Positive About Dogs

Positive About Dogs Classes for pet dogs using modern reward-based methods What Is Clicker Training?

Home Page What We Do What Is Clicker Training? How Do I Take Part? What Type Of Dogs Can Take Part? (includes Gallery) Useful Links	There are now many excellent books, web sites, videos etc. on clicker training. Some of the sites are included in 'useful links' below. So, only a brief explanation of clicker training here. In essence, through careful introduction, the clicker comes to mean 'good boy' or 'good girl'. It is a sign that you approve of what your dog is doing at exactly the moment the clicker is clicked. The click of the clicker has come to be associated with a particularly tasty treat (a little bit of baked pig's liver for example), and is definitely worth working for! The click quickly becomes a reward in its own right. There is nothing magical about the clicker itself - it is just a simple device to make a clear, positive, totally consistent sound. This has certain real advantages for us: It is accurate to a split second, marking precisely the behaviour we approveof. It works well at a distance. Imagine if the dog goes down on request 20 yards from you. You can mark the exact moment and behaviour - your dog is clear that it is this which brings the subsequent reward. If you relied on only taking a treat to your dog, this reward would follow 10 seconds at least after the 'down' and the link with the desired behaviour would not be at all clear to your canine companion. The clicker is a subtle and successful way of increasing the criteria for success, in terms of for example a longer stay, a quicker sit, a down at a greater distance. The consistent sound of the clicker hides any impatience or exasperation which the voice might give away. Altogether, the method of training using the clicker allows us to build and build creatively with exercises. It is rewarding and at the same time stimulating and tiring for the dogs who are encouraged to succeed and to try rather than simply to fear failure. A personal plea - please remember that the clicker is never a command/cue but always a reward! (e.g. do not 'call' your dog by clicking him, but reward him for doing so with a click!)

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