Dog trainer or Clicker trainer?
Funny how life goes full circle? I am now taking classes instead of teaching them. It has become clear that I am a clicker trainer. I am a clicker trainer who trains dogs but that is HOW I train. There are many ways to teach people and dogs, we are all great learners when motivated but this one tool, a small click has changed my life. Why would you ever not want to use it? I can’t, I can’t go back to fumbling around with words and body language- nothing takes the place of a well- timed click. NOTHING!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRAIN A DOG:
With any behavior there are four possible consequences,
1. SOMETHING GOOD WILL START OR HAPPEN. Dog sits when told and earns a food reward or the opportunity to retrieve.
{ +R Positive Reinforcement- Added something the dog wants}
2. SOMETHING GOOD WILL END. Toy gets put away when the dog jumps up.
{-P Negative Punishment- Took away something the dog wants}
3. SOMETHING BAD WILL START OR HAPPEN. For sniffing or chasing rabbits a zap of the e-collar.
{+P = Positive Punishment- Added Something to stop behavior}
4. SOMETHING BAD WILL END. The shock from the bark collar stops when the dog stops barking.
The shock or punishment is reinforcing the ceasing of the bark so quiet increases, hence even though this quadrant is uses punishers is is called negative reinforcement.
{- R Negative Reinforcement Took away punishment when behavior changed-}
If you find yourself using ANY other quadrant then R+ you are likely not teaching very well. Its not that experienced trainers don’t use all four quadrants, we do- but the longer I do this the less I use any of the punishers. There is no reason for instance to give a baby puppy in puppy class a time out for barking, they are barking because they are bored and frustrated. Is a time out going to change that? Not likely. AND it stresses out the owner. Instead, try keeping them busy, go inside and out- get them tired. Make sure the owner understands not to reinforce barking at all, even shushing a pup in class is reinforcing. When you have a no barking “rule” all it does is cause stress for all parties. Puppies bark, some more then others, it is really your best clue as to how to teach THAT one, that barker is also likely toy, food and motion oriented. NOW you have the way to stop the barking. So this might work, touch, paw, roll over, turn and how about not sitting so much, get them up and moving. And don’t make folks leave for time outs every 30 seconds, and if they are it means that class is not moving fast enough for those folks. Rev it up!