How do you decide when to use a clicker and what to use it for in dog training? That’s a question recently asked on my Instagram and what we’re covering in this episode. Is a clicker a good choice for your dog, or you as a trainer, or for the behavior you want to train?
In the episode you'll hear:
- About using clickers, markers and what conditioned reinforcers are.
- The four things you can do when using reinforcement in your training.
- The verbal markers I like to use and why I changed from “yes” to a short “good”.
- Why we use a clicker and how it can reduce stress.
- About the clicker's precision and how a precise tool helps our training.
- Why a clicker is like a laser for training to isolate exact moments for your dog.
- About knowing what your dog thinks you clicked, not what you think you clicked.
- What I learned about getting what I click in the nineties when training a go out.
- When I use a clicker.
- The reasons to use reward throwing or food chucking in dog training.
- What to do if you are luring to fade the lure as soon as you can.
- How I inadvertently trained by dog Buzz to stop at the first weave pole.
- The difference between gross behaviors, behaviors of motion, and precise moments in time.
- Easy games to help improve your timing and skills with a clicker.
Resources:
- Video: 5 Games for Puppies
- Susan’s Instagram
- Blog Post: Three Different Types of Verbal Markers in Dog Training
- Blog Post: To Click or Not to Click, that is the Question
- Blog Post: When Clicking Goes Wrong
- Blog Post: Practical Videoing Tips
- Video: Target Training for Dogs Part Two - Step by Step Training Plan
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
I would love to hear Susan’s thoughts on the use of a clicker in the “Look at That” game – I was advised that this game could help my 6-month old Aussie focus better and be less over threshold around other dogs, and would love to try it. But after watching this clicker podcast, it seems inconsistent to use a clicker to mark the “look at that” behavior when what you’re trying to shape is not a static hold position of looking at the distraction, but rather a dynamic quick look followed by an immediate re-focus on you. Can anyone help me reconcile these two approaches? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdraNF2hcgA
Do you use a food lure to teach a puppy to sit and lie down? Thanks so much, learning tons from this podcast!
I appreciated the clarification of when to use a clicker and when not. I also am going to adopt “good” as our marker word. I’ve often used “yes” but since my dog’s name is Esmé, and I sometimes call her Ess, I think this gets confusing. Thanks for yet another wonderful podcast. 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
Please do a video on perch work. Thank you 🙂