Why Use Clicker Training?

Clicker training is commonly touted as the most effective means for training dogs. Is clicker training really better than other methods of dog training that use words to mark good behavior? Many dog obedience trainers and dog obedience schools think so.

Why is a click better than words? Dogs are not naturally conditioned to respond to words. A word is harder for them to distinguish than a click. A click that has been conditioned to be a positive is easier for a dog to recognize as a positive than a word is. Therefore, dogs tend to learn faster with clicks than with praise alone.

Clicking on the appropriate behavior that is being learned is easier for the dog owner than using words at the exact moment of the behavior that is being taught. If a dog owner says, “yes” at the moment a dog does something, the “yes” often occurs just after the behavior. This can impede the learning process. The timing of a quick click is easier for dog owners to learn and control.

Clicker training removes the emotional rollercoaster that training can become for both the dog and the dog owner. If a dog owner is praising a dog with words, the dog owner becomes more emotionally involved in the dog training process. With the use of a clicker, the dog owner is focused on clicking appropriate responses.

Dog clicker training is more of a mental exercise for dog and dog owner. Using praise is more emotional. If a dog fails to learn the task and praise is withheld, the dog owner may show signs of disappointment. The dog picks up on these cues. Once the dog training process becomes emotional with praise and disappointment, the learning process is damaged.

Clicker training dogs relies on positive reinforcement only. There is no punishment or coercion involved. Even withholding praise is a form of punishment known as negative punishment. So, when a dog fails to perform a behavior and the dog is not praised, it can feel like a punishment, especially since the dog owner would probably show signs of disappointment. Clicker training takes the punishment and negativity out of the dog training process by guiding the dog into appropriate action using only positive reinforcement.