Dog Training Clicker - Why Use a Clicker?
There are lots of ways to train man's best friend - people have been training dogs for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, and today it is somewhat looked down upon to have a poorly trained dog.
If you're looking for an effective way to train your dog, you may have seen advertisements for or have friends that have used a dog training clicker.
There are several benefits and disadvantages attached to using a dog clicker, and in this article we'll take a look at some of the basic information regarding them so that you can decide whether or not this method of training will be effective.
A dog training clicker is, essentially, a small mechanical tool that produces a clicking sound when pressed.
It was invented because it is believed that dog handlers who are training dogs cannot properly modulate their voice fast enough so that the dog will respond to the proper behavior.
For example, if a trainer is teaching a dog to catch a ball, the trainer could have the dog catch it but then by the time he or she praises the dog it could have begun chewing it.
Using a dog training clicker allows the trainer to praise the dog at the exact time the dog does the right thing.
Clickers are used in tandem with treats, since verbal praise should not really be used together with one.
Using a dog training clicker allows you to give the dog very precise praise, and will allow you to teach dogs more complex tricks than without one.
However, the clicker does carry several disadvantages that verbal training does not have.
For example, since praise must be reinforced with treats, a long period of training (thus a high amount of treats) could be poor for the dog's health.
Some dogs may also be scared by clickers, and thus build a negative association with them when they are used.
A dog might also only listen to someone when they've got a clicker on hand, or worse, only when they've got treats.
A dog training clicker can make your job much easier, especially if you're training a dog that has somewhat erratic behavior and you want to get a precise reinforcement going.
However, before using one you should make sure you know the proper technique, and are aware of the potential difficulties with many dogs that are inherent in dog clicker training.
If you're looking for an effective way to train your dog, you may have seen advertisements for or have friends that have used a dog training clicker.
There are several benefits and disadvantages attached to using a dog clicker, and in this article we'll take a look at some of the basic information regarding them so that you can decide whether or not this method of training will be effective.
A dog training clicker is, essentially, a small mechanical tool that produces a clicking sound when pressed.
It was invented because it is believed that dog handlers who are training dogs cannot properly modulate their voice fast enough so that the dog will respond to the proper behavior.
For example, if a trainer is teaching a dog to catch a ball, the trainer could have the dog catch it but then by the time he or she praises the dog it could have begun chewing it.
Using a dog training clicker allows the trainer to praise the dog at the exact time the dog does the right thing.
Clickers are used in tandem with treats, since verbal praise should not really be used together with one.
Using a dog training clicker allows you to give the dog very precise praise, and will allow you to teach dogs more complex tricks than without one.
However, the clicker does carry several disadvantages that verbal training does not have.
For example, since praise must be reinforced with treats, a long period of training (thus a high amount of treats) could be poor for the dog's health.
Some dogs may also be scared by clickers, and thus build a negative association with them when they are used.
A dog might also only listen to someone when they've got a clicker on hand, or worse, only when they've got treats.
A dog training clicker can make your job much easier, especially if you're training a dog that has somewhat erratic behavior and you want to get a precise reinforcement going.
However, before using one you should make sure you know the proper technique, and are aware of the potential difficulties with many dogs that are inherent in dog clicker training.
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