Clicker itself

[Maggie Mae (n Mom, Kay)]

I'm wondering if you will always have to have a clicker available in the future since you are training the dog with it now? If you are out somewhere and can't find your clicker, is the dog going to respond to verbal commands or sign language at some point without the use of a clicker?
It seems to me that during training you would need to have clickers everywhere; car, several at home, in coat pockets, etc. Am I over-thinking? LOL!

[Adina P]

The clicker is a tool you will use to TEACH. Once the behavior is taught and proofed...you don't need the clicker for that behavior. The clicker is not something the dog obeys, in other words any more than the dog obeys a collar or treat. It is a tool for learning. ...it's a tool that you use WHILE you teach. So if you're not done teaching something you probably wouldn't want to try it in public anyway. There are also other verbal things you can teach your dog to respond to like the clicker.

But if you go to the park FOR CLICKER training (for training in a new environment) it is a good idea to bring one with you. Plus they are cheap so you can buy one to keep in the car, one at home, and your DH can have one too. I wouldn't let the kids use it until YOU are good at it or unless they can read along the lesson plan with you. There is skill involved...skill you will get better at as you go...like any other training.

Finally, they do teach you how to use a verbal marker too if you decide you don't like using the physical clicker (the principles of training are the KEY more than the physical clicker....though in my opinion it is easier to be consistent with a clicker that ALWAYS sounds the same).

P.S. even in traditional training that involves corrections (or merely other methods) you always need to have your tools on hand WHEN you plan to teach or proof, etc. When I trained Rosco on basic obedience via a method that uses corrections...I ONLY asked him to do certain things during training times. But I would do training at the park, at Home Depot, I would set up training situations all over so that the dog can generalize.

[sandy b]

I have trained Max using a similar clicker method and we used verbal and hand/sign language. I only have 2 clickers - 1 for me & 1 for DH. Eventually you dog will respond w/o the clicker.

[Adina P]

Another way to think of this.
Have you ever played that game "Hot or Cold"? Where you try to guess where something is hidden or what item in the room someone is thinking of? So you walk to the couch, for instance...the person tells you COLD! SO you know that you are FAR from the right answer...so you try something else...and they say "warm" and then you try something nearby and they say "HOT" and finally you get the right answer?

Using the clicker is like that for your dog. Except it only involves marking the RIGHT behavior. Using the clicker you help the dog figure out what you want it to do. You shape the behavior...let's say the behavior you want is "Take a Bow" where the dog puts the front half of his body on the ground and butt in the air like he's taking a bow.

So with the clicker you start to shape the correct movements and practice it until you are totally sure the dog understands what you are marking as the correct movement. When the dog understands what you want he'll keep doing it to get more clicks and treats. THEN you NAME the behavior. In other words once the dog is consistently doing it...you say the cue word (Take a Bow, Bow, whatever you want to call it) as the dog does it.

THEN you say it before the dog does it so it learns to do it on cue. Then you practice some more...the dog totally gets it and does it when you say the cue word/phrase and the clicker is GONE for that trick. You don't have to use it anymore...you only have to occasionally reward the dog for doing it right.

So yes you'll have to have the clicker in the future ...because in the future you'll teach OTHER things. But NO you don't have to have the clicker with you when you expect your dog to do things it already has learned with the clicker.

[Maggie Mae (n Mom, Kay)]

Thanks for the responses. All good information to know and it makes sense.