I was recently asked to visit the Curran-Fromhold facility which is part of the Philadelphia Prison System. My good friend, Nicole Larocco (the former head of behavior and training for the PSPCA), is part of a new program in the prison that was initiated by Marian Marchese. Inmates with no previous experience with dog training are […]
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I have been training dogs for years and have not always been a “clicker trainer.” I am what is known in the clicker training world as a “cross-over trainer,” having used more traditional methods before becoming a convert to clicker training. In the 1980s and 1990s, I was not aware of operant conditioning, clicker training methods; however, I always […]
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Children hugging and kissing dogs are two of the most common reasons for dog bites. Dogs are not primates and interpret hugging and people staring into their eyes as threat displays.
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If you have ever experienced other dog training programs, you are aware of how stressed a dog can become just prior to and during the training. No creature likes to be punished and traditional training is punishment. You will truly be amazed to be around a dog impatient and enthusiastic to begin a training session. Training is work but wouldn’t you rather work for a carrot than a stick? It is awfully nice to be able to look forward to going to work.
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How would this method of teaching work in training a dog? I think we all can agree that most dogs like treats. In clicker training the dog first learns that when he hears the click-click sound he gets a treat. After that, while in a room with his trainer, the puppy is walking around the room and sits down. That behavior is “marked” by his trainer with a click and then he is treated. The dog is thinking, “What was that all about?” He walks around some more and happens to sit down. Again he is clicked and treated. After a couple more times of clicking and treating he starts catching on to something. If he sits down he gets food. This is great and he starts sitting down all over the place.
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