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The
simple wisdom of the "hot/cold" game goes a long way toward
creating a workable and effective way to communicate with
another species. In essence, the timing of the hot and cold
signals act to link desired behaviors to the correct consequences.
This gives the animal enough information to solve the puzzle,
a good reason to do it and a way to react automatically, the
next time a similar situation appears. Rather than forcing
animals into constrictive behavioral molds, clicker training
lays foundations for behavior that rely heavily on the animal's
own abilities to learn. This reliance helps build a strong
bond between the trainer and the animal that makes learning
a matter of teamwork more than dominance.
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Why use a clicker as the
"hot" signal
instead of verbal praise?
- The
clicker accurately identifies correct
behavior.
Because the clicker is faster than verbal
praise, it is more precise. In the time
it takes to say "good boy" an animal may
perform the desired behavior and then
move to an unwanted response, before the
praise has time to register. In this scenario,
the animal can't tell if the trainers
liked the "sit" or the "jumping up on
the trainer" that occurred a split second
later
- The
clicker can also work well from a distance.
It is impractical to try to toss a treat
at an animal's mouth at the exact moment
that a desirable behavior occurs. The
clicker bridges the gap from the instant
the animal performs the correct response
and the time it takes to actually deliver
a treat -- you can click in a timely fashion
and then deliver the treat as much as
three or four seconds later. With clicker
training, the timing of the click is far
more important (and practical) than the
timing of the treat.
- The
clicker can take your dog's mind off the
actual reinforcement.
Some pets, (mostly dogs) are so food-crazy
that they cannot learn new behaviors in
the presence of treats. Once you let the
clicker control the delivery of treats,
the pet quickly learns that nothing is
forthcoming until he hears the sound of
the click. This quickly translates into
a patient and focused pet who will concentrate
on the behavior first and then think of
the reward.
- The
clicker defines the end of the behavior.
When teaching a dog to stay, for instance,
the click indicates how long the animal
must remain in one spot before a reinforcement
is possible. Since the dog knows the behavior
isn't rewarded until after the click happens,
it takes away much of the anxiety associated
with teaching "stay."
- The
clicker is a construction tool that is
used in the formative stages of learning.
Once the behavior is well established,
the clicker goes back into your training
kit and verbal praise is used as the information
signal to maintain the behavior.
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Find
out more about clicker training and other pet pointers
on Gary
Wilkes' Web site. 
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