Clicker training
Friday, January 18 2008
Clicker training is a positive way to help you communicate clearly and precisely with your pet. Instead of punishing behaviours you don’t like, you reward the behaviours you do like.
Clicker training involves giving a click and treat (usually food) whenever your pet is doing something you want. Your pet will understand that the click means “that’s right” and a treat is coming. When animals are rewarded for good behaviour they are more likely to repeat it and actively seek ways to offer behaviour that earns the reward. You will find that your pet willingly and enthusiastically participates in training sessions, which are fun for you both.
Why use a clicker?
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A variety of clickers are available from pet shops and websites. Think of the click as marking a specific action as it occurs – like taking a snapshot of exactly what you want. Of course you could just say “well done”. But although verbal praise is very important to your relationship with your pet, it conveys your emotions so your mood will influence how you sound, making your voice inconsistent. By the time you have praised your pet he may have already moved on to doing something else. Our pets are used to hearing us chatting away and may not easily differentiate when we are praising them. So by using a clicker you give a quick, clear, consistent and specific audible signal to your pet.
Click and treat
Make a list of all the things your pet likes doing; these can all be used as rewards. For instance, horses love having their withers scratched and dogs may love playing with a toy. If you are not sure you will find that most animals respond well to tasty food treats. For cats that may be tiny pieces of prawn; for rabbits, carrot, and for dogs, tiny pieces of cooked chicken. You will use quite a lot of food treats so you may need to feed your pet less at regular meal times to prevent weight gain.
Getting started
To begin training start in a quiet area where you and your pet can concentrate. Have your clicker and treats ready. With your pet beside you, click once then immediately give a treat (don't point the clicker at your pet or click close to your pet’s ears). Repeat a few times until your pet becomes alert at the sound of the click and looks to you for the treat.
Now your pet has made the association between click and treat you can begin to practise your skills by training your pet. One of the easiest ways to start is to teach your pet to touch a target. The target can be a ball on a stick, mat on the floor or even your hand. Make it something obvious so that your pet is attracted to it. As your pet approaches the target, click and treat. You don’t have to wait until he or she is touches it, instead you mould their behaviour, rewarding small steps toward the end goal. Remember not to distract your pet by talking – the clicker is doing the communicating.
When your pet actually touches the target you can click and then reward with extra treats; this jackpot can reward particularly good responses.
Take the cue
Your pet will soon see a target and go straight to it; at this point you can begin to add a word that indicates what you want your pet to do. For instance as your pet is about to touch the target say “touch”, wait for your pet to touch the target and then click and treat. Repeat over the next few days until this cue prompts your pet to go and touch the target.
When your pet is reliably touching the target you can use the target to teach further exercises. If you have taught your dog to touch a ball on a stick you can say “touch” as you move the ball around in a large circle. Cats can be sent to mats; once you have taught your cat to go to a mat you can move the mat further away until your cat runs across the room to get to the mat.
Your pet will quickly learn that by offering different behaviours he or she can ”earn” a click and therefore treat. But remember to always reward after you have clicked, even if you clicked incorrectly!