Canine Ed FAQ

You should start training your puppy right away! Even an 8 week old puppy can learn through short, frequent training sessions. Private, in-home lessons make this possible.

For you - comfortable shoes, confined hair (there's a lot of bending involved), and a cheerful attitude.
For your dog - a treat bag full of pea sized soft treats, something your dog really enjoys (Okay, splitting hairs here - the treat bag is to be worn by you! If the dog wears it, the treats won't last very long! ;~D). A flat collar , or harness, and a 6 foot leash (no choke chains, prong collars, or Flexi-leads).

This depends on what your needs are, but in the basic 'Manners Course' there are 6 lessons.

Expect to have several 5 minute practice sessions each day. You will accomplish far more than if you have one hour long session. Plus, for most people, 5 minute sessions are more practical.

Yes, in fact I prefer it that way! The dog will be living with the entire family, so the entire family needs to know how to work with the dog. And, since the training methods are entirely positive, with no yelling, yanking on choke chains, or other force based methods, it's perfectly safe for even your youngest child to train your dog.

No. The dog lives with you, so you need to learn how to work with your dog. My job is to teach YOU. Your dog needs to learn how to behave properly in your home, so it makes sense to train in your home.

My dog already knows basic obedience, like sit, down, & stay. What classes should I take?

My basic manners class covers a lot of learning theory, as well as basic obedience. I still recommend starting with the basic Manners Course. You can hone your skills, while learning new ones.

How is positive reinforcement training different from 'traditional' training methods?

While traditional training methods use praise, the focus is on finding a punishment strong enough to stop an undesired behavior. For example, if your dog is getting on the couch, and you don't want him to, you would learn methods that focus on keeping him off the couch, such as tossing a 'penny can' at the dog every time he gets on the couch. With positive reinforcement training, you think about what it is you want your dog to be doing, and reward that. If you don't want your dog on the couch, where do you want him to sleep? Reward him for laying there! Consistently reward him with something so valuable (to him) that he'd rather sleep there than on the couch.. This is more fun for you and your dog!

No! For one thing, food isn't the only reward used. Whatever turns your dog on can be used, for example, a tug toy, a tennis ball, even a quick ride in the car. :~) Even so, the rewards are only used when the dog needs them. For example, say little Johnny is learning how to write his name. At first you will praise every effort, however small. As he progresses, you praise only the better efforts. Eventually, you don't need to praise him at all. Imagine Johnny, 25 years old, writing a check at the store. Is he going to expect the world to come to a stand still and applaud because he signed his name to a check? ;~D

On the contrary! Clicker training encourages your dog to think, and to problem solve. Your dog becomes more creative, and, with time, actually learns faster.

Don't dogs need to be punished, so they know there's consequences for bad behavior?

This is a common misconception - 'in order to know what's right, you have to know what's wrong'. In reality, all you need to know is what is right. If a dog is rewarded for doing what you want, and not rewarded every other time, it will naturally want to do what gets it rewarded. It really is that simple!

Yes, as a matter of fact, you can! You can work with or without the clicker, with or without them even knowing. Here's one example. For more information on using clicker training on humans, visit Tag Teach International. This is particularly helpful when teaching mechanical things such as tying your shoes, holding a golf club, dance, gymnastics, etc.

Over sixty years of scientific study, both in the laboratory and in the field, has proven that no matter what the creature; tarantula, dog, cat, horse, fish, or human, it will repeat an action (or behavior), if the consequence is something the creature desires. In other words, if the puppy knows that when it sits down it will get a cookie, it is more likely to sit down in the future.

What makes clicker training different from typical reward based training is the use of a unique marker (the click) to identify the desired behavior. Clicker training was refined training dolphins at Sea Life Park in Hawai'i. So, to use dolphins as an example - Say a dolphin jumps out of the water, and when it's done you call it over to you for a fish. How does the dolphin know what part of the leap was good? Was it the height? Was it the speed? Was it the location in the pool? How can you tell the dolphin the precise moment it did what you wanted? Enter the clicker! (Or the whistle, or, in the case of fish, the laser pointer). Say it's the height of the jump you were impressed with. At the very height of the jump, you blow your whistle, and the dolphin knows that's what you wanted to see. Then, when it's completed the jump, it swims over to you for the fish, knowing precisely what behavior earned the fish.

Why a clicker?
So, why not just use my voice as a marker? There are several reasons. For one thing, our voices aren't unique. Your pet hears it every day. Also, the click is a neutral sound. It is neither happy, angry, bored, nor distracted. It is fast, precise, and consistent.

What if the dolphin didn't do what you wanted? For example, you were clicking for the location of the jump, but the dolphin thought you were clicking for height. It now jumps in a different area of the pool. What do you do? Don't click! Plain and simple. There is no punishment involved. When the dolphin realizes it isn't getting a click, it knows it needs to try something else. This requires *thinking* and *problem solving* on the part of the animal. This is a major reason why clicker training works so well. The animal is figuring out for itself what is required, so it remembers the information far longer than if we simply show it, or force it through the moves (like pushing on a dog's bottom to get it to sit). This also requires more thought on our part. If the animal doesn't figure out what we want, we need to find ways to help it find the answer. This makes us better teachers!

Will I always have to use treats?
While training begins with giving a food treat every time your pet performs the desired behavior, with time, the food treats are 'faded'. For example, when we're learning how to write, our parents and teachers make a big fuss for every single scribble, or attempt, to write a letter. But once we've mastered writing, we are no longer praised, are we? It's no longer necessary. The same goes for treats. When our pets are first learning, they need that encouragement (and for most dogs, food treats are very exciting!). Once they've mastered that particular behavior, we gradually wean them off the treats, until they're no longer expected, or needed.

Clicker training is a fun, fast method of training. Animals love it! You will soon notice that when you pull out the clicker, your dog leaps for joy! And it's so easy, even children can do it!

Learn more
For more information on clicker training, visit Karen Pryor's site, as well as Melissa Alexander's site.