Hey Randy hows it goin brother! I have been using clickers for quite a while. I thought for a long time they were a gimmick to be honest. I couldnt imagine walking around with a dog and having to have a silly clicker to get it to do what I wanted it to do. But here is how it works and its actually a powerful tool.
This is my own words and not intended to talk down to anyone but explain how the concept works.
The dogs ability to relate a command with an action is approximately 2-3 seconds of time. Thats a short window of time to give the command then praise for the action. Basically by the time we get around to praising the dog a lot of times he doesnt even realize what he is being praised and or corrected for. So with that being said you need a way to actually pinpoint what your trying to get the dog to do with the command. This is where the clicker comes in. You can target an action with the clicker sound and then reinforce that action.
Basic scenario of how to use it with the simple sit command ... you can use it to reinforce any behavior though. Just using the sit command for illustration.
1. start by introducing the dog to the clicker by casually clicking it and as soon as you click give the dog a tiny treat. This lets the dog understand that the clicking sound results in a treat. You will notice that it doesn't take long before the dog hears the click and instantly looks for the treat.
2. once the dog/pup has realized that the click=treat then you start to work with him. Front him up and give the sit command in a calm direct voice. Continue to give the sit command until the dog sits. The very instant the dog sits "click" and treat. Your now pinpointing the exact behavior with the clicker and allowing the dog to understand exactly what your asking him to do.
This is a very powerful training technique used by some of the worlds finest dog trainers. There is a reason its used! It actually works and allows you to target behaviors instead of taking the shotgun approach to training.
Do you have to have the clicker all the time? NOPE the clicker is used strictly as a target-behavior tool. After the training is complete then you DO NOT need the clicker. Because now the dog actually knows exactly what you expect when you give a certain command.
I hope this helps Im always open to helping others with their training.
Brian
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Brian if I may add too, the clicker makes the same noise at the same pitch everytime. This also helps the dog associate quicker when starting out. Our voices fluctuate alot even when you are trying to keep your voice consistent.
Ryan
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I had a Falconry permit for several years and many of the guys used clickers for training thier Hawks,
I did not I used a call that made two different sounds which made it easier for me to call my bird in if needed be.
You think a Pit Bull is tenatous you should try a young wild Red Tailed Hawk!
Sean
You can find them in the bin at the register at your nearest Pet co. or just ask someone that lives close to mail you a few of them. They are really inexpensive.
Adrian
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Angie, I would like to try one of those too. Both of my dogs are just getting started, one is 3 months and one is 8 months so it would be nice to try different techniques. However I'm wondering if there will be a meeting given the snow
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