# When to click the clicker!



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

A clicker is a consistant sound, unlike your voice, that marks the exact moment in time your dog did the right thing. Think of the clicker as a camera shutter taking a picture of what your dog did correctly. Your dog would not comprehend a photograph, but he will understand that a clicking sound means a reward is coming. The reward can be food, a toy, praise, a chance to sniff a tree, whatever your dog enjoys.

Timing is important with clicker training, because that sound conveys information. Click always means the dog did the right thing. Before you introduce your dog to a clicker, practice clicking when the stoplight turns green. Click that moment to get a sense of timing. Drop a ball and click the moment it bounces. Watch an automatic door shut and click the scond it closes. 

To teach your dog that a click sound is a good thing, click once, and give a wonderful snack. Something super amazing. Do this 20 times in a row. Then click and do nothing. See if your dog wonders, hey, where's the snack? Then you will know your dog has made a mental connection between the sound and a treat.

Now you are ready to train. Does your dog know how to sit? Ask for a sit, when the dog's butt lands on the floor, click and reward. Start with cues your dog already knows and expand from there! Don't worry too much about agility related clicking, your teacher will help with that. Just practice timing and have fun. Happy clicking!


----------



## Alika (May 17, 2016)

A clicker is one of many types of bridges. I stopped using them many years ago because I prefer to work with my hands free (I use different types of bridges).

Learning clicker training is a good introduction to behavior modification, though, and an excellent place to start.

The term "clicker training" was coined by Karen Pryor. I would recommend any of the books written by her as a good way to get right to the source. Search "clicker training Karen Pryor" on Amazon and you will get lots of options. And her book "Don't Shoot the Dog" is a great one for additional reading on behavior modification.


----------



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Look up the user "kikopup" on YouTube. She's got a wide variety of clicker training videos so you can see the technique in action.


----------



## Kassie (Apr 7, 2016)

Click-N-Treat said:


> A clicker is a consistant sound, unlike your voice, that marks the exact moment in time your dog did the right thing. Think of the clicker as a camera shutter taking a picture of what your dog did correctly. Your dog would not comprehend a photograph, but he will understand that a clicking sound means a reward is coming. The reward can be food, a toy, praise, a chance to sniff a tree, whatever your dog enjoys.
> 
> Timing is important with clicker training, because that sound conveys information. Click always means the dog did the right thing. Before you introduce your dog to a clicker, practice clicking when the stoplight turns green. Click that moment to get a sense of timing. Drop a ball and click the moment it bounces. Watch an automatic door shut and click the scond it closes.
> 
> ...




Thank you! I feel like I received a grand gift of a clicker lesson! So well described! Blessings!


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Glad that helped. Also, someone else recommended Kikopup on youtube. She has amazing training videos. Here you go, enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Clicker training can be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. What a good idea to learn how to use it way ahead of when the agility lessons start. With a lot of practice it will be automatic by then.

This is reminding me that I have gotten away from it and ought to use it sometimes again. My spoo thinks it is great fun and becomes very alert if he sees me pick up a clicker.

I got so into it for awhile that I got carried away and just for fun taught him to do a lot of totally useless things - like back into a hulahoop on the floor, spin around 3 times, then lay down and raise his rear end in the air! All for one click and treat... Ha ha

I have found that the more you teach them the more intuitive their learning becomes.


----------



## Sammy the spoo (Jul 7, 2016)

Yes for clicker training! We have been using it for a while, and Sammy loves "clickers" (time). His concentration level is heightened and he gets so focused when I say " do you want to do clickers?"

I have watched kikopup, and I also enjoy this guy's clicker training. 

https://m.youtube.com/user/tab289

Have fun!!

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


----------



## Kassie (Apr 7, 2016)

Ok. Got some learning to do! Videos to watch! Thanks all! This sounds like it is fun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Click-N-Treat explained the clicker awesomely well. That being said I also don't like having tons of clutter in my hands so I use a verbal marker. For my dogs here are my markers: Yes = great job, here comes a treat; Good = good job but we will keep working; Uh Oh or oopsie = that was wrong and now let's try again (no treat after oopsie until a correct response has been given).


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Really the clicker is one form of a marker, and what we're talking about ultimately is marker training.

I use YES when we're on walks, because I too hate holding stuff in my hands. 

I like the idea of YES=treat, Good=Close but not yet treat worthy, and Uh-oh. 

I'm stealing this!


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Click-N-Treat said:


> Really the clicker is one form of a marker, and what we're talking about ultimately is marker training.
> 
> I use YES when we're on walks, because I too hate holding stuff in my hands.
> 
> ...


Yes that is important to note that the clicker is just a different form of marker for the dog to tell it that it has done the right thing. And it is incredibly consistent since it always sounds the same. I do like having the three word marker system so that I have a way to give information about different degrees of working responses. Good also later can be a way to give the dog information about a really wonderful response to a complex exercise with a chain of behaviors. So for Lily in the utility signals: stand, good; drop, good; sit, good; come, good; and then a release with a yes and a treat or a finish then a yes and a treat.


----------



## Kassie (Apr 7, 2016)

I like the idea of word markers. I struggle with having another "thing" to carry


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Agreed - 'yes' can be almost as fast as the clicker without having to carry one, .... not the totally consistent sound, although you can try to make it as close as possible. And with word markers you don't have to worry about remembering to take your clicker to be able to train.

I have also used a ball point pen - instead of clicker or voice - when around other people and want to be training without people even being aware of it. (I have a service dog and have done this often in restaurants, meetings, etc. when I have been training him and they have no clue, but he gets it.) I combine it with subtle hand or body signals.


----------



## kayla_baxter (Jul 17, 2015)

There was a study done which showed that dogs trained with a clicker leaned a behaviour 25% faster and with 25% fewer reinforcements than the dogs taught the same behaviour with a marker word. The clicker is just more precise and there is no tone difference or emotion added to it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Kassie (Apr 7, 2016)

I'm lousy at the clicker. And really, I'm not being mindful. I was told to feed him his daily ration through clicker training, not a bowl of food. As I take Fenton to work now, and we have a 1 hour commute, I let him eat from his bowl while I get ready for work. He doesn't eat much at that time, plays with his toys. At work, I walk him with a treat bag on my hip and clicker in hand. We live in a small inlet community, very different to a city. So he is busy watching the folks on the road, the busses, scooter. I try to offer him food in clicker training, but he isn't wanting the food. So I try at lunch. Nope. I end up giving him a bit of kibble in his crate because I don't want to starve the pup. Yesterday at lunch, I had a bit of cheese- well that sparked his interest. I worry that if he only gets fed while I clicker train, he'll starve! Help!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Sammy the spoo (Jul 7, 2016)

Kassie said:


> I'm lousy at the clicker. And really, I'm not being mindful. I was told to feed him his daily ration through clicker training, not a bowl of food. As I take Fenton to work now, and we have a 1 hour commute, I let him eat from his bowl while I get ready for work. He doesn't eat much at that time, plays with his toys. At work, I walk him with a treat bag on my hip and clicker in hand. We live in a small inlet community, very different to a city. So he is busy watching the folks on the road, the busses, scooter. I try to offer him food in clicker training, but he isn't wanting the food. So I try at lunch. Nope. I end up giving him a bit of kibble in his crate because I don't want to starve the pup. Yesterday at lunch, I had a bit of cheese- well that sparked his interest. I worry that if he only gets fed while I clicker train, he'll starve! Help!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I really don't know if it is a good method, but I give Sammy a different brand of kibble for clicker training. I wasn't crazy about giving him "treats" - I felt guilty giving biscuits or cookie-like-treats for health reasons. So I invested in a tiny bag of extra high end kibble and use that as my treat for clicker training. 

I haven't adjusted the amount of food he gets yet because he is growing like a weed. He's a really good boy in that area because he only eats what he wants. Luckily he's not driven by food, but more for human/dog interaction or mind-draining exercises. 


Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

kayla_baxter said:


> There was a study done which showed that dogs trained with a clicker leaned a behaviour 25% faster and with 25% fewer reinforcements than the dogs taught the same behaviour with a marker word. The clicker is just more precise and there is no tone difference or emotion added to it.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, the clicker, it is thought is registered in a different part of the brain, where it is processed more instantly than words.


----------

