Clicker training is popular with many dog owners. It allows for a relatively easy dog training with a click. But clicker training does not only have advantages.
In this article you will find out exactly how clicker training works and what disadvantages clicker training has for dogs.
Clicker training with the dog: disadvantages
Clicker training is a popular method of training dogs obedience to teach. However, clicker training not only has advantages, but also some disadvantages.
First of all, clicker training is very time-consuming. Not every dog responds immediately to the clicker and that’s just the beginning patience required until the dog understands the signal.
Besides, it depends right timing at. The clicker needs to be timed at just the right time for the dog to associate the click with the action.
This means a lot of practice, especially for dog owners, in order to catch the right moment. Just a few seconds early or late can take over Success of the training decide.
If you decide to do clicker training, you have to make sure that you always have the clicker ready and traveling has with him.
A major disadvantage of clicker training is that it no connection between humans and animals manufactures. Instead, it is an emotionless training method and is more like dressage.
The dog’s social skills are completely ignored. Dogs are highly social and emotional beings.
Another point of criticism is that the dog can get used to the reward after the clicker and it suddenly everyday situations demands.
This can result in him just reeling off everything he’s learned to get his reward. If he doesn’t get the reward, he will restless.
What are the benefits of clicker training?
However, clicker training also offers some advantages.
Most dogs understand what clicker means after a while and then submit to it. That means it’s very promising is.
Through clicker training, the dog can learn many different behaviors and dog tricks.
The click gives the dogs a positive reinforcement, so that they internalize the promising behavior. Finally, there is a reward afterwards.
In addition, clicker training enables personal reward. Thus, the dog is not only tied to one person, but everyone can evoke the desired behavior in him by clicking.
What desired behavior can I train with a clicker?
The clicker can be used to train various desired behaviors:
Good to know:
With clicker training, a variety of behaviors can be learned trained become.
This includes not only positive behaviors, but also can negative behaviors such as barking or jumping up are learned through targeted clicker training. This can be an advantage, especially for rebellious puppies.
Clicker training with the dog: Here’s how it works
It doesn’t take much for clicker training. You need a clicker or click frog and of course a reward in the form of treats.
First of all, the dog must be conditioned.
For this, the clicker frog is clicked and the reward is given at the same time. After about 30 repetitions, the dog should have cognitively linked the click to the reward.
He now knows that for every click there is a reward follows.
Some dogs learn that Connection between click and reward faster, other dogs need a little longer for it.
is the dog conditioned to click, you can start with the exercises. If the dog shows a desired behavior, you should trigger the click and reward him at that precise moment.
Timing is particularly important here so that the dog associates the behavior and the clicking.
For example, if you want to teach your dog the signal sit, from now on you click every time the dog sits down.
Then the reward follows. After some repetitions the dog understands the benefits of sitting down.
In the next step you can do that reinforce desired behavior and also add a signal word.
In the example given, that would be “seat”. As a result, the dog not only listens to the click, but also to the word.
So from now on it will be signal word given (“sit”), the dog sits and the click and reward follow.
Most common clicker training mistakes
Especially at the beginning, clicker training harbors some dangers of making mistakes. To the most common mistakes to count:
Wrong timing
With clickers, it comes down to the right one time at. This means that the click should occur exactly when the dog is showing the desired behavior.
If the click comes too early or too late, the dog no longer associates the click with its behavior. The treat as a reward should always be handy be so that it can be done directly.
Wrong reward
Also the Reward should be chosen carefully. Of course, it should be something the dog likes.
At the same time, however, it should not be so big that the dog completely diverted becomes. The reward should provide an incentive, but not overshadow the whole exercise.
Too high difficulty
Especially in the beginning, many dog owners tend to ask too much of their dogs. So you should come with me simple exercises start and then steadily increase.
Otherwise the dog can quickly die Desire lose out on the training, which in turn would have a negative effect.
When is clicker training not suitable for my dog?
Is the dog currently in a longer exerciseas is the case with a course or dummy training, the clicker should rather not be used.
That can actually pause training, which would not be beneficial in the long term. Because the dog can no longer correctly assign the reward in this state.
Even if yourself several dogs in one household, clicker training can be difficult. After all, it is applied to a dog individually.
This could unsettle the other dogs. At the same time, it demands a high level from the dog owner himself concentrationin order to be able to respond to each dog individually.
Alternatives to the clicker
In addition to a classic clicker, there are various alternatives that you can use instead. This can be, for example, a dog whistle or a Ballpoint pen be.
But you can also use yours instead of the clicker Voice use and click or whistle. Another option is to use a flashlight.
Alternatively, you can pulse collar use. This sends pulses to the dog via a remote control. In principle, these work exactly like a clicker, but work with vibrations.
Conclusion
Clicker training is a popular way to reinforce a desired behavior in dogs.
Nonetheless, it is more like one emotionless form of dog training and does not create a real connection to the dog.
By clicking, the dog is alerted to a bspecific noise conditioned. If he shows a certain behavior, this will be reinforced by the click and the reward.
These are important here right timing as well as an appropriate level of difficulty for your dog.
What is your experience with clicker training?