3 — CLICKER TRAINING BASICS Chapter 3 C LI C KER T RAINING B ASI C S My Crossover Journal In the course of just a few days, I was approached by three people who went out of their way to tell me how smart their current dog is. Each said, “I’ve trained a lot of dogs, but this is the smartest dog I’ve ever known.” These students had each trained with different methods including our former method, but the dogs they were bragging about were the first they had clicker trained; the first dogs they had allowed and encouraged to think. Regardless of your background, clicker training is about training the smartest dog you’ve ever known. In the Introductory Workshop for our beginner training classes, I ask our new stu- dents if they know anything about dog training—either from having trained a dog on their own, with a book, or in a training class, from watching a television program, talking to friends, or from anywhere else. Almost everyone raises a hand. Then I ask if they know anything about clicker training. Usually a few students will raise a hand in answer to this question. Everyone who answers yes to the first question is…you got it—a crossover trainer. Acknowledging that my students have already-formed impressions about how to train a dog, I ask them to suspend their beliefs, to be open to new ideas that might seem odd, puzzling, or even counterintuitive. All crossover trainers are faced with this dilemma, challenging long-held ideas, exploring concepts that may seem foreign, and tactics that are contradictory to what they (you) know—to what has worked previ- ously. That’s what this chapter is about—shifting your focus. Let’s start by addressing some of the more common erroneous beliefs about clicker training. Misunderstandings and misconceptions Many crossover trainers harbor a variety of misconceptions about clicker training, the first “new” training approach of the Internet era. Just as rapidly as information speeds through cyberspace, so does misinformation and misunderstanding. In part, confu- sion about clicker training is related to the use of the “gizmo,” the clicker. So before tackling concepts, let’s explore that little plastic box. Here are the common questions my trainers, students, and I asked when we first crossed over—questions I still get asked. 36 3 — CLICKER TRAINING BASICS Common questions about the clicker and the click sound What, exactly, is a clicker? The typical box clicker is a small, plastic noisemaker with a metal spring to push in and release. The in-out action of the spring makes a clear and precise sound called a “click.” There are inexpensive box clickers and more costly digital clickers with adjustable sounds. There are clickers for people with large hands, and clickers you can put on the floor and operate with your foot. From a plain box clicker to digital clickers to clickers on a stick, new types of clickers are entering the market all the time. If there’s a need, someone will design a clicker to meet it. So that’s what a clicker is; but what, exactly, does the clicker do? The clicker is simply an implement that makes a noteworthy sound. The sound indicates or marks a precise event—the behavior occurring at that precise moment. As you’ll soon see, other markers can be used in place of a clicker. What does the click mean to the dog? The sound indicates that a payoff is forthcom- ing. It says, “That precise behavior you just offered is worthy of reinforcement.” Using a sound to indicate the reward-worthy moment provides critical information to the dog, marking the specific behavior that earns a payoff. Providing this information means the trainer does not have to deliver the reinforcer simultaneously with the behavior. The click bridges the time gap between the moment of the behavior and the reward. How does the dog know that a click means he’s earned a reward? By giving a reward after every click, it takes very few repetitions for the dog to form the associa- tion that click means a payoff is coming. Chapter 6 has specific recommendations for teaching this to your dog. Why mark a behavior? Can’t I simply praise my dog? With most training methods, praise serves double-duty as both marker and reward, two distinctly different aspects of learning. The click provides information—it identifies the precise behavior earning the reward. Praise may be a reward if it motivates the dog to perform the behavior. Using praise as both information and motivation—the marker and the reward—works, but not as fast as separating the two. 37 THE THINKING DOG 3 — CLICKER TRAINING BASICS Even more important, praise lacks clarity as a precise event marker like a click. The longer the trainer continues praising, the muddier the parameters of the behavior become. The dog sits: “Good boy! What a good dog!” continues long after the moment the dog sat, often even after the dog gets up again. Consider from the dog’s perspec- tive: For what is he being praised? Do I have to use a clicker? Despite its name, clicker training does not require a clicker. If you choose not to use one, that’s fine. Neither the tool nor the name makes the method. No matter what it’s called, what makes this approach work is using a clear behavior marker. The power of marker training is in giving helpful information to the dog—clearly marking the behavior that has earned the reward. If I don’t use a clicker, what can I use as a marker? A marker can be virtually any- thing: a word, a light, a hand signal or a sound. A marker can be a buzzer, a whistle, the click of a ballpoint pen or Snapple® bottle top. A marker should be notable, recognizable, clear, distinctive, and unique. The best one, of course, is a clicker! Some of the items you can use for a marker signal include a pen light, a ballpoint pen, a whistle, or the vacuum top from a drink bottle. My Crossover Journal A potential training client was looking for help training her Lhasa Apso show dog to stand confidently while the judge examined her. She emphatically told Wendy that she absolutely would not use “clicker train- ing,” saying if that’s all we did, she’d look elsewhere. Wendy assured her that we could help her without using a clicker. After a few training sessions, her lovely dog finished her Championship, having been “marker trained” without a clicker. 38 THE THINKING DOG 3 — CLICKER TRAINING BASICS Can I use more than one marker? Use as many as you like. There’s no limit to the markers you can use as long as your dog understands that it’s a behavior marker (see Chapter 6 for teaching your dog a marker). I use both a verbal marker and a clicker. There are specific instances when one serves better than the other. • When a click is best. The click is an incisive sound that zeroes in on an instant of behavior. Because of this precision, the clicker is unparalleled for shaping behavior, that is, systematically guiding the dog step-by-step to perform the goal behavior (see Chapter 7). In the learning stages, using a precise sound marker (a click) is faster and more accurate than a vocal sound or word. The difference may be fractions of a second, but when shaping a behavior, fractions make a difference. • When a word will do just fine. When there is no ambiguity as to what behav- ior you’re marking, you don’t need to click; a marker word can work just fine. Our word marker is “Yes” or “Yup.” For example in training “stay,” the dog ei- ther stays, or he doesn’t. When the dog remains in position, “Yes” will do. With any behavior, once it is learned, a verbal marker is all you need. Chapter 12 has specific recommendations for using a click versus a word. • Other markers for special circumstances. For specialized training and special needs, such as deaf dogs, other markers (like quick hand signals) work well. For example, I had a student who used a thumb up with a smile as a marker for her deaf Great Dane. The dog quickly learned that this particular silent marker meant a “reward is available for that behavior.” The bottom line is that you can achieve at least some of your goals using an alternative marker other than a clicker, but it’s like flying versus traveling on the ground. Differ- ent modes of transportation will get you to your destination, but why take a slow one if a fast one is both available and better? So you say, but I’ve trained a dog or two just using praise to “mark” the behavior and it worked just fine. Why should I change? Because as successful as you’ve been, you would have even greater success with clicker training. Here are just a few reasons that a marker, especially a clicker, is better than just praise, or praise with food treats. • A click sound is uniquely attached to the dog’s successful performance, giving the click great significance and impact. Think of it as the opposite of the dog in the “Far Side” cartoon ignoring his owner’s “Blah, blah, blah Ginger.” • The click is an “acoustic arrow” zeroing in on the precise moment of suc- cess. Such precision and the clarity of the information it provides make clicker training far faster and clearer than not using a click.