Video: Basic Clicker Training.
This video shows a person introducing a dog to a clicker, and then using the clicker to teach. This video represents a typical training session with a few skill levels.
The clicker is a very, very wonderful thing! In a nutshell, it helps you communicate with your dog better. It provides a clear way to tell your dog “yes” in the moment they are doing something good. (This is called “marking” behavior. The clicker is a marker.) Dogs are very good at remembering these moments.
This video shows the basics. If you are training with the clicker for the first time, you first have to teach: the dog ALWAYS gets a reward after the “click”. The common term for this is “charging the clicker”. You basically click, reward, and then repeat. Don’t worry; you cannot charge too much. Just keep your treats tiny and yummy so the dog doesn’t tire of them.
After the dog understands the clicker indicates a reward, then it is time to teach the dog to work for the the “click”. It is common to start by teaching a target, because this skill is pretty intuitive. Pick a target and click the dog’s most subtle attention to that target. Usually the dog will at least shift her eyes to the target if you move it. Click and reward the dog’s smallest glance at the target until she understands. Gradually hold out a little longer until the dog touches the target, and then excitedly touches the target, and so on.
This video also shows an example of a useful advanced skill you might teach – picking something up.
You may think the dogs in the video learned quickly, almost suspiciously quickly like they already know what the person wants! Actually, they have hardly ever been asked to touch a stick or pick things up. Also notice, the person does not say anything at all during this video. The reason the dogs learn so fast is because they are used to learning this way.
It is very important to remember, the clicker is a marker, not a cue. Here is the difference:
- Marker (“click”) – used to mark the good behavior that just happened.
- Cue (e.g. “pick it up”) – used to ask /tell the dog what you want.
This particular video does not include any cues (no talking and no hand signals). Although that would be a great next step!
