Dec 10 2009
Does Clicker Training For Dogs Work?
If you are interested in clicker training for dogs then you are looking at one of the more useful dog training techniques. It is a popular method as it is pain free for your dog and it does seem to work. Behavioral psychology is where it got it’s beginning, which adheres to the premise of rewarding behavior that’s good. This method of training involves ‘marking’ the good behavior with a click from the clicker, enabling the dog to know it’s done something good and will receive a treat .
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This clicking when coupled with positive reinforcement is a powerful way and a humane way to train almost any animal. It sure beats the old ’shocker’ methods that hurt the animals. Your dog wants to please you in reality which can appear surprising. Communication is one of the main problems when dog training. This clicker method clears that up for your dog.
This is called ‘operant conditioning’. Basically the dog does something with the intention of bringing about what they want ie a treat. Dogs associate people places and objects according to a pleasure or non pleasure grading system. Its really a form of conditioning.
If the dog learns that it is rewarded for good behavior then it will repeat it. This conditioning is how the dog is trained. The ‘operant’ conditioning will produce behavior that’s purposeful, while the classic type of conditioning produces behavior that’s habitual. When the two come together you get a potent form of training.
The clicker sound is a more effective sound than the human voice for a good reason. Our voices can say the same words with different inflection and intensity. It’s difficult for a dog to always know what we mean. It comes back to communication. But with the clicker, it sounds the same every time, and the dog quickly associates it with good behavior and rewards.
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You would think that it would be almost impossible to force some animals to adopt certain forms of behavior but clicker training has been very successful in training dolphins for example. From cats and leopards, to birds and rabbits, this method has found great success.
You should commence the click whilst the dog is carrying out the behavior you want.Don’t wait until he has finished. Give a click and a treat before the behavior and after the behavior is complete. You should click when your dog does something you would like him to repeat, that way you reinforce the message. Always use the same click but you can give different types of treats for different behavior.
Using clicker training for dogs can enable you to communicate with your dog in a positive way that you weren’t able to do before. You will find that your dog will begin to enjoy giving you his good behavior side as he is rewarded for it. Punishing bad behavior can sometimes produce even more bad behavior, even though it may curb the selected bad behavior to a point. The use of positive reinforcement will lead to more positive behavior.
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