can go on to teach your dog more complex behaviours, such as performing cute tricks, retrieving items, going to its bed when visitors come, walking nicely on a loose leash, etc…as well as helping in dog sports like Agility, Obedience and Canine Freestyle (doggie dancing).
Clicker training can also be used to help with problem behaviours – instead of punishing the dog for the unwanted behaviour, it is clicked and rewarded for an alternate, desirable behaviour.
For example, a dog that jumps up on people would be ignored – and then clicked & rewarded with treats as soon as it dropped back to the ground again or if it remained on the ground. After a few repetitions, the dog will start to realise that having its four paws on the ground is the time when it hears the CLICK and gets tasty treats – and it will start to choose this more rewarding behaviour over jumping up.
* * Remember, a click must always be followed by a reward – if you don’t honour this, your dog will lose trust in you and the clicker will lose its powerful motivating effect. But don’t worry – this doesn’t this mean that you will have to walk around with a clicker and a pocketful of treats for the rest of your life! Once your dog has learnt a behaviour and will perform it on cue, you can phase out the clicker and just occasionally reward with a pat, treat or praise. In addition, many behaviours are also maintained by “real-life rewards” – for instance, a dog that sits quietly at the door is rewarded by the door opening so he can go for a walk.
Why bother?
You’re probably already training using treats and wondering why you should bother with this additional gadget. Are there really any advantages to using the clicker?
Most dogs instinctively want to please you but many fail during training because they become confused and do not understand what you want them to do. They are then often punished for being “disobedient” and become even more anxious and confused – or simply “switch off” and lose interest.
Clicker training can be a very powerful training method because the clicker communicates clearly to your dog exactly what he needs to do: the CLICK sound is consistent, clear and unambiguous – unlike our voices which can sound different with different emotions, even if we don’t mean to (eg. the “Yes!” which sounds like “Yes, but…”)
Clicker training also creates a dog that is focused on you and keen to ”work” to earn rewards. Dogs that are clicker-trained work happily and voluntarily – they are active partners with you in the training game – rather than just robotically (or sulkily!) obeying your commands. They develop confidence in you and in themselves. As a completely positive, reward-based method, clicker training is always a fun and happy activity. Because it does not rely on physical manipulation or force, it can be used by anyone – even children – with very successful results.
Finally, it also encourages you to pay more attention to the positive behaviours that your dog does and to encourage them, by rewarding them. We tend to ignore our dogs when they’re being good (eg. lying quietly) and only pay attention when they’re being naughty (eg. chewing our shoes) – it’s no wonder that they resort to doing naughty things to get our attention!
Is it for me and my dog?
All dogs are suitable for and can benefit from clicker training. It can be wonderful for building the confidence of shy, timid dogs and is ideal for training puppies, as it encourages and rewards good behaviour rather than waits until bad habits have developed and then tries to correct them through punishment.
Clicker training works best if your dog is food-motivated. Remember, many owners who believe their dogs are “not food-motivated” often have over-fed pets or are simply not using interesting enough treats! Especially when trying to teach new behaviours or when working in a place with distractions (eg. other dogs), make sure you use tasty, strongly scented, high-value treats such as ham, sausage, cheese and liver.
If your dog is genuinely not motivated by food, you can still use clicker training – you simply have to find something else to use as a reward. All dogs will have something that they adore – if not food treats, then it may be a game of tug with a favourite toy, chasing their tennis ball or even just a tummy rub from their favourite person. The key is to find out what your dog finds rewarding and then to associate that with the CLICK sound, just as you would with a food reward.
Like all training methods, clicker training does have its drawbacks – mainly to do with the skill of clicking at the right moment. Timing is crucial since your dog will repeat the action it was performing when it heard the click. Therefore, there is a danger of reinforcing the wrong thing: if you do not time the click correctly, you could unintentionally reward an undesirable behaviour (eg. clicking when your dog is still barking rather than when it stops).
However, like all things, practice makes perfect and there is no real danger to your dog if you click the wrong behaviour a few times – once you stop rewarding it, your dog will gradually forget about it and move on to the new behaviour which you are marking and rewarding.
In addition, clicker training also requires some patience – particularly for those who are used to traditional training and used to ordering and trying to “force” or manipulate a dog into doing things…it can be hard to adjust to this “hands-off” approach where the dog is encouraged to think for himself and choose the correct action that earns the reward.
Not all behaviours may be easily modified through clicker training alone. While dogs with serious behavioural issues, such as severe aggression, may be helped with clicker training, it can take a long time and require a lot of skill, effort and patience. In such cases, it may be more useful to combine this with other training techniques – but this needs to be discussed with an experienced, qualified canine behaviourist or dog trainer.
* For noise-phobic dogs that are frightened by the sound of the clicker, you can muffle the CLICK by putting the clicker in your pocket or covering it with a cloth. You can also use a verbal marker signal instead (eg. “Yes!”) but as mentioned above, this is not as effective because it can often carry ambiguity and emotional baggage that you are not aware of.
In dog dancing class...
.
Want to find out more?
The internet is a haven of information on clicker training – a good place to start is Karen Pryor’s site (www.clickertraining.com) - Karen is a marine biologist and international expert in behavioural psychology, who pioneered clicker training. Amazon also sells a range of books & DVD’s on clicker training. It can also be good to get the guidance of an experienced clicker trainer – (for example, if you’re in Auckland, see Flip Calkoen of Flip’s Top Dog). You can also ask around dog obedience clubs in your area as some may have trainers with experience in clicker training.
.
(c) Wikipedia
There are now a variety of ‘fancy’ clickers available on the market but a simple box clicker (either with a metal groove or a raised button) is really all you need. You can buy these from pet stores, d0g trainers who specialise in clicker training or order them online
******
.
.
.
Check out Part 2 (Teaching Tricks) and Part 3 (More Obedience & useful daily commands, eg. ‘bed’)
Nice post, Honey (and Hsin-yi)!! My puppy classes used clicker training, but I wish the teacher had explained better why the clicker works better than voice commands. You explained it so well!
By the way, I voted for you for Most Awesome Blog. You blog is truly awesome!!
Hi Honey! I can't hear the sound on the video which means my computer probably needs to be rebooted, but I will watch it I promise. I loved this post. Very informative and explained very well.
As to your question about backing up straight. I had this problem too. I would back circles around the room. What worked for me was training in a hallway. If the hallway is still too wide have your Mom use body blocking on the side away from the wall. Since you two are so used to working together it shouldn't be too difficult. She may not even have to stand at your shoulder, your head may be far enough to the side to get the point. Also make sure she's clicking for you moving your paws. My Mom walked into me to make me back up and now I won't back up unless she's moving, so now she has to start from scratch and click the paw movements so I understand what she's asking. Good luck!!
Hi Hsin-Yi and Honey!
What a great class! I've been working on clicker training with Petey but now I see that I was bringing in the verbal command too soon. He's a quick study though (especially for a terrier, who tend to think of commands more as "suggestions") and has done well with the clicker. You are absolutely right about consistency though, I've been a bit slack with training on a regular basis.
I've watched Victoria Sitwell on the TV program "It's me or the dog" use the clicker to distract from bad behavior. Petey, all 22 lbs. of him, can sometimes get quite aggressive towards other dogs when he's on the leash, but never when he's off leash. He once lunged after two full-grown Great Danes and I was astonished and just asked him if he wanted to be their snack food. I've been clicking and rewarding when I see a dog coming and he ignores him because he's focused on the food. But I was saying "dog"at the same time I was clicking and treating. I need to get the behavior down first.
Thank you for your kind words about our blog! I have a great time coming up with adventures for Petey and his pals. Honey will have to come along for the next one! Did you see our all-dog production of Brigadoon, retitled "Beagadoon?" Pretty funny stuff if I say so myself!
Your pals,
Petey (click) and Jane
Hello Hsin-Yi
Our Chief now says she's going to find us a clicker and thanks you for such an enlightening class!
We're all not too sure what it means for us though … but we like the treats partt!
Licks and wags
Tuffy and the Dog Woods Pack
Hi Honey & Hsin-Yi,
Thanks so much for sharing! I absolutely love reading your blog. Honey-dog is so beautiful and so well behaved! My Murphy is just 5 months old, but we've been doing clicker training since he was 11 weeks and he's gotten pretty good at it. He's got the basics down, now we are working on some tricks. I love all the ideas I can get from your site!
thanks again
Debbie & Murphy
Hi Honey and Hsin-Yi
That was a superb post on Clicker training -- really informative. As we mentioned in an earlier post, Clive was part Clicker trained and Guide Dogs here in Ireland use it as an integral part of their training of the dogs.
But, the little man also rides as well in a local stables where the horses have been clicker trained as well and it is amazing to see the horses respond to the clicker. The stables have adults working there with special needs and also teach children with special needs so the horses have to be very receptive and well trained and they certainly are. I can't endorse clicker training enough.
Some of our children with autism have also had clicker training used on them to encourage and enable them to perform specific tasks and it has worked incredibly well. If a non-verbal child with autism is finding it very hard to understand and perform a specific task -- I have seen the clicker training make a huge difference in how the child understands and then tries to do the task. The clicker training has also been used to help some of our children ride better and understand better what they are doing. Our little man can understand commands and respond but several of his friends are non-verbal and they are now riding so well with clicker training.
Anyway, sorry for such a long post but just wanted to confirm how successful clicker training is.
Take care
Fiona
Oh don't apologise, Fiona! We LOVE long comments -- the longer the better!
And it's wonderful to hear how much clicker is helping all those children -- in fact, I'm actually working on an article at the moment all about human applications of the clicker -- aside from helping children with autism, it has also been used to help battered mothers & their children in the US!
I agree with you -- I also can't endorse it enough. It may take a bit of time & practise to get familiar with using it but once you've got it, it is just such a wonderful training & communication tool!
Hsin-Yi
Honey! You are such a good teacher. That was a most excellent movie. I could see you pretending to be a beginner doggie even though you know many complex dance moves.
I am working very hard to dance better with Momma. It is so hard! I just get so excited!
Like yesterday, I was sitting and then she started walking around me, but I wanted to watch her and my bottom kept coming up. I think I will practice watching her more when she is still in front of me.
Slobbers,
Mango
Hi Honey and Hsin Yi,
This is a really great post about clicker training, thank you so much for sharing it with us.
We're wondering whether with clicker training, we also can understand when our humans are not happy with what we are doing? Coz' we still love to chew all stuff around the house and also make a big mess. Seriously, we are not so sure whether our humans allow it or not because of their tone of their voices are difficult to predict. Sometimes when they have high voices (which probably are mad), we think as an excitement for them.
Btw, how much does a clicker cost?
Licks,
Adele, Vincent & Bella
BARK! Honey what a good doggie you are. I too sit the minute mommy has a treat in her hand. But I am trying to learn what else she wants. That noise box sure would help a lot. I will have to have a BARK with mommy about it! BARK! Sasha the Princess
Hey Honey. My Mom said she will try to get a video together. I don't know how long it will be though. She is still pretty busy with other projects, like editing her honeymoon pictures and the pictures she took at the horse show. As soon as I can get her to finish those I will have her work on a video. She really needs to get a tripod for her video camera. Can't wait to see your second clicker training post.
Hi Honey,
Thank you for sharing the great clicker training video!! We can't wait to see the next one! Also, thank you for giving us a tip on how to clicker-train for the backing, when we met at Mission Bay yesterday. Hope to meet up again soon!!!
I was finally able to watch the video! It was fantastic! You explain things so well. I tend to fumble all over my words when I explain things, that's why I've always been too afraid to become a trainer, although my town could really use one. Keep up the great work!
We clicker train for some of our tougher tricks, but we probably should do it for when the door bell rings too. Perhaps we will get on that! Thanks for the tips and info!
Hi Honey
I love clicker training! My human's been a bit lazy lately, but she knows we need to get back into it, because I love it so much, and also she thinks I've started getting a bit naughty and it's because I've gotten out of the habit of doing what I'm told (for example, I've forgotten how to come when called to get my leash put on for crossing the tram tracks in the park). She thinks getting back into clicker training will get me back into the habit of being good.
I can't wait to read your suggestions for tricks, I'd like some new ones to add to my repetoire. I've already learned to sit and lie down and shake paws and do a high-five -- I learned that one very early, because I always used to lift my paw up and smack down with it, so my human used the clicker to help me refine it. I've also learned how to pretend I don't understand how to roll over, and then just try to steal the treat (I'm quite fond of that trick, actually!).
Puppy kisses
Sasha
Honey, you're such a smart girl. I'm sure lots of pups will benefit from your excellent clicker training.
I just want to let you know that I know my first dance step!!
Mama says "Five," and I give her my paw. That's how I learned to give her my paw when I was a puppy. Then she says "other" and I give her my other paw! It took only about l0 or 12 tries. It's funny because I wouldn't do it the day she was teaching it to me, but the next day I did it the first time she asked. Guess I'm stubborn!
Now we're going to try and switch paws more quickly. I'll keep you posted.
Love ya!
xoxo
Chef
Thank you for the encouragement. I have a mild problem with stage fright and I have zero experience with public speaking, but you did give me an idea. When training Jackal I'm going to pretend I have students watching and explain what I'm doing and what my goal is. Maybe that will help me gain confidence and learn how to explain things. Then maybe I can have friends watch and give feedback.
I'm sorry Honey is having a couple of off days. I know how frustrating that can be. Jackal would seem to just forget everything sometimes. Try not to pressure yourself or Honey too much about the competition. You don't want her thinking you're getting all stressy or she might get stressed too. Let me know how it goes with the back training. If I get bored when we work on his Weave and Finish tonight I might work on that a little again too. See if we can get past our little roadblock.
Good luck and as always have fun!
Hi Honey and Hsin-Yi,
Wow -- what a great post! Our human hadn't really understood the concepts of clicker training before your post so she's really impressed and is going to use it a lot more. Do you think it'll help with a small problem we have with Max? He really gets frantic whenever he sees another dog when he's on the lead when we're out walking. If he's off-lead he's absolutely fine and is the most social and polite of dogs ever you could ever wish to meet, but on-lead he's a real problem whenever another dog comes into sight. Our human has tried distracting him, blocking him, talking to him, bribing him -- nothing seems to work but she's not really sure why he does this which obviously makes it harder for her to sort it out! JD doesn't have this issue (our human thinks JD is almost too good to be true sometimes -- he he!) it's just Max, but obviously Max's behaviour sometimes distresses JD.
We also wanted to mention that we LOVE reading your blog -- it's so witty and informative and of course it has lots of pictures of one of our favourite girls -- sigh, we think you're such a pretty Great Dane…. We're so glad you started blogging as your writing talents are simply pawsome -- oh yeah, Hsin-Yi's not bad either, he he he! (
Sorry, didn't mean to be cheeky! We've read all of Hsin-Yi's articles that we've found links to and we -- as well as our human -- are hooked! Your human has an amazing writing style.)
Right -- we've waffled on for quite a while….! Thanks again for a great post, we're looking forward for the next installments.
Tail wags -- your loyal Schnauzer fans, JD and Max.
PS -- we've finally had our first ever grown up Schnauzer hair cuts and we now think we look a little bit like your good-looking boyfriend Ombre. Have you heard from him since he emigrated?
Excellent training video! You two make it seem so fun and it's a great insight to clicker training. We love it! Look forward to more training videos from both of you! Love, Dino
Wow Hsin-Yi! That was a good video! Good job! Well, Mommy doesn't always use to clicker. Only when I learn tricks then yes, she will use it. But thanks for the wonderful introduction! Psst, Mommy loves your accent by the way…. And Honey is SO cute!
Smoochies,
Solid Gold Momma
is it ever too late to start clicker training?
What a wonderful post! Mom says she is going to read it over and over because there is so much to absorb. I think she has some notion of trying it with TD.
Woos, the OP Pack
What a great post -- we will have to come back and watch/read it all again but we would love to try it.
Bassets aren't really great at training but the reward based stuff tends to work best with Martha & Bailey.
They dont really care whether they please you or not but they do love food!
Thanks for putting it all together for us.
Oh and the Paul McCartney connection was because our very long drive was to the Mull of Kintrye as in his song and also where he has a home.
xxxx
Hi Honey
What a great post about clicker training. Unfortunatly Ruby is afraid of the clicker. We have even tried just using a pen to click something that is really quiet. No luck. Mom keeps trying to introduce the clicker every so often, but Ruby still reacts the same way.
Love Ruby & Penny
That was awesum you guys, our mummy found that very interesting, you strengthened what she has done with us both so far, mummy says we are very clever boys for picking up this clicker training so far. She cant wait for your next video's
Oh, what a shame, Ruby & Penny! I think that in your case, if Ruby is really so scared, then maybe a verbal marker would work better (as demonstrated in the video)…has your human tried that maybe?
Hsin-Yi
Amazing post! The video is great and has all the important information!
We can't wait to read the next post!
We are becoming more confident with the clicker and it's incredible to see Rufus' development!
Kisses
Ana (Rufus and Indie)
You are always so helpful, Hsin-Yi (and faithful sidekick, Honey)! Grrrreat video and article!
Wuv,
Gus and Waldo
Thanks Honey.
This video is very useful.
I was wondering..how many times a day and for how long should we work on clicker training? Also, how will my owner know once the clicker has been “charged” for me?
Thanks,
Dovie
I explained in the 1st video how you would know when the clicker is “charged” -- watch the section on charging the clicker and you will see.
There is no set number for training times or lengths -- it’s a bit like saying how many times should you teach a child to say “please”? Just make it a regular part of your day-to-day life. Try to have at least 1 session a day where you are interacting with your dog, which includes some training & playing. Keep sessions very short, especially if it’s a young puppy -- about 5mins. It depends on the dog’s attention span so you know your own dog best -- the key is to stop before the dog gets bored so you know best how long that is.
Clicker training isn’t something that’s “done” and ticked off and over -- so I can’t really answer how long you shoudl work on it -- it is simply a way of training & communicating with your dog and is basically a technique to be used throughout the dog’s life. Obviously, once the dog learns a command, you fade the clicker and only use voice commands & rewards -- no need to keep marking it -- it is really only for learning and for “tidying up” any behaviour that isn’t as consistent as you would like. You shouldn’t have to go around with a clicker forever in your hand. BUT I still use clicker training even now when I teach Honey NEW behaviours or sometimes if I want to reinforce existing behaviours -- it’s still good to use it to mark & reward behaviours your dog already knows every so often.
Good luck --
Hsin-Yi
Hi Guys,
Love and enjoy your videos very much. Can you please tell me what treats you use for clicker training. I know you guys do raw diet and wondered what it was.
hi Sandra,
I did a post awhile ago on Honey’s blog which was all about the treats we use for training – here’s the link: http://bighoneydog.com/2009/06/training-treats/
Also, if you go to one of our recent blog posts and look in the comments, I just answered the same questions for one of our readers -- the link is here: http://bighoneydog.com/2012/02/moonlightcinema-mueslihunting-homerituals/#comment-31716
Hsin-Yi