Woof, woof! Happy 2018!
One of my mother’s New Year resolutions is to strengthen her bond with her dogs. As you can imagine, for her to bond with us, she needs to communicate clearly with us. You may be wondering how does she communicate with all of her dogs?
She uses a clicker to let us know when we have done something correctly. “Clicker training” is a training method based on behavioral psychology. It is based on marking the desirable behavior and rewarding it.
Clicker training is a very effective tool to communicate with your dog no matter the age. You can use it with puppies, and it is an excellent method to teach new tricks to old dogs. If you want to learn the principles and theory behind the clicker and why it is such a great and effective tool, I encourage you to read Dr. Karen Pryor’s book “Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals”
Since the click sound marks the correct behavior, clicking at the precise time is very important. Deliver the treats right to your dog’s mouth within few seconds of the click. Placing the treat right in Fluffy’s mouth prevents her from reaching out to get it. If you hold the treat too far away, you will be teaching her to stand or jump to get her treat. When giving the treat, you almost want your dog’s head to move slightly backward. By doing this, Fluffy will not bite you or snap her jaw trying to get the treat.
With practice, your dog will soon learn to associate the sound of the clicker with the delicious taste of a treat. Subsequently, the click sound will let the dog know, “what you did, is exactly what I wanted you to do!”. As the training progresses, your dog will enjoy many successes that will build his/her confidence and yours as well.
EXERCISE: INTRODUCING THE CLICKER TO YOUR DOG
🐾 Get some small high value, delicious, smelly treats for this exercise. For example, you can feed Max wet food using a spoon, or you may choose to use cheese, turkey, or pieces of cooked chicken. The better the treat, the stronger the association your dog will make with the sound.
🐾 At random intervals click and treat your dog. After clicking, immediately give a treat to your dog. Click once, not multiple times. (One click = One treat) Click-treat. Click-treat. Click-treat.
🐾 After doing this in one place about 20 times, move to a different room with your dog and randomly click and treat her. You will notice that after several repetitions, even if she is distracted, sniffing the carpet, or trying to catch her tail, she will run to you for that tasty reward after hearing the click sound. Please make sure that EVERY click is followed by a reward.
🐾 Practice every day. Limit the sessions to one or two minutes.
🐾 If your dog is familiar with the click, you can click whenever your dog does something you like (for example, when your dog sits, when Oscar goes inside the kennel or when lying down on his bed. The click ends the behavior. Therefore, it is ok if your dog stops the behavior when it hears the click.
In our next blogs, we will use the clicker to teach your dog new cues and tricks!
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