Category: Crossing Over ¤
  Author: Melinda Johnson ¤
   Title: Advantages of Clicker Training ¤

This has been slightly reworded by Melinda since the original clicktrain posting.

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All training is based on communication and motivation.  These factors are
optomized by clicker training.  Folks not familiar with clicker training
look and see a clicker and treats.  That's all they see.  They think that's
all there is and that the clicker and treats go on forever.  First, they
need to understand that they won't need to have a clicker and treats on
them forever to get desired behaviors, because of variable reinforcement
schedules and alternate conditioned reinforcers.

Here are some of the advantages of clicker training (off the top of my head):

Good Relationships:
A clicker trained dog and his handler enjoy a very close relationship which
is based on trust that has never been violated.  The dog's basic attitude
becomes, "How can I please you?"

Dog in Control:
Clicker trained dogs have a lot of actual control over the outcome of a
training session.  They know that good behavior will be rewarded.  Because
they feel in control, they're able to concentrate on what you want.

VSRs:
Using a variable schedule of reinforcement (VSR) makes dogs eager to
perform and encourages them to work harder.

Shaping:
Shaping gives us a marvelous tool to be able to get a behavior or refine it
to perfection.

Energy:
When we use shaping to get and reinforce a behavior, the energy and thought
process comes from the dog.  Therefore, clicker training is easier on the
trainer and more meaningful and memorable to the dog.

Creativity:
Because we look for good behaviors to reward, clicker trainers love it when
their dogs are creative.  As a clicker trainer, if my dog grabbed the leash
in his teeth, I'd think, "I can use this!  I could teach 'bring me your
leash', 'take it', 'leave it', 'give', or even teach the dog to pull
something attached to a rope!"  When our dog barks, we have visions of
putting it on command, and even training the dog to count or answer
questions with barks.  Because a clicker trained dog is never punished for
misunderstanding what the trainer wants, he learns to offer behaviors
hoping to find the one that will be rewarded.  The dog's creativity makes
training progressively easier as it gives the trainer many chances to
reward the dog and train new behaviors.

Physical Stress to Handler and Dog:
Clicker training is easy on both dog and handler, because it's never a
physical contest.  With clicker training, children can train large dogs.
People in wheelchairs can train dogs.  We even have a list on the Keeper
Page of things you can train from the *couch*!!  Much of the training can
be done indoors when it's dark and rainy outside.  You don't even need a
leash and collar to train a dog in your living room.

Non Reward Markers (NRMs):
If the trainer REALLY wants to train a new behavior such as sit, and the
dog really wants to do downs, we have several options.  We can lure a sit.
We can say, "Wrong" (or whatever NRM you like) to tell the dog, "That
behavior won't be rewarded anytime soon."  Our creative dogs should then
begin to offer other behaviors.  Or, we can walk off and train again later.

Sparkle:
The clicker trained dog performs with sheer joy!  Their eyes sparkle and
their tails wag.  Why not?  Clicker training is rewarding.  A clicker
trained dog has every reason to be a confident and happy dog.

How Clicker Trainers Look at Failure to Perform a "Learned" Behavior:
When a clicker trained dog fails to perform a behavior on cue, we realize
that we don't really have the behavior on cue yet.  Maybe we added the cue
too soon.  Maybe we haven't trained in distracting environments.  We think
about our rewards, about our body language, about our timing and about a
number of variables that might be throwing off our dogs' performance.  We
take the responsibility on ourselves to drop back to an earlier step and
re-train until the dog 'gets it'.  A clicker trained dog has no reason to
be defiant because he's motivated to succeed.

"Mistake Proof":
Errors made with a clicker are very unlikely to ever result in aggression
on the dog's part, or injury to the trainer.  If you inadvertently clicker
train your dog something you didn't him to do, your 'mistake' is easily
corrected by subtracting rewards from unwanted behaviors and rewarding the
behavior you wanted.

Independence and Versatility:
Once you understand and have applied clicker training, you can think up
your own training plans!  Rather than one, memorized way of teaching a
behavior (coming from someone else), you can think of several ways to
tackle a training challenge (all by yourself).  Rather than one way to
motivate, you have many ways at your disposal.  The principles you learn
can be applied to teach virtually any behavior to any animal (even humans!)
and they'll serve you for a lifetime.

Melinda Johnson
Creative Clicker Critter Training
Copywrite 1997