|
|
Clicker Dog Training
The newest dog training craze is clicker dog training. A clicker is a
small rectangular plastic box with a metal button on top that clicks,
hence the name clicker. It’s the type of training that the dog decides
whether or not it suits him. There have been a lot of success stories
with clickers, but with my dog he just didn’t want to know!
Researchers in dog studies believe that the clicker promotes enforced
training, without punishment! As we all know, when we do something good
and get rewarded for it, we are going to do the same again. A dog
thinks the same way. Dogs learn through consequences. If they do
something and it earns them a treat and praise, they are going to want
to do it again because they like this consequence. If they do something
that you don’t like and they get ignored or said no to in a strict
voice, they know that they aren’t going to get any treats so are not
going to do it again.
Clicker dog training works in such a way that it reinforces good
behavior. If your dog sits, click and give him a treat. The next time he
sits, do the same but don’t say anything to him. He will soon realize
that when he sits, he will get a treat and hear a click. So when you
eventually come to click before he sits, he knows to sit. Its not all
that confusing when you think about it.
Punishment is not used with clicker dog training as researchers believe
that, although punishment does stop some bad behavior, it may also
create another unwanted behavior. Punishment is almost always carried
out after the dog has done something wrong, so dogs see punishment as a
random consequence, therefore, punishment doesn’t really solve anything.
Clicker dog training is not only used on dogs! It is widely used for
other animals, such as dolphins and horses. It is a widely practiced
training method and does produce results if carried out properly.
Another form of training you might look into is one of the
barking training collars.
The collar fits around the dogs neck and when he barks, it sprays a
nontoxic citronella oil towards his nose. There is also a handheld
remote transmitter type that the trainer can control for other behavior
problems the dog might have. As with the clicker training, it is
not a punishment training. The collar merely emits an unpleasant odor
for the dog.
|
|
