If you’ve ever watched any dog training videos, there’s a good chance that you’ve come across something called a “clicker” or heard a clicking noise right before the trainer rewards their dog. In the dog training world, this is something that’s incredibly common and there are some professionals who swear by it.
There are a couple of advantages/disadvantages for clickers. We’ll go over them briefly so you can first understand what they are, why they are used, and ultimately whether or not you need to buy one.
What are clickers?
Clickers are small devices used in dog training that make a “clicking sound” to act as a mark or an incoming reward for your puppy, using positive reinforcement to signal to them the exact moment they do something you want. It’s similar to you completing a task at work and your boss saying “good job” - the sound of the clicker communicates to your puppy that they’ve done something good. Once they hear the sound, trainers immediately reward their puppy with a treat and the puppy naturally associates the sound with a reward is coming.
Over time the puppy will be conditioned to hear the sound and expect something good, usually a reward or treat. You are teaching your puppy the behavior that you want to see. This method of playing a sound then rewarding your puppy can actually be any sound you’d like! Quite often it’s either “yes” or “good boy/girl”, but you can make it anything you want.
Why are they used?
Clickers are typically used because they’re consistent. When you use a clicker, there is no change in speed or tone in the way that the sound is heard when compared to the sound of your voice. How fast you speak, your underlying mood, and energy levels can change throughout the day and then affect your tone of voice.
Surprisingly, dogs don’t understand English, but they do understand tone; how you say things is far more important than what you say. Clickers act a consistent sound that can be played at any time throughout the day to let your puppy know they’ve done a good job.
One common mistake that people make is that clicker doesn’t replace praise, it just acts as sound to let your puppy know they’ve done a good job. The same way your car alarm might go off in the evening, changing the sound of your horn doesn’t replace your neighbors yelling at you (not to say that you should test that example). After your puppy does something good, you should still praise them, give them pets, and let them know through positive reinforcement that they’ve done a good job.
An important note to make is that as soon as you use the clicker or use your mark (ie:“yes”) you should immediately reward your puppy as the timing of the reward is essential. If you wait longer than 2 seconds, your puppy won’t get the exercise/training as well. Remember the two-second rule.
Do I need one?
Ultimately the decision is up to you. There are professional trainers who swear by using clickers; however, other professionals will tell you that using your voice to train and say “yes” to your puppy is just fine. The decision to buy & use a clicker in your puppy’s training is up to you; the important lesson to remember is to pick one, stick with it and be consistent. That means not swapping between using the clicker and your voice all the time, just find what works for you and always reward after your sound.
Personally, once you pick the method that works for you, I would place more focus on making sure your puppy gets rewarded in under 2 seconds for the best results.
If you were interested in buying a clicker you can find some here, otherwise I hope you enjoyed this breakdown.
Disclaimer
The video and/or my content cannot guarantee that this learning method is right for your dog. The information I give is based on my knowledge and opinion of different learning types and is not directly endorsed by professionals. The methods shown within the video are meant to be demonstration purposes and does not guarantee success with all dogs. If you have any specific questions or concerns regarding the given information, please reach out to us through our Contact Page and we can get in touch.
