Clicker Training Explained
As i explained here, it was B.F. Skinner who experimented with operant conditioning and positive reinforcers. Two of his students, psychologists Keller and Marian Breland, pioneered commercial applications of operant conditioning when they created Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE) in 1942. ABE was the first company to offer positive training services. They initially planned to teach dog training using positive methods. They thought people would flock to them to learn their new methods. But traditional dog training was immensely popular at that time and their positive training methods couldn't make any headway. Instead, the Brelands moved into training animals for television shows and commercials. They also became involved in training dolphin trainers for the US Navy. Eventually, it was this latter connection which brought their methods of positive reinforcement to the notice of dog trainers.
Dolphin trainer Karen Pryor became an authority on operant conditioning and the methods used by the Brelands. Her 1984 book Don't Shoot The Dog! actually wasn't about dog training at all, but it was about applying the principles of positive reinforcement to your life and changing behavior. It wasn't long before the principles of positive reinforcement that Pryor used with marine animals were being applied to training dogs. Pryor is the person who created the clicker used in clicker training. Her training methods quickly spread as the Internet took off in the 1990s.
So, how does clicker training work? What's the theory behind it?
It's pretty simple, really. Your dog does something you like and you click to "mark" it. This lets the dog know exactly what it is that you like. Then you reward. If you do this several times, your dog will make the connection and know why he's getting a reward. If you time things correctly and you're consistent, it's all very easy and fun, and your dog learns quickly.
The theory is that you are conditioning your dog to do something and to be motivated to repeat the performance. Your dog learns that he can earn rewards by doing things that you want him to do.
The advantage of clicker training is that it is fun for you and your dog. Training becomes like a game. You don't have yelling or hitting or the kinds of punishments that you have with traditional dog training. And, it seems to work with all dogs. Who wouldn't prefer to respond to something positive instead of punishment?