What is the point of clicker training?

[lippylulu]

I've taken dogs to obedience classes, puppy kindergarten, etc. though I am not heavy into obedience training. I just like a friendly, well behaved pet. The one time I tried clicker training I found it very frustrating and cumbersome. I couldn't understand why combining the click with the treat was any better than just using treats, and it was hard to handle the dog, the treat and the clicker.

I now need to start training a rescued, traumatized 10 month old pointer mix. I know enough to realize that dominence based training will terrorize him He doesn't seem as food focused as most dogs, probably because taking food from my hand is too scary to him. He likes attention but frightenes very easily (he has only been home 4 days). He has very strong hound tendencies.

He needs a low key type of training and I am wondering if I missed the point somehow with the clicker training when I tried it years back.

 

[CaliTerp07]

You don't need to use a clicker if it's too cumbersome. The point of it is to mark the EXACT moment they perform the behavior you want. A clicker is just a tool though. When training Lucy, I'm just as likely to use a word (a high pitched, "YES!!!") to mark the behavior as I am a clicker.

Just using the treats though doesn't work as well. If you want your dog to sit, you ask them to do it. If they plop their butt down and immediately get back up before you give them the treat, how do they know what they are getting the treat for? Sitting? Standing up? Doing both in order? Coming over to you to get food? If they sit, you click (or "yes!"), and they get up, they still know they are being rewarded for the sit, the behavior that got the marker.

 

[Laurelin]

Clicker training is just marker training but the marker is a click from the clicker. There's not much difference but the click is to me much easier and more consistent of a marker. You don't have to worry about voice inflection changes and you can mark the exact moment you want to. (voice is sometimes very sloppy and slow and you end up marking too late).

How were you set up? I keep a pouch of treats at my belt and use a clicker with a wrist band on it.

 

[release the hounds]

clicker training isn't some abstract concept, i think people really try to make it into something it's not.

It's like any other dog behavior, it's conditioned. the benefit of this is, you pair it with reinforcers, use them consistently and it makes training and communicating with your dog much more clear, much more timely, and much more consistent and that's all you need to have a well trained dog.

 

[Linds]

Clicker training/marker training is pretty much conditioning the dog so that they understand that as soon as the 'click' happens it means that was the behavior you wanted and a reward is coming

It's a very decisive "YES that right there was what I was looking for" because no matter how hard most people try you can't get the treat into the dogs mouth the exact second they preform the behavior you wanted, this gives you a little more lay time

 

[release the hounds]

and while giving a treat, the dog is cueing off your hand movements, body movements, basically everything rather than associating the behavior with the reward. So yes, just treating works in time, clicker training is more precise and accurate, thus faster learning. there is some foundation that needs to be done, but just a few days if that, will result in a lifetime if easier, more clear communication between you and your dog

 

[JacksonsMom]

Agree with everyone else.

I must say, I trained Jackson first without the clicker and yeah, he learned quite a few tricks, etc and did fine. But once I began using clicker training, he learned sooo much faster! Everything. It was like, it was totally clear to him what I wanted him to do. He learned double the amount of tricks in a shorter time period using the clicker.

I never used to see the big deal in it. I love it now.

 

[AllieMackie]

Everyone else has got it. The cliker is an easy way of quickly, accurately MARKING the behaviour you want your dog to do for the treat it will receive. It's no magic method, per se. I use a clicker regularily for shaping new behaviours and find that training with the clicker is faster than just with treats. Individual mileage varies. Some folks don't get too far with clicker training, some swear by it. I'm about in the middle.

 

[Doberluv]

Here's a site that might be helpful to you too:

Classical and Operant Conditioning

 

[lippylulu]

Thanks for all the input folks! This dog has very keen senses (hound) so maybe the clicker will be perfect for him!

 

[cheeriotrainer]

Thanks for all the input folks! This dog has very keen senses (hound) so maybe the clicker will be perfect for him!

clicker training does take a bit of practice at first.

However, like everyone else has said, once you get the hang of it, it makes it really a lot easier to teach behaviors.

I actually just posted an article this morning on my blog of 10 tips for improving your clicker training:
10 clicker training tips to improve your training | Stale Cheerios

I often will put my treats on the kitchen counter in a little pile. Then it's pretty easy to click and then reach over an grab a treat.

Many behaviors can be taught without the clicker as well. Just make sure you give the treat immediately after you get the behavior you want.