Clicker training for dogs: WHat is it & how to get started

Wondering how to use a clicker when training a dog? How do you get started with clicker training for dogs? Don’t worry, we’ll break this all down.

What is clicker training?

What is marker training?

Rewarding your pups action with
A SECONDARY REINFORCER (CAN BE A CLICK OR A VERBAL WORD)

Clicker training and acquiring focus can be challenging for many dog parents. Are you one of them? If so, don’t worry! I’ll explain the benefits of using a clicker and treat together as well as some effective techniques for using them.

Then watch the video at the end of this post – it reveals how to get your pup’s attention with basic clicker training.

So many pup owners don’t end up using a clicker because they think, “well I taught my childhood dog Sparky to sit and stay without a clicker…why do I need one now?”

It’s true — you don’t NEED one to teach your pup a new trick or behavior.

The thing is, dogs are an easy animal to train — in general, they naturally look to us for direction (compared to other animals like dolphins, bunnies, or even cats). Meaning, if you’ve ever gotten by without using a clicker or a verbal marker in your training then that’s totally normal.

Why you should use a clicker

But if you’re trying to teach your pup more advanced cues (or any cue in a distracting environment), a clicker will speed up training, encourage eye contact, and help reduce the inevitable frustration that occurs when your pup has zero clue what you’re asking them to do (or your words go out one ear and out the other).

What is a clicker?

A clicker is a device that makes a click sound and it lets your pup know that they perform the behavior that we asked them to do.

What is a marker?

If you don’t have a clicker, any single syllable word that you can say consistently can be used instead.

I personally use the word, “YES” as my verbal marker when I don’t have my clicker with me, but of course, this word can really be anything as long as it meets the criteria above.

So…which should I use? A clicker or a Verbal Marker?

I personally use both!

Additionally, I appreciate how the clicker produces the same sound irrespective of whether it’s operated by a young child or a grown-up in a family where everyone is training. This helps build consistency across the different members of the family training the dog.

The benefit of a clicker is that they make a distinct sound that is consistent every single time.

No matter how much we try, we aren’t going to say our marker word as consistent as a clicker, because, well, we’re human.

I personally use a clicker for more complex behaviors, but will still use a verbal marker if I am out and about with my pup, and don’t have my clicker with me.

While a clicker can be an effective tool for dog trainers, it has a major downside – it’s easy to forget. This is true even if you’re a professional dog trainer! For me, I always have a clicker in my treat pouch, and I make sure to always bring my treat pouch on walks with me.

I personally love the clicker ring as it’s much more convenient but it’s also a LOT more expensive. Traditional clickers are more affordable, but also more annoying to carry around.

How clicker training A DOG works.

There is no way we’re going to be able to deliver the treat at the exact moment our pup performs the behavior that we asked for.

What can happen is your pup can start to think that ‘sit’ means he touches his butt to the ground and then pops back up! Or ‘sit’ means to sit down and then look left.

Think of the clicker as a contract that lets your pup know that they got it right and they get a yummy treat!

The clicker bridges the gap between when the behavior occurs and the delivery of the treat.

Meaning, you’re going to get much cleaner behavior, as well as clearer communication between you and your pup!

CLICKER TRAINING FORMULA

SIT -> Dog’s butt touches the ground -> CLICK -> Get out the treat

For example, if I ask my dog to sit, by the time I get out the treat, he could’ve looked left, he could’ve popped out of the sit, he could’ve barked at another dog…you get it. Many things can happen between the time the ‘sit’ behavior occurs, and the treat is delivered.

Got it? Now, watch this video:

Human Error

One other note — humans have terrible timing. Before introducing the clicker to your dog, practice on your own. This is my favorite way to practice timing.

Pick a random celebrity interview to watch, and ‘click’ the clicker every time the celebrity or interviewer says a filler word (um, like, uh, you know, so). You’ll start to notice how awful your timing is…so keep practicing.

Once you’ve nailed down your timing, it’s time to “charge the clicker” meaning, build the association. All you’re going to do is CLICK, then give a treat. CLICK, give a treat. Repeat several times until your pup looks to you for their next treat when you click. In scientific terms, this is called classical conditioning (like Pavlov’s Bell).

REcap: clicker TRAINING FOR DOGS & GETTING STARTED

1. Say the cue while standing naturally (or use the hand signal).
2. Be careful not to be already holding the treat, or your pup will think this is PART of the cue. However, if you’re using lure/reward training to teach a new behavior, it’s OK to hold the treat the first few times – but you’ll want to fade the lure as quickly as possible so your dog doesn’t rely on having to SEE the treat.
3. From there, once your pup performs the behavior, click (immediately) and then get the treat out to deliver to his mouth.

Fun fact: clicker-marker training can be done with a large variety of animals. If you ever see dolphin trainers with a whistle — this is because they are ‘marking’ the trick and letting the dolphin know to come get their fish!

Start practicing with your pup, and join my Facebook group to let us know how it goes!