dog behavior training

Clickers can be an effective training tool. Whilst verbal commands and gestures can be used on their own to achieve successful training outcomes, clickers are particularly beneficial to some aspects of dog behavior training because they communicate immediately to your dog.

This means that when used consistently and by timing the click to the instant that your dog is behaving as you require, with practice they allow the introduction of additional stages in training a behavior which can be very useful at times. This is known as shaping the behavior. With experience, the trainer can use a click to signify the beginning of a behavior as well as its successful conclusion.

Two important rules for using a clicker are:

1. Although it is good practice to reinforce the completion with a verbal confirmation such as “good” or “yes”, use of the clicker should continue unless it is no longer necessary. Your dog will be confused by any random combination or variation in use of rewards, verbal sounds or clicker and will not react as you require.
2. Any training activity using the clicker must use it consistently and accurately every time the required activity is performed or again it will lose its meaning to your dog.

To introduce your dog to the clicker, clicking it as a reward is given will begin the process. Another way to encourage your dog to associate it with enjoyable activity is to click it as she returns a ball for example, if that is something she enjoys doing. As it becomes more familiar, then it can be associated with good behavior outcomes as part of the positive reinforcement process.

Over time, as you become more experienced, the clicker can be used before the conclusion of an activity so that your dog will begin to anticipate what is required. Given further time and yet more experience, you will find that fewer clicks actually produce a greater number of successful outcomes.

Stay naturally follows on from the Sit command. Remain facing him after he sits down, and walk backwards as you say “Stay”. By repetition at lengthening distances as your dog gets used to the training, eventually your dog will succeed at this.

An accompanying gesture is useful; don’t confuse this with another gesture, and because “Stay” will be one of the most frequent commands, use something really simple, for example pointing at where he is sat or a slightly raised hand always in the same position in relation to your body.

In case of any difficulties, Stay is one of those commands that can be reinforced simply with persistence with most dogs. If he comes back to you before you want him to, lead him back to the same spot he was in, get him to Sit then back slowly away again and repeat the process.

A retractable lead could be used but is not advisable in any early stages this might confuse your dog into thinking that you actually want him to come to you because the lead is attached to him. I have seen it recommended and it might be suitable for some situations, especially with a slightly older dog being trained for obedience trials, but with most puppies in my experience this will not work very well.

Stepping over or around your dog while he is in the Stay position will measure your success and may form part of the Stay training. As with Sit, encouraging your dog to Stay until you release him will prove useful. Try to succeed with this command without using food rewards as they will usually be counter-productive.