Learning About Dogs - all about Clicker Training

Discovery of Clicker Training

Clicker training is based on the development of behaviour analysis in the 50's by Keller Breland, Marian Breland Bailey and Bob Bailey, from principles largely credited to Professor B F Skinner of Harvard University. It was developed through training marine mammals and very sadly did not reach the dog trainer's world until recent years.

An experiment with the "Skinner Box" involved placing the learner (very often a rat or pigeon) in a box devoid of all external stimulation, ie no objects, no view, nothing to interact with. The only item in the box was a feeding dish and access to the feeding dish from a tube. This box could be observed by the researcher who could also dispense food (rewards) at the touch of a button.

Many things came out of this research but in particular importance to us were these key things:

1. The animal would return to doing what it was doing when the food dispenser "clicked" to release the food (reward), not what it was actually doing whilst being rewarded (ie eating)

2. The experimenter could shape the behaviour by controlling the timing of the "click"

3. The experimenter could improve results by increasing the quantity/quality of the reward

This was contrary to established training methods which if they employ reward is planned such that the reward is delivered as the dog is doing the required action, ie "praise in the sit".

Karen Pryor bought the application of the principles into our homes, developing the "clicker" (the dolphin trainers use a whistle), and has pioneered clicker training in many areas. Although since the boom in clicker training I have noticed a few more people claiming ownership.

If you are more interested in exploring the underlying principles the internet offers rich resources to explore. You may find that most exponents are quite attached to their jargon and it can take some getting used to.

Practically all university psychology programmes involve the Skinner Box, the technical term for the rat is the "operant" (or operand) and the principle is "bridging". You will often find the clicker referred to as a "bridge" or "marker" (it "marks" a behaviour), and in the case of a clicker a bridge between a reward and a behaviour. The operant becomes conditioned to the bridge - hence Operant Conditioning. (and that's probably the last time we'll refer to it!)

Nearly all the things we teach the animals will be referred to as "behaviours", some will be actions, some will be responses, some emotions etc, but all are "behaviours". Many behaviours go to make up an exercise, such as retrieve.