Clicker Training Basics New Haven CT

Training methods vary from dog owner to owner. If your current method isn’t quite clicking for you or your dog, give one a try that’s worked for dolphins, dogs, birds, bunnies and other animals: clicker training. Named after the gadget used to produce the metallic “click” sound, clicker training advocates believe it’s the best way to train a thinking dog.

With clicker training, you press the clicker when your dog behaves in a way you’ve wanted. In the beginning, you teach your dog that a click sound means he's getting a treat, so he forms a positive association with the sound. Over time and practice, the "click" itself becomes the reward, and your dog may even "offer" certain behaviors in hopes of a "click."

How does it work?
Based on the scientific concept of “operant conditioning,” clicker training relies on the theory that we all, both animals and people, associate certain behaviors or events with a consequence, either good or bad. You’ve learned that if you drive the speed limit, you’ll avoid the consequence of a ticket (negative). You’ve also learned that if you smile at a baby, she’ll most likely smile back (positive). So what do you do? You keep repeating those positive behaviors.

With clicker training, you’re teaching your dog that if he behaves the way you’d like him to, he’ll be rewarded.

“A lot of training seems to be directed at solving behavior problems,” says leading clicker expert Karen Pryor. “Clicker training is about training desirable behavior....

Author: Kathleen Reilly

Copyright 2009 BowTie Inc.

Click here to read the rest of this article from Dog Channel