| THE PET TEACHER In-YOUR-Home Dog Training 248-232-3655 |
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| IT'S QUICKER WITH A CLICKER! |
| WHAT IS CLICKER TRAINING? Clicker Training is the cutting edge dog training method of the 21st century! Behaviorists created and tested this scientific method so you can train your dog with effective techniques that are so safe and fun even your children can teach your dog! Dogs as young as 3 weeks old can learn from a clicker ... so why are you waiting to get started? Start Clicker Training with your dog sooner than later so you can teach the wanted behaviors the first time and avoid the frustration later. Training is quicker with a clicker, so give yourself and your dog the opportunity to use dog training methods designed for today's learning. WHAT DOES A CLICKER LOOK LIKE? A clicker is a small noisemaker. You might have gotten one at a fair or birthday party when you were a child. It probably looked like a metal or plastic bug, clown, cowboy or smiley face. Inside the outer casing was a piece of metal that you pushed with your finger and it made a clicking noise. Today we use clickers that are designed specifically for teaching. They are small hand-held tools, used by the trainer and are not worn by the dog. Some trainers are now using the term 'e-clicker' to describe their electronic or shock collars Please be aware that this is not the real Clicker Training. CLICKER TRAINING IS A SCIENCE Some people think that clicker training means that you point the clicker at the dog and that causes the dog to do something. For instance, you click once and that triggers the dog to sit ... click twice and the dog will lay down ... three times and the dog will come to you. That is not how the clicker works. The noise of the clicker is based in the science of acoustical learning. Most simply, because of the way that animals' brains (all animals, including humans and canines) process the noise, it teaches a behavior or movement or task more quickly with longer lasting results and more accurate recall. The clicker actually alerts the dog that she/he has accomplished the task you were requesting The noise of the click 'marks' an achievement rather than being a 'cue' to the dog to start performing a behavior. When you first teach your dog a new behavior you need to let the dog know the moment he has done what you have requested. You can do that (A) with your voice by saying 'yes!' ... or (B) with a clicker. When you 'mark' your dog's attempt at performing a behavior you are giving him the information needed in order to know what you want repeated. What's the big deal about using a clicker rather than using your voice to 'mark' a specific point in learning? There are several reasons that It's Quicker With A Clicker! 1. The noise of the clicker is not something the dog hears routinely. Your dog hears your voice all the time, but the unusual noise of the clicker is something that quickly captures their attention. When you combine the clicker with positive reinforcement training techniques, you are on the fastest path to teaching your dog! 2. The clicker gives a more precise 'mark' than your voice. That precision is what will help your dog to better learn what you are expecting her/him to repeat. 3. Research has shown that the noise of the clicker is embedded in and recognized by the part of the brain that has to do with long-term recall. Which means that your dog will have a better ability to remember what you are asking of her/him and be able to perform it even if you haven't used it recently. 4. Everyone in the family can use the clicker and when they do all of you will sound the same to the dog when you 'mark' the behavior. This is great! It will speed the learning process for your dog because she/he doesn't have to decipher the different voices and different ways of saying 'yes'. 5. It makes you a better trainer. It will help you to concentrate and you will become a more consistent communicator with your dog. Your dog can be only as consistent as your input. If you're sloppy in communicating what you want, your dog will give you sloppy behaviors in return. Learning positive reinforcement training techniques combined with the clicker will help you to become more consistent. IS A CLICKER REALLY NECESSARY? Can you train your dog strictly with your voice, using only a verbal 'mark'? Sure you can in many cases. But you will see faster and better teaching results if you use the clicker. Scientific testing has proven it. Do you prefer to see quick and accurate learning results? Then use the clicker! There is science behind the use of the clicker and other auditory tools for 'marking' behaviors. Marine mammals have been trained with whistles and underwater noises combined with positive reinforcement training techniques since the 1940's. That's how bomb detection Dolphins are trained. It's how Shamu learns his tricks! You can't put a choke chain or e-collar on a Killer Whale, nor can you force, dominate, or try to intimidate one of these animals - they will not tolerate that kind of treatment from humans. Positive reinforcement combined with marker-based techniques are the only effective methods to use when training these highly intelligent animals. Your highly intelligent dog deserves the same superior teaching techniques. The clicker has been used for dog training since the 1960's. Today it is used for an array of sophisticated animal training such as service and assistance dogs being used for hearing, sight and wheelchair-assistance ... or those dogs who know how to detect epilepsy, cancer and diabetes. Police departments are using the clicker to train their K9 partners. Drug and bomb detection dogs ... search and rescue dogs ... and animal actors are trained with a clicker. It is used for teaching behaviors to dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, pigs, rats, hamsters, birds, fish, llamas, mice, and rabbits! Even deaf dogs are trained with marker-based techniques such as laser lights. IT STARTED WITH ANIMALS ... BUT NOW PEOPLE LEARN, TOO! Today there is also TAGTeach, which is known as 'teaching with acoustical guidance' and is used with humans! Sports such as golf, volleyball, baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey and tennis ... gymnastics, including an entire team training for the Olympics ... dance including ballet, tap and performing arts ... cheerleading ... Pilates, Yoga and Tai Chi -- all are using acoustical science learning, primarily marking with a clicker. Speech Therapists are using the clicker. Teaching someone how to tie their shoes and other physical rehabilitation challenges after an accident or stroke use the clicker and other marker-based techniques. Teaching children with Autism has been highly successful with TAGTeach techniques. Gymnastic coaches, athletic and sports coaches, school teachers, physiotherapists, art teachers, dance teachers, occupational therapists, sports therapists, music teachers, speech pathologists, day care providers and behavior analysts (to name but a few) are using TAGTeach techniques. TAGTeach is a boon to helping someone more accurately learn a new task or behavior! There is so much science and compassion behind this form of learning and we are discovering more ways everyday to help all people to speed learning! With all this success and science behind it just imagine what the clicker can do to help you and your dog as well as your entire family become a better team! To learn more about acoustical science teaching, contact a Clicker Trainer instructor or TAGTeach instructor today. |
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