Pawise Training Clicker

Clicker training is a very animal-friendly and effective training method that can be used with all animal species.
This clicker from Pawise is easy to attach to your wrist, trousers, or belt during training.

The training method
A clicker is a small box containing a metal plate. When you press it, a metallic click can be heard. Clicker training is a form of training where the animal learns to associate its own behavior with an event in the environment. In practice, this means that when the animal displays desired behavior, it is rewarded by the owner. The animal will want to show the desired behavior more often because it leads to something positive. Undesired behavior yields nothing and is not punished. This makes this method of training very animal-friendly. To give an example of how this learning method works: if a dog, for instance, knocks over a trash can once (own behavior) and then finds food (positive consequence), it will start to show this behavior more often. On the other hand, if it does this several times without finding food (no reward for the behavior), this behavior will eventually disappear.

Teaching
Clicker training is primarily used to teach new skills; once the animal understands the exercise well and performs it correctly, the clicking is phased out. With this method, you can not only teach new commands but also address unwanted behavior (such as pulling on the leash, lunging at other dogs, etc.). Originally, clicker training was mainly applied to dolphins and wild animals. Today, it is a widely used method for training dogs as well. There are even owners who use the clicker to train cats, rabbits, birds, etc.

Advantages
The clicker always makes the same sound ('click'). This is a very clear signal for the dog, often clearer than a word or sound you make yourself. One of the main advantages of using a clicker is that you can time it with second-by-second accuracy. With a click, you can reward desired behavior. Training methods using, for example, only food as a reward are often given too late, unintentionally rewarding other behavior.

Click sound
Some dogs are initially a bit hesitant or even afraid of the sound, but this is often easily remedied by muffling the sound (by holding the clicker behind your back) or by using a clicker that can produce a softer sound. It is often said that the clicker is not suitable for group training because dogs may react to the clickers of other owners. In that case, a clicker with different tones can be used. In practice, however, we see that this problem hardly ever occurs when training is done with focus.

Clicker training in practice
First of all, the dog must learn that a click is a predictor of a reward. This is taught by clicking and immediately giving the dog a training treat or food. Once the dog understands this, you can proceed to teaching specific exercises. In the beginning, you click (and therefore reward) for every good 'attempt' at the exercise. The dog can be encouraged toward this 'attempt' through gestures. In some cases, you simply wait until the dog spontaneously makes an attempt. As an example: if you want to teach a dog to stand from a sitting position, you initially click (and reward) for the slightest lifting of the hindquarters. After a few repetitions, the click is delayed slightly longer to demand more and more of the desired exercise from the dog. You proceed in this way until the dog masters the exercise perfectly. Only then is a command linked to the exercise. Once the entire exercise is performed well on command, the clicking for it is phased out. In this way, the dog also starts to think for itself and look for what is being asked of it. Owners who use clicker training more frequently sometimes also use a short game as a reward instead of food.

In short, clicker training is not only a very effective but, above all, an incredibly fun way of training and interacting with your four-legged friend!