Dog Training With A Clicker

Dog training using a clicker is like other reward training in that is works through association.  The primary tool is, of course, the clicker, a very simple little device made out of a metal strip built into a plastic or metal box which can be held in your hand.  When you press the clicker it (surprise!) clicks.

Typically, you would start off clicker dog training with positive rewards such as praise and/or treats.  The desirable reward is given and a click is made using the clicker.  This allows the dog to associate the clicking sound with a positive experience – the click and the reward happen at the same time.  This primary reinforcer (the treat or praise) continues until the click itself (the conditional reinforcer) is considered to be a reward.

This way, when you begin training your dog and you use the click when he or she has performed a desirable behavior, then your dog will understand that he or she has done well.

Some dog owners do not like the clicker training technique because the dogs seem to be working toward the desire to receive a treat instead of simply wanting to perform and please the owner.  Others feel that this is a form of brain-washing or bribery and feel that it is inappropriate for a family member.

That being said, many dog trainers find clicker dog  training to be a humane, simple, and successful technique that does not require any negative associations, pain, or fear in the dog.