The Well-Tempered Pet, Madison Pet Gazette, May 1997

By Sharon Savage, M.S.

Remember playing "hide the thimble" as a child? Despite the only clues being "cold", "warm", and hot!" these words gave enough direction and encouragement that it was virtually impossible not to find the thimble.

Contrast this game with traditional animal training. We show animals what not to do through "aversives" (leash jerks, rein pressure) instead of providing information about what we do want. In "hide the thimble," this would be equivalent to bellowing "NO!" at the players any time they took a step that was not toward the thimble. Worse yet, the directions to our game (commands) are given in a foreign language. No wonder most species refuse to participate!

Now there is an alternative: a scientifically based training method called "Click and Treat." Popularized by former dolphin trainer Karen Pryor, clicker training provides animals with useful information about training objectives. This information helps animals discover how to perform behaviors the same way the word "hot!" announces impending success for thimble hunters. Clicker training has been used successfully on over 150 species--including cockatiels, iguanas and mules--and is increasingly used to train competition obedience and agility dogs.

A clicker costs about $2 and consists of a flexible metal strip inside a two-inch plastic box. The "treat" may be anything your pet desires, like food, play, or petting. You start by pairing the sound of the clicker with the treat. If you were using food, for example, you'd click once and pop a treat in your pet's mouth. After 20-100 repetitions, the animal will start looking around for his treat (the "thimble") whenever he hears the click ("hot!").

Next, wait until your pet does a behavior you'd like him to do more often. Catch your pet sitting, for example, click, and give him a treat. At first, he might not consciously know what is causing the windfall. Nevertheless, he'll soon start sitting a lot more often, hoping to get you to click him. Some behaviors can be initiated by "luring" the animal into position with a toy or tidbit. A dog that is seated, for example, can be encouraged to lie down by moving a treat between his front paws.

Unlike traditional training, commands are added only after the desired behavior is occurring predictably. When your pet sees a treat and starts offering "downs" like crazy, simply add the phrase "Max, down" as he performs the behavior. After the behavior is on cue, treats can be reduced and given at random intervals.

The most elegant way to use clicker training is called "shaping". Say you want your parakeet to spin in a circle, something he never does on his own. Luring might work, but he'll learn the trick faster if he's not concentrating on the treat. Instead, be patient and wait until he accidentally turns his head to the left. Now, click and treat. After a few repetitions, up the ante and only click for more extreme head turns. By moving in tiny increments, your parakeet will soon spin 360° for a single click/treat.