Clicker Training of Dogs

A clicker is a small handheld noisemaker that makes a distinct “click” when it is pressed. Clicker training is a subset or restricted application of OPERANT CONDITIONING.

Clicker training is merely a tool that is used in operant conditioning. A clicker has also been called a bridge or a marker. Clicker training has been successfully used in animal training over the last couple of decades. Over 140 different species have been successfully “clicker trained”. Many of the animals you have seen in movies/theatrical appearances or commercials have been clicker trained.

To put it very basically, whenever an animal performs a desired action, the handler should immediately click with a hand held clicker, then deliver a reward the animal desires (such as a tasty treat). The animal will associate the click as a marker that clues the animal when it does a specific action, they will get a reward.

What is Operant Conditioning (O C) ?

OC states that much of behavior is under control of it’s consequences. (OC forms an association between doing a particular behavior and a consequence). There are four possible consequences to any behavior. They are:

1.Something Good can start or be presented (positive reinforcement)
2.Something Good can end or be taken away (negative punishment)
3.Something Bad can start or be presented (positive punishment) 4.Something Bad can end or be taken away (negative reinforcement)

Consequences have to be immediate or clearly linked to the behavior. With verbal humans, we can explain the connection between the consequence and the behavior, even if they are separated by a long length of time. For example, you might tell a friend that you'll buy dinner for them since they helped you work on your car last week or a parent might explain that the child can't go to the movies because of his bad grades. With very young children, other humans who don't have verbal skills, and animals, you can't explain the connection between the consequence and the behavior. For the animal, the consequence has to be immediate. The way to work around this need for immediacy is to use a bridge (a clicker) to “mark” a behavior and then deliver the consequence.

What is positive reinforcement?

Positive reinforcement is the use of rewards (whatever an animal desires, such as food or a favorite toy) to get an animal to continually perform a desired behavior, such as sitting, laying down or shaking a paw. Rewards have to
be relevant (valuable) to the particular animal. Some dogs may love a particular brand of treat while others may turn their noses up at it.

What is negative reinforcement?

Negative reinforcement is when you take away something bad to get a desired behavior to increase. When you get into a car, and the seatbelt warning alarm makes a continued high pitch ring until you fasten your seat belt, the car
manufacturers are using negative reinforcement. The alarm stops once you fasten your seat belt, which will increase the likely hood of you fastening the seatbelt in the future. Negative reinforcement can lead to fear responses in an animal and can actually “shut” the animal down. It is NOT an appropriate tool to use in training anything new to your animal.

What is positive punishment?

Positive punishment is the use of verbal scolding or physical ‘punishment’ to get an animal to stop doing an undesirable behavior. Positive punishment can lead to aggression, as it promotes a fear-based response in an animal. Animals learn quicker by being rewarded for a particular action rather than being punished.

What is negative punishment?

Negative Punishment is taking away an anticipated reward. An example would be picking up the dog’s leash to go for a walk but putting it down the second the dog jumps or barks at you. Negative punishment can be used to teach self
control in animals as it usually only results in some frustration at first until the animal understands he can make the “good” thing come back by acting
appropriately.

My dog is afraid of the clicker

If you notice the animal is shying away from the click (the sound is unfamiliar and may frighten a stressed out dog), you can either muffle the sound so that it is not as loud, or discontinue the clicker session (if the animal seems to be very stressed, tail tucked, fearful body language, avoiding). Some ways of muffling the ‘click’ are as follows:
• Hide the clicker behind your back
• Place the clicker in your pocket. Click from
inside your pocket.
• Wrap the clicker in a small towel

Do I have to click and treat every time?

Yes!!! You are conditioning your dog to respond to the clicker and then you will be using the clicker to mark behaviors. Remember to click and immediately reward after each successful behavior that you are trying to teach. Do NOT click and then fudge on the reward. You MUST deliver a reward to the animal every time you click. Do NOT click multiple times in a row and then offer one single reward. The ratio is one click = one reward. Do
NOT point the clicker at your dog like a remote control. Hold your hand casually at your side and click when your dog does something you want to reinforce (don’t forget to immediately reward the dog as well!)

Why Can't I use my voice instead of the clicker?

The “click” from a clicker is a very distinguishable sound. The click is non-emotional, has the same pitch and tone and is different than other sounds
in the environment. Voices vary widely from person to person. The click will stay the same no matter who uses the clicker.

Train a Cat to Use a Toilet

Cats are adorable creatures - all cat lovers will agree with that. They make excellent human companions and, like dogs, are also considered by many as man's best friend. Cute, cuddly, and companionable, these domesticated felines can easily melt anybody's heart. They can entertain you with their sweet little tricks and make you laugh out loud with their crazy antics. Yes, cats are absolutely charming, but not all the time. You have to admit, endearing as they are, cats also do things that can annoy you out of your wits such as scratching you wood furniture, biting your curtain tassels, and, at worst, pooping on your brand new carpet.

The good news is that cats are smart and curious animals. For this reason, they can be trained to do several things that could make your life easier. Just one of the things you can teach your little feline friend to do is to use the toilet. If you want your cat to be like Jack Byrnes' Himalayan cat in "Meet the Parents" then you should start thinking about training your kitty to use the toilet now. As opposed to what some people think, potty training cats is not hard to do. All you need is plenty of patience and a strong determination. And oh, you will also need a litter box and a roll of wax paper.

If your cat already knows how to use the litter box, then that makes the task of getting them to use the toilet 50% easier. Since cats are clean creatures by nature, chances are that they will find pooping in the toilet more desirable than what they were initially accustomed to. The trick in potty training a cat is to do it gradually. Depending on your cat's personality, the process of toilet training can take several days to a few weeks. There's no point in hastening the training because cats take time to learn and get used to the new pooping system.

Start the potty training by moving your cat's litter box near a toilet. After you do this, make sure your cat knows where to find its litter box. Let your cat become familiar with the new location of its litter box. After you have done this, the next thing to do is to move the litter box inch by inch towards the toilet bowl for the subsequent days until it ends up right next to the bowl. While inching the litter box towards the toilet bowl, you should also reduce the amount of litter used bit by bit.

The next goal is to get the cat to sit on the toilet bowl. You can do this by progressively adding a book under a litter box until it's already elevated to the same height as the toilet bowl. When you've already done this, raise the toilet seat and tape a sheet of wax paper over it. The wax paper should be big enough to cover the hole. Then, lower the seat and gradually move the litter box an inch towards the seat over the following days. Do this until the litter box is right over the toilet seat. Don't forget to reduce the amount of litter every time you move the litter box towards the seat until there's already none left. When you've done this, discard the box and cut an inch-wide hole in the middle of the wax paper. In the succeeding days, gradually widen the wax paper's hole until it becomes as big as that of the toilet seat. By the time you are done with this last step, congratulations, you now have a toilet-trained cat.

Can cats be trained to do things?

What! Training and cats in the same sentence? We all know that cats are independent, can even sometimes be just a touch aloof, and interact with us on their terms. How can such royal pets be trained? Many just assume a cat cannot be trained to perform even simple tasks.

Cats are actually able to learn some basic tasks, but understanding their psychology is important. Cats respond to praise very well, and will learn tasks that bring them a suitable reward. They also have short attention spans; fetching a Frisbee® or stick might keep a Labrador retriever engaged for a whole afternoon, but a typical feline play or training session might continue for 5 to 10 minutes. Playing "catch the furry toy ball" is of real interest to cats, and this is one simple game that can benefit the cat by increasing their exercise and is of high entertainment value. To reinforce their fetching behaviour, a food treat and praise (words, and petting) can be given each time they return the toy. For some cats, the food treat might sidetrack them, so for these cats, just praise and the next toy toss will suffice. Start with short distances and give rewards each time the cat cooperates. Make play sessions very short so that they are less likely to get bored and march off. End the session as soon as you see the first hint of tiring out.

Cats can be taught to relieve themselves using the household human facilities if the owner wishes. Some cats do not appear to take to toilet training, but most can be successfully trained with a lot of patience. The cat appreciates the clean facility, but may balk a bit because they were taught by their mother to scratch their stool into sand, litter or soil. Obviously, young cats that have not yet got in the habit of going in the box for a long period are easier to transition but cats have been trained even after maturity. One can purchase special potty training kits for cats, but a homemade system works just fine too. Start by putting the box near the toilet. After a few weeks, start to raise it gradually stepwise off the floor, using a solid support system (you don't want the cat to jump in and have it fall off the support and spook him!), and continue this for a few weeks. Finally, place the box on the toilet (lid up, seat down) and when this is comfortable, you are ready to start with the human toilet surface. Take a heavy-duty foil turkey roaster pan, and securely tape it under the seat onto the toilet base. Initially, put a bit of litter in the bottom of the pan under the seat hole. As he gets used to this, you can place a progressively larger hole in the tray, until he needs to stand on the toilet seat. Always leave the seat lid up so he can get at his facility!

Leash training is another skill that takes some patience, but if you are planning to offer your cat fresh air, going for a walk is an excellent way for them to get some exercise, and for you to ensure that they do not get into trouble with strays, or cars etc. Using a well-fitted harness is more secure, and will prevent him from slipping a collar or stressing the neck if the cat decides a sudden dash is in order! Some owners even teach their cat to walk along at the same time as the dog goes for a walk. Remember to keep the walks short, and praise the cat when they move forward when you call their name or another cue such as "walkies". Leash training is more easily done in kittens than with adults. If the cat appears to have tired, it is OK to pick them up to help them home! Don't expect the cat to stay neatly by your side (as you would with a trained dog). They will want to meander a bit, and may make periodic stops to gnaw a bit of grass. A walk with a cat is not a cardiovascular workout, but rather more of a parambulation!

Your veterinarian will likely have some excellent basic pet training books, and sometimes they will allow clients to sign these out. Even if they focus on dog training, the basic principles are similar.