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TESTIMONIAL Jennifer, Bryan
and Kari (Langley's owner) |
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| CLICKER TRAINING | |
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| WHAT
IS CLICKER TRAINING?
Clicker training is simply an idea about dog training - the Idea of Least Resistance. When we "clicker train" our dogs, we allow them to be an active participant in the training process. We allow our dogs to offer correct behaviors, thus letting our dogs use their intelligence to build a solid set of behaviors. We don't need to push or pull at our dogs to get them to do behaviors. Instead, we let them decide what behaviors are being rewarded, and then make good choices from there. Most dogs actually love training when done this way, as they learn about making good choices, rather than focusing on making mistakes. Clicker training teaches an association between the noise of a device called a "clicker" and a food treat. The clicker gives the human part of the team, good timing. The clicker is meant to predict that a food treat is coming, thus marking the behavior and telling the dog that their performance was correct and that food treat will follow.
Undoubtedly, the most difficult aspect of dog training is having great timing. If you would like your dog to learn a new behavior quickly and well, you must have great timing. Your reward for correct behavior must be provided within 2-3 seconds of the behavior! This means that your dog must take a treat at almost the exact moment they do the correct behavior. This is where clicker training comes in. The purpose of the clicker is to give your dog feedback about the correct behavior right at the exact moment they do the behavior. The clicker becomes a easy way to communicate with your dog that they did the right behavior and that a food reward will soon follow. |
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| HOW
TO INTRODUCE THE CLICKER
To introduce the clicker, first show your dog that you are holding a favorite food treat - let them know what they are working for. Wait for your dog to offer a behavior that you like – focus on sit or down to begin with. Immediately click and provide the food treat for every sit or down that your dog offers. There is no need to add a word to the behavior at this point - just let your dog offer tons and tons of sits or downs. When your dog is consistently offering a particular behavior, start using the word "sit" or "down" just before your dog offers the behavior. Continue to click and treat every correct response. When your dog is responding well to your cues, try practicing while sitting on the couch, outside in your yard, while on a walk, to greet your dog, and any other place you can think of. |
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| HOW
TO USE THE CLICKER TO TRAIN YOUR DOG
Remember, you can use the clicker anytime that you plan on rewarding your dog with a food treat for a correct behavior (using the restroom outside, paying attention in distracting situations, greeting people politely, walking at your side, the possibilities are endless...). The clicker can assist you in training any new behavior in which training requires that your dog receive feedback about the correct behavior immediately, which is pretty much all behaviors. Remember, the clicker not a forever tool -- once your dog is responding well to a particular cue in many different environments, you can gradually fade away the clicker and food reward and switch to non-food rewards as motivation. Clicker training can be incorporated into any reward based training program and will greatly influence the results and make training more effective and fun. For more
information about these techniques, remember that all of |
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Pick of the
Litter Dog Training | |
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Copyright, 2010. All rights reserved. | |
GOOD
BEHAVIOR --> CLICK --> FOOD TREAT
Seattle/Tacoma, WA