Clicker Training Basics
 

As a result of posting videos of Joey, my 7 month old Yorkie, several people PM'ed me to find out more about clicker training. I was thrilled!!! I think clicker training is absolutely wonderful and I'm happy to share what I know. If you missed it, here's a link to the short videos (you'll have to excuse my poor photography:
http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?use...cdate=20060121

PassionFruition has posted some incredible videos of Sully. Although she doesn't actually use a clicker, she uses similiar - always positive - methods.

What is Clicker Trainiing?
The main principle in clicker training is using a sound to mark the exact moment that the dog is doing what you want. The sound is then followed by a treat to reward that behavior. Why not skip the sound and just give the dog a treat? Because it's a slower response and the dog has more trouble figuring out what he did that earned the treat. Once you're "loaded the clicker" (below), the dog knows that click means "What I'm doing now - this very instant - is right!" and a treat will follow.

That's it in a nutshell!

You'll find that clicker trainers do NOT start off giving a command for a behavior. Instead, they reward that behavior - when it occurs - over and over again until the dog is freely offering it. Only then, do that start saying the cue word while the dog is performing the behavior. After many repetitions, you can then safely say the cue and expect the dog to know what it means.

You'll also find that clickertrainers don't punish incorrect responses. They usually ignore them or they might use a nonreinforcing marker like "oops" or "sorry". Mostly you just stay silent while the dog figures out what to do for those treats!

Why a clicker? The clicker has a distinctive sound and is shaped to fit easily in your hand. They are cheap and you can get them from any pet store. Many have the ability to make the sound louder or quieter depending on your preference. Some sophisticated ones even have different sounding clicks so that you can use a different sound for different dogs (like in a multiple dog household).

Can I use something else? You don't have to use a clicker. You can use any sound you choose. You can click a ballpoint pen. Or, if you're fast, you can use a distinctive word or sound. Try to choose one that the dog doesn't hear everyday. "Z" or "zoop" or other nonsense words are examples. "Good" or "yes" are confusing because the dog hears them at other times.


What to use as a treat? Very tiny bits of dog treats or people food are best especially in the beginning. Joey is usually perfectly happy to work for bits of his kibble unless he's somewhere with alot of distractions - then I use tiny bits of cheese or leftover meat. Some people use cheerios. Whatever you use, you'll want to deduct that amount from the amount you feed the dog later. We don't want clicker trained porkies!!! Later, if you choose, you can use nonfood rewards. You can use anything the dog finds rewarding - a game of tug or fetch, for example. In dog parks, Joey's not usually interested in food. But he will work for a chance to "go sniff".

Will you always have to click and treat (CT) learned behaviors? No, definitely not! The clicker is only used for teaching new behaviors. Once the dog is doing the behavior reliably on cue, there's no need to click. If you're smart, though, you will continue to treat occasionally.

I'll write a post later on how to introduce the clicker.

Anybody have any questions?

Other clickertrainers PLEASE fill free to jump in here with advice/tips! This doesn't have to be my thread.

I'll PM you...

Oh, I'll throw this question out in case anyone could help.....Sully HATES the clicker!!! He runs and hides! He really does hate that noise. I know I've already been doing treat-training with him so it might be too late to start clicker-training but I'd love to know this even if I only do clicker training for my next yorkie...?

Great post FirstYorkie :D This describes it very well and will let members understand what "clicker training" is - a very positive approach to training. I love the video of Joey and the excitment in his eyes. He obviously enjoys this approach and it makes the bonding with you unbelievable.

Do you use the clicker training on your family :p

Questions Answered
 

Personal note: Yes, Cindy, Joey does love it! You should see how excited he gets when I grab the clicker and say "Wanna go to Work?". It's cool. And I love to watch his mind work when he's trying to figure out what I'm "paying for" this time [ie which behavior will get a click and treat (CT)]. It is just fun.

ClickerTraining families? Actually, there are lots of articles about it on the web. I wish that I knew about it when I had small children! I would have done things differently. But, yes, even with teenagers, clickertraining has reminded me that everyone responds better to positive reinforcement than negative. Especially our families!!!

Val, looking at Sully in your video, I really don't think you need any help, but here goes. I'm glad you asked, because that was something I wanted to discuss.

What about a dog who is afraid of the clicker?
You can try muffling the clicker by putting it in your pocket or wrapping it up inside of something. You can lower the volume on specially made clickers. Or you can not use the clicker at all. Look for something else that is easy to hold and that will make a distinctive sound quickly. Or, use a word or sound as your marker.

Naturally, I think the best thing is prevention. When I first introduce a clicker, I already have a yummy treat in my hand where the dog can see it. If he's really focused on that treat, he may not even hear the click the first time or two.

The First Step
 

The first step in clicker training is introducing the clicker, sometimes called "loading the clicker". This is my favorite part! So much fun for us and for the dog.

The first thing is teaching the dog that click means treat. Always. Every time. Without fail. Any time he hears that goofy noise, he gets something yummy! {Rule #1: A TREAT ALWAYS FOLLOWS THE CLICK! Even if you clicked accidentally}.

Take your pup to a quiet place with few distractions, like maybe the kitchen (with no other dogs around). Let pup see that you have a yummy treat in your hand. As you are reaching to give it to him, click with the other hand. That's it. Click then give him a treat. Repeat many times, not always doing it the same way. Regardless of what he's doing (as long as he's not doing something obnoxious!), just click and treat. Vary your body position and vary the click so that he's not always doing the same thing when he hears the click. When he starts looking for his treat as soon as you've clicked, you know you are doing it right!

Keep going. Practice with your back turned to him. Practice when he's further away from you. Leave the treats on the counter and walk to the other side of the room. Click then go get his treat. He needs to learn that treat always follow click BUT there may be a small delay between the 2.

When he stops what he's doing to come running for the treat when he hears the clicker, you have successfully completed step 1!!!

Wasn't that fun???? :D

Here are a couple of links to articles about this first step:
http://www.clickerlessons.com/clicker.html
http://dogdigs.kaylar.com/clickertrain.htm

TWO Commonly Asked Questions
 

How long does clicker training take? I don't have that much time to spend training?

Then you're going to love this! Formal clicker-training sessions really should only last about 5 minutes (10 minutes tops). Less than that if you find that your puppy loses interest. Two or three mini sessions a day is ideal. That's it. That's all it takes. :dog:

Isn't my dog going to be dependent on treats this way? Am I going to have to carry treats around with me all the time?

No and No. Once your dog has solidly learned a behavior you can wean the treats. This is commonly done by asking for twofers then threefers (ie 2 sits instead of 1 gets a treat, then 3 sits, etc) or by asking for more than 1 behavior and then treating (like sit & down). Of course, it's a good idea to occasionally reward good behavior indefinitely (but it doesn't always have to be with a treat). A behavior that is positively reinforced will increase in frequency!

You won't have to always carry treats. But, to tell you the truth, I usually do. I just never know when that little rascal is going to do something that I want to reward! ;)

Reading Material
 

A great first book on clicker training is:
Click for Joy by Melissa Alexander

There are tons of websites devoted to it. Here are a few of my favorites:
http://www.clickerlessons.com/lessons.html
http://www.clickertraining.com/training/clicker_basics/
http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOG...evelsBook.html
www.clickersolutions.com

The last is especially good for using positive training to deal with problem problems.

Happy Reading!

I'm doing clicker training with bunjee too. he's getting it... slowly but surely. I hope he's as good as Joey by the time he's 7 months old!!!

just curious to know, how often are you training with joey on a daily basis?

Thanks I can't wait until the weekend to buy a clicker!! I would be pround if my three were 1/2 as smart as Joey!!!

Not nearly as much as I should! I'm lucky if I do -say- 7 sessions a week, lasting 5 - 10 minutes each in duration. When he was younger, I was better. I probably averaged 2 short sessions daily at first.

I have a Clicker trainer who comes to my home once a week to train my dogs

so far i think he is garbage :mad:

if my 2 stretch this guy thinks thats awesome & clicks saying good boy :confused:

My 2 stretch constantly........i dont think its a behaviour thing :rolleyes:

I bought a Clicker when i was on holiday in Scotland......maybe someone can help me more on this forum :)

Well I go read Click for Joy and maybe let the clicker trainer go. Sounds like he not helping at this time.
I read through the posts above as Cindy was explained it well.

Joy

What I like about clicker it turns on a dogs mind and for sour or fearful dogs it can make it fun to learn.
You can train an aggressive dog at a nice distance. Click and toss in a treat and keep the teeth away form you.

Joy

Clicker training
 

Is it too late to train CoCo? She is now 7 months, she does not behave. I took her to training at pet smart but it was only one other dog in her class and the trainer would always cancel or reschedule. By that time she would forget I guess. She is potty trained but she does not obey orders. Help!!!!!!!!!!! My fiance' is very upset. He wants her to be disciplined. I've tried everything. I bought a clicker. I'm going to try that starting this weekend. What do you think? Joey is so well behaved.

Definitely, it's not too late for Coco!!! I bet she would love it. You might also give obedience classes another try - they really are fun.

Shoot! Joey's not always well-behaved. He's still a dog. ;)

Thank you FirstYorkie for this great post. After seeing your Joey, I bought one on Monday have been doing a few short lessons with Tiger each day. He is responding to it well.

:thumbup: That's *GREAT* news! It's fun, isn't it?!?

Great post, FirstYorkie! I'm a believer. I just gotta start.

Just curious: Does the clicker work on wives and mother in laws?

I know you probably were kidding, but since I have an under-developed sense of humor ;) , I'll answer seriously. In a nutshell, yes, alot of the principals apply. Karen Pryor refers often to issues with relatives and colleagues in her book Don't Shoot The Dog! There are also some articles on the subject on this site:
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles
Scroll all the way down to "Humans and Operant Conditioning".

Weren't expecting that answer, were you? :D

I must say that Tiger does seem to love it. We are working on a few new tricks. We'll see, but I do feel like it's working!!

Great thread Firtyorkie!

All five of my dogs are clicker trained and it has saved their lives!! My westie likes to escape and when she does all I have to do it get the clicker out and she hears it and comes running!!

I bought two clickers to give in our pup pal secret Valentine packeages as well!! I wish everyone would clicker train!! I'm hooked!! :D

I just watched the videos of Joey and OMG he is so well behaved and he listens. I think Ive got try the clicker too. My daughters LOVED the bang trick. They want Roxy to learn that one. I spend so much time with her but I have a hard time getting her to do anything I want her to unless she wants to. She is now starting this posessive thing, when my kids or husband gets near me she starts whining and growling then tries to attack. Its driving me nuts, IM afraid shell actually catch their faces. I dont know why she is doing that. She loves them as long as they are not really close to me. Do any of you have any suggestions for this problem? Is this normal? She is so sweet all other times and never gets like that with anyone else, just the immediate family.

That's the beauty of clickertraining! Once Roxy learns that click means treat, she will WANT to work for the sound of the click. It is fun for dogs!

"BANG" was one of the first things Joey learned. That's because my boys were telling me how cool it was that a dog they know does it, so I said "You want Joey to learn that?". They said I couldn't do it. Silly me. I fall for a good challenge every time.

Kelly, from what you describe, it sounds like Roxy is object guarding, but the object she is guarding is YOU. So as to not dilute this thread, I will try to either PM you or start a new thread later.

HAPPY CLICKING!

LOL, I missed that response! No, I wasn't expecting it, but it is the same principle, isn't it? Too funny.

OK, I finally had a chance to read all your posts and check the Web sites, and I'm sold. A question: Do obedience school instructors ever frown on it? I'll run it past Eddie's instructor when a new class begins tomorrow, but I was wondering if you use a clicker during obedience class or if that's just home training.

AlaskaYorkie, if you're using a positive instructor, they will probably be happy for you to use a clicker. If your trainer still believes in correction-based methods (catching the dog doing it wrong so that you can correct him - usually with leash jerks), he may not "believe in" clicker training. There are still alot of trainers out there, unfortunately, who use punishment, rather than positive reinforcement, to train dogs.

Joey is enrolled in positive obedience classes and the trainer has said it's fine for me to use the clicker there. I don't just because I'm embarrassed to draw attention to myself. What I do is immediately come home from class and put whatever it is we learned on the clicker. He's usually mastered it by the next class and doesn't need the cllicker reinforcement to continue.

Many trainers offer specific clicker training classes.

What a great thread I try to get get everyone I know to clicker train their dog . I have been clicker training Alfie since he was 10 weeks old and he is 21months old now. He is great at a lot of his stuff but we have to work on strangers as He still is not to happy when people go past the house! He likes to guard! Iam also clicker training Lottie who is now nearly 5 months old and she is such a smart little cookie everyone is so amazed with hem and thinks they are really smart I just say clicker train and your dog could do this no problem.

Hmm, I'm not sure how you'd classify Eddie's school. At first, I was impressed at how positive it was. It was all about praise, not punishment. But the further we go along, corrections become part of it. Praise is still by far #1, but a slight correction is recommended for attention.

This new class we started last night (cruise control) scares me a little, and I may drop out. Instructor said all dogs should be using prong collars for this class. I refuse to use a prong collar. This is the same instructor who I asked specifically about Yorkies and prong collars in another class, and she said it was fine. I don't know enough about them to begrudge people with larger dogs and thick coats using them, but I don't like the idea for Yorkies.

What makes me mad is this class is recommended as a prep for agility, but in agility you use no leashes.

Oh well, I'm gonna practice with clickers at home and see how it goes. I know another instructor said they were OK in class.

A prong collar for a YORKIE?!? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I think you are right to be concerned....

Susan, I'm afraid I don't have much time right now but the click is never a command. The click means what you are doing -this instant - is right and you are going to get a treat for it. The click also ends the expectation of the behavior.

[Well, I suppose the click could be your cue for going potty but then you couldn't use the clicker for anything else. I wouldn't do it that way myself.]

You don't introduce the cue (verbal or hand signal) until the dog is actively doing the desired behavior when he sees you pick up the clicker. At that point, you can start saying "sit" or whatever when you KNOW he is going to comply anyway. After multiple repetitions, when he's reliably following your cue, you then begin clicking for sits (or whatever you're working on) ONLY when he follows your cue. Once you're there, don't click the freely offered ones - only the ones you ask for.

Clear as mud?

There are several ways to teach a behavior using clicker training. Capturing and shaping is what we've been talking about and is probably the most effective and the most fun. Behaviors can also be lured (this is okay) or the animal can be gently put in into the position you want (least recommended). More about that later...