Today's Life Solutions / Pets / Woofology
Four Keys to Effective Clicker Training
January 23, 2002
1) Consistency.
In clicker training, every click must be followed by a reward in order for the clicker to be a reliable tool. In other words, it must predict that a treat is coming. Therefore, in order not to compromise the value of the clicker always deliver a reward even if you click at the wrong time.
2) Timing.
A click must be delivered at the exact moment you dog responds to your cue. Given at the wrong time a click just might strengthen a behavior you had no intention of reinforcing! For example, let’s say that you tell your dog to “Sit” and she plops into an immediate sit. Then you remember your clicker and frantically start to dig it out of your pocket as valuable seconds tick by. Meanwhile your pup, anxious to get approval, jumps on you. At just that moment you find your clicker, and click. Realize that you’ve just reinforced the jumping up because a click always earns a reward! Therefore, always be prepared for the unexpected.
3) Generalization.
Dogs are poor generalizers. This means that it is difficult for dogs to take behaviors they’ve learned in one context and connect them to other situations. For instance, if you have taught your dog to sit effectively in your kitchen, the same training techniques must then be used to teach your dog to sit in the family room, in your yard or at a playground.
You will also make your dog’s responses more reliable if you vary the conditions and environments that your dog learns in. For example, if you always teach the “Sit” in your kitchen, start introducing it in the back yard, then on the front porch, and finally in the park, outside a grocery store or in your car. Likewise, vary the situations; give commands in the dark, from another room, sitting on the floor, or in a whisper.
4) Variable Reinforcement.
Once your dog has learned a behavior, start a variable schedule of reinforcement. Failing to vary your reinforcement in terms of time and type will actually cause performances to weaken!
· Vary your food treats. Even if your dog loves a certain treat, responses may actually start to diminish using the same reward. Offer a variety; good, better, and best!
· Vary the types of rewards. Praise, a tummy rub, or a tossed toy can be a great change.
· Vary the frequency of your reinforcements. By requiring better performances or lengthening the time your dog holds a command, you will actually be strengthening the behaviors. For example, begin to reinforce only the best performances by withholding both the click and the treat. For instance, if your dog’s response is slow, you might withhold the click-reward until the attempt is quick. Likewise, if you are training the “Stay” portion of the “Sit-Stay” exercise you no longer need to reinforce the “Sit”, merely the length of time your dog holds the “Stay”.
In conclusion, you are bound to make some mistakes as you train your pup. One of the many benefits of using positive reinforcement when training is that it is a very forgiving training method, so relax and have fun!
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