Surely you've heard about clicker dog training. Let's
find out what this is!
English Bulldog clicker training is not a saving for
lazy owners, vice versa, it's harder work with the dog.
Clicker Dog Training - Origin
This training is based on classical conditioning, when
the dog is trained to get food when the bell had rung. This was
the beginning of clicker dog training.
Training with clicker itself was invented by Karen
Pryor, famous dog trainer in the USA.
The differences of clicker
training from the other methods:
1. No punishment. Positive action is rewarded, negative
– ignored.
2. Creative development. The dog offers actions itself.
The main advantages of English
Bulldog clicker training:
Clicker is used only for Bulldog training and not in
its everyday life.
Clicker has always the same sound.
Clicker is very handy in use.
Bulldog may not to hear another one learning stimulus in the
noise while clicker signal is very well distinguished among the
other sounds. Moreover, clicker is perceived by the dogs at a
distance perfectly.
Dog clicker sounds very quickly. It's very often used
for tricks teaching and for Bulldog training also. It should be
mentioned that if one can't explain the Bulldog what to do with
the help of usual methods (positive reward dog training),
clicker won't help, but improve away.
How to Train Your English
Bulldog with the Help of Dog Clicker?
Let's find out through the example of "Down" command
learning.
Click – Treat
First of all we get Bulldog used to click and reinforce
trained reflex: click-dog treat.
Do this in such a way: take small pieces of dry dog treats,
which your Bulldog likes most of all. It's better to prepare 25
pieces, no more, because you can get engrossed with training and
the dog may be sick and tired of the process. Take dog training
clicker and start: click-treat.
Divide 25 treats for several attempts with breaks
(5x5). Change the interval between the click and the treat
giving. Sometimes give the treat at once after the click,
sometimes – in one-two seconds. Habituation will become in
two-three days.
If your Bulldog becomes excited when see clicker or after click,
it's high time to go on to the next stage.
Action-Click-Treat
Now we start English Bulldog training to run a command.
There are two variants of dog command training with
clicker:
1. When Bulldog do some actions itself, showing its
creative skills. You are waiting until Bully do what you need,
f.e., sits down, then you click and reward the dog with the
treat.
2. When you direct the dog to make an action – to sit
down. As soon as the action has been made, you click and treat
the Bulldog.
Dog command "Down" hasn't been told yet in both variants.
Go on to the next stage of English Bulldog clicker training when
the dog will sit down without any help.
Action-Click-Command-Treat
Here we start giving the command "Down". As soon as
your English Bulldog has sit down, click, give the command
"Down" and only then reward the dog with the treat. 5x5
attempts.
Action-Command-Click-Treat
Try to give dog command "Down". If English Bulldog has
run it, then click and give the treat to the dog. Do this
several times, if Bully sits down not at every command, back to
the previous stage and improve the dog's skills.
Then comes Bulldog's skills reinforcement in various
situations, at distractions, to control the dog's temper.
After the command had been completely improved, we stop
clicking, but still reward with treats. We make this accidently,
not constantly, so that the Bulldog hadn't lost its interest of
the command and it hadn't faded. For example: treat your Bulldog
when it run the command completely and right, or after two
properly performed commands, the main point is to be
unpredictable, otherwise the dog will get used. You need to vary
the time of treating.
Don't forget to reward your Bulldog with voice and stroking – these are also very important actions. Give your Bulldog treats less often, but don't deprive the dog of this pleasure. The dog should be rewarded even rarely to encourage the motivation of training. When Bulldog had learned the command, continue further dog commands training.
Useful tools for English Bulldog training, click on
the pictures!
Read also about 18
biggest dog training mistakes.