Train With Your Brain!

Clicker Training... Operant Conditioning... These are some kind of "new age", "warm and fuzzy" methods of dog training for folks that are into "crystals and pyramids", right ?

Not even close! Thses principles of behavioral science have been around for many years. Pavlov talked about respondent conditioning back in the 19th century. Thorndike published his "Law of Effect" in 1911. It was B.F. Skinner who first fully described the principles of operant conditioning in his 1938 work "The Behavior of Organisms". In the 1950's Skinner, Breland, and others were teaching animals using clickers. But it wasn't until the 1980's that dog trainers began to learn how to apply the principles of operant conditioning, largely through the works of Karen Pryor. But now it is the 21st century and while clicker training is becoming more widely known, I would venture to guess that many dog trainiers are still using some form of "jerk and praise".

So what is operant conditioning? The conditioning of operants, right? Well, yes... but a simpler way to think of it is that operant conditoning is based on the fact that the consequences of a behavior determine whether or not that behavior will be repeated. Read that again - the consequences of a behavior determine whether or not that behavior will be repeated.

A reinforcer is something that makes a behavior more likely to reoccur.

A primary reinforcer is anything the animal will work for - typically something that fulfills a biological or social need. This would include things like food, water, sex, social interaction, play, petting, etc.

Now, when an animal receives a primary reinforcer at the moment a desired behavior occus, it is likely that that behavior will be repeated. However, it is sometimes difficult to deliver that reinforcer at the precise moment that the behavior happens.

Here enter the conditioned reinforcer or bridging stimulus. The conditioned reinforcer, the click of the clicker, having been consistently paired or associated with the primary reinforcer, food, play, etc., through multiple repetitions, comes to represent the primary reinforcer.

That sentence might sound a little complicated, but the dog doesn't know that ! What the dog very quickly learns is the bottom line - click equals treat. And the best part? The dog can make the click happen by offering some particular behavior. The dog thinks this is very cool!

Once the dog has this association, and once the handler has developed some skill with timing the clicks, it is truly amazing how quickly our doggie friends can learn. Without negative reinforcement or punishment, without stress and with enjoyment! Thsi fosters a deeper bond between dog and owner. Pople and dogs love this kind of training.

You can learn more about how to apply the use of the clicker in the training of your dog by taking a class at DOGSNME Dog Sports.