You may have heard a lot about clicker training when it comes to dogs. It’s a training technique that uses a clicker — a small, handheld device — to make a noise.
Clicker training is most useful for teaching new behaviors and refining known behaviors. Clickers can also be valuable communication tools in modifying reactive or aggressive dog behaviors.
A clicker is an “event marker.” By clicking at the exact instant our dogs offer a desirable behavior, we are able to communicate effectively with our dogs.
A click tells a dog “Yes! I like that! Do it more often!” and is also a promise that reinforcement — generally, but not always, food — is on the way.
Can You Use Your Voice Instead Of A Clicker?
One of the most common questions clicker trainers are asked is, “Can’t I just use my voice?”
You certainly may use your voice. Even dog parents who use clickers should condition another verbal marker for when they don’t have a clicker available.
However, research indicates that using a clicker significantly increases the rate of acquisition for new behaviors and reduces the number of reinforcements necessary to train a new behavior.
Do You Always Need To Carry The Clicker?
The second most frequently asked question is, “Will I always have to carry a clicker with me?” The answer to this question is no.
Since the clicker is used to train new behaviors, once the behavior is trained and the dog understands the cue, the clicker is no longer necessary. At this point you can begin using a verbal marker instead and introducing reinforcement variety.
Research indicates that using a clicker significantly increased the rate of acquisition for new behaviors but that a verbal marker was as effective as a click for maintaining known behaviors.
Though clicker training is perceived by many to be a dog training “fad,” the truth is that clicker training as a technology has been in practice for decades and is used successfully in training many species, from our own dogs and cats to exotic animals (lions and tigers and bears, oh my!), fish, birds, and marine mammals.
To learn more about how to use a clicker effectively, visit www.clickertraining.com.
For more information on the science behind clicker training, including how and why clicker training directly improves our ability to communicate with the animals in our lives, I highly recommend Karen Pryor’s book, Reaching the Animal Mind.
Do you use clicker training to train your dog? What do you like most about using a clicker? Let us know in the comments below!
