How Clicker Training Works with Dogs

For many people, the dog is their loyal companion in all situations of life. But for your dog to really be able to accompany you at all times, it first needs a solid upbringing. To ensure obedience in all circumstances, there are a wide variety of upbringing and training methods, so that truly every person can find the right method for themselves and their dog. Particularly popular here is clicker training as a gentle, versatile, reward-based method. We explain what clicker training is exactly, how it works and how you can use it caringly.

What Exactly Is a Clicker

The basis of clicker training is the so-called clicker. Its core is a bent piece of metal that, when pressed, gives off a distinctive snapping and clicking sound. For more convenient handling, this metal strip is built into a housing that can vary in shape and design. The sound the clicker produces is used to reinforce desired behaviours precisely. For this to really work, the dog must first be caringly accustomed to the device before the actual clicker training begins.

How Clicker Training Works in Practice

Clicker training works according to the principle of classical conditioning. This assumes that a particular stimulus is directly followed by a consequence. When the dog hears you opening the food tin, for example, it knows that food will follow as a consequence. Even if you do not feed it on one occasion, the sound of opening alone will make your four-legged friend's mouth water. If you now always ring a bell before opening the food bin, after only a very short time the ringing has the same effect as the actual sound of the food bin. This special case, in which an artificially produced stimulus replaces the actual stimulus, is called operant conditioning.

For operant conditioning, the sound of the clicker is first given a positive association by giving a reward directly after the click. In this way the dog quickly learns that the clicker represents something extremely pleasant, or rather that something positive follows the clicker. This means the clicker can be used in later training as the perfect bridge until the actual reward. It is, so to speak, the promise that a reward will follow.

• Precise timing through the immediate confirmation of the behaviour
• A clear, distinctive signal for the dog
• A constant sound, completely independent of the owner's mood
• Training at a distance thanks to the good perceptibility of the signal

Trial and Error and the Verbal Command

To begin with, clicker training gets by completely without many words. The dog does something, and the clicker clicks or it does not. If the four-legged friend is well conditioned to the clicker, it will presumably try out various behaviours to find out what the promise of a reward sounds for. The dog will presumably learn quickly and repeat the desired behaviour, since after all a reward is waiting. Now the right moment has come to dare the next step.

Once the four-legged friend has understood which behaviour is the desired one, you should add the verbal command to it. At first the wording occurs directly with the click and the desired behaviour. Then the command is shifted forwards in time bit by bit. Very soon the dog will already react to the verbal command, since after all it wants to get to its reward quickly. Of course, in this way you can also learn complicated, multi-step exercises. Even the smallest hint of a desired behaviour may be clicked.

Why Clicker Training Makes So Much Sense

One of the advantages of clicker training is clearly the considerably better timing. As already explained, the click signal makes it much easier to reward the exact moment at which the desired behaviour is shown. But that is by no means the only positive aspect of this training method. The typical snap of the clicker is a sound that does not otherwise occur in normal everyday life. This makes it extremely distinctive and clearly sets it apart from all ambient sounds. It therefore represents an unambiguous signal that cannot be confused.

The click sound is also very easy to perceive even over greater distances. This means the dog can be rewarded even when it is currently well outside your reach. The fact that the actual reward only follows later is no problem for the dog, because for it the moment of clicking is what counts. On top of this, the clicking always stays the same. Whether you are annoyed, angry or bored, the signal remains constant. In this way it is caringly prevented that the training success is hindered by your current emotional state.

A Critical Look at the Training Concept

For all the positive aspects, clicker training too is not beyond all doubt. A frequently cited point of criticism is that, for successful training, the clicker must be a constant companion. Here, however, I can reassure you, since outside the training sessions you can perfectly well handle your dog as usual without a clicker. A serious argument is that clicker training, as a purely positive method, works exclusively with positive reinforcement. This is ideal for training in new behaviours. To un-train already existing misbehaviour, however, it is not always sufficient on its own.

A further point of criticism is that some dogs are so enthusiastic about clicker training that they know no bounds. The motivation is then so high that they continually try to get the owner to click, be it through barking, nibbling or other undesirable behaviours. You can avoid this behaviour if you teach your dog an appropriate signal for the beginning and the end of the clicker session in good time.

When Can Clicker Training Be Used

Clicker training finds versatile use with dogs, cats and horses. In principle, no animal is too old, too stupid or even too stubborn for clicker training. Especially with seemingly training-resistant animals, this training method can deliver great results. What we humans often perceive as stubbornness is in reality often a pronounced tendency to want to solve problems independently. Clicker training, by contrast, initially gets by without direct commands. The dog learns through trial and error which behaviour is rewarded and which is not. This makes clicker training especially well suited to animals that think independently and enjoy solving tasks.

Admittedly, clicker training is no universal cure-all. But it can motivate the dog enormously and noticeably improve the cooperation between you and your dog. If you have taken a liking to it, why not simply give it a try. You will be amazed at how much fun it is for both sides.

This article serves as general information and by no means replaces a visit to a veterinary practice or advice from a professional dog trainer.