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Copyright 1999, 2000, Adele C. Monroe, DVM, MSPH In my opinion, clicker training is the ultimate refinement
of positive reinforcement training. Clicker training is suitable for any
type of training including conformation handling, obedience, agility, search
and rescue, tricks, field work, nail trimming, etc. Attention to the handler
is an integral part of training and happens automatically with no extra
effort. Animals do not know they are "working" and training becomes a game.
Appropriate for all dogs, clicker training is especially suitable for dogs
with a "Make it worth my while" attitude, dogs that are emotionally sensitive,
and dogs of breeds with a reputation for being difficult to train. Clicker
training is also suitable for training cats, ferrets, horses, llamas, goats--in
short, any animal that interacts with humans.
Formally known as operant conditioning, clicker training
was developed by Karen Pryor, a former trainer of dolphins and other marine
mammals. Operant conditioning involves pairing a sound with a reinforcement--typically
a click and a treat when training dogs, a whistle and a fish when training
marine mammals--and using that connection to modify behavior. A dog typically
learns in just a few minutes that "click" means "a treat will follow."
When the click is paired with a behavior, the final definition of click
becomes "that behavior is wonderful, a treat will follow." Dogs quickly
learn to repeat a behavior that is reinforced. Any sound, including a single-syllable
word spoken crisply and without emotion, can be used instead of a click.
(This approach is particularly useful for conformation handling, working
with dogs who are very sensitive to the sound of a clicker, nail trimming,
and other situations in which a hand is not free to hold a clicker.) Anything
the dog enjoys can be used as the reinforcement, including the opportunity
to retrieve a toy or play tug-o-war. Treats are used most often because
training sessions flow more smoothly when treats are used than when a game
is used as the reinforcement.
Desired behaviors are shaped in a progressive step-by-step
fashion and progress is generally quite rapid. When shaping a new behavior,
the dog's first subtle move toward the end behavior earns a Click and Treat
(C&T). As the dog understands what behavior was reinforced, the handler
waits to reinforce a behavior that is one step closer to the final behavior.
The biggest challenge for clicker trainers is accurately reading the dog
and deciding when to wait for the dog to "shift" and offer the next level
of the behavior. Fortunately, clicker training is a very forgiving technique;
mistakes in timing the click and in deciding when to wait to reinforce
the next level of behavior simply mean it will take a bit longer for the
dog to learn the final behavior. The dog is still having fun!
As an example of shaping a behavior, consider the
formal obedience exercise heeling. When heeling, the dog walks by the handler's
left side with his or her ear even with the handler's left hip, at a distance
of one hand's width from the handler. The dog is to maintain this position
through turns and changes of pace, and to sit squarely when the handler
halts without a verbal "Sit" cue. (Sit is shaped as a separate behavior
so this example will consider only moving in heel position.) The progression
of behaviors to be reinforced would be similar to the following:
By its very nature clicker training creates a dialog
between the dog and handler, with the dog spontaneously offering new behaviors
and the handler reinforcing those behaviors deemed desirable. As a training
technique that strengthens the bond between dog and human, clicker training
is unsurpassed.
To find out where to learn more about clicker training,
see the "Resources and Links" section
of this web site.
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