A puppys guide to clicker training! 🐶
I've seen so many mutuals saying they want to be clicker trained or want to clicker train their gfs, but I haven't seen any concise starter guides. So I'm writing my own! This is intended as an intro, and is mostly focused on what being clicker trained is like for me personally. It is primarily based from the perspective of the trainer, but should still be useful for any pets reading!
Adding links to my other clicker training posts here.
Rewards Tricks
Loading
Loading is the process of attaching pleasure to the clicker. It's a prerequisite to the training cycle, but it is easy to do and fun!
It's important to click first and then immediately do something pleasurable to the pet. Headpats, hugs work well. (Trainer's note: So does thrusting into a consenting pet)
You can spend a lot of time associating pleasure with the clicker, but generally you only need to do the process 3-4 times for it to start sticking.
Training Cycle
Cueing->Trick->Reward->Reset->Cueing->..
Cueing/Shaping
The process for cueing depends on the shaping style, and changes as the pet learns how to properly do their trick. The main difference between styles is how early you add the cue. Generally, the more work you make the pet do in learning the trick, before introducing a cue, the longer the conditioning will last before fading away.
Warm Shaping starts training with a cue that does not immediately make obvious what is expected, but provides a clue. This style is a good choice for responding to physical stimuli, rather than a verbal cue.
Two of the cues of tricks i learned with warm shaping, are a hand on the side of my face and a hand under my chin.
Hand on the side of my face means hold eye contract and pay attention.
Hand under my chin means tilt my head up and expose my neck.
Neither of these cues told me what to do but help lead to the correct behavior, which then gets reinforced.
(Trainer's note: If you're feeling mean and your puppy send you this post, consider training these cues to do something else. It'll be adorable.)
Cold Shaping starts with no cueing at all, and the pet needs to experiment and try different behaviors until they get close enough to the correct behavior and are rewarded. This style works well for tricks that you want to eventually verbally cue, and you would attach the cue once the pet has the correct behavior figured out.
Trick
This is where the pet responds to the cue, or tries to figure what the correct behavior is.
For the pet depending on the warmth of the shaping you'll have to do more or less experimentation. The first few cycles of a new cold shaped trick you'll likely get a reward for getting anywhere close to what's intended. But then you will have to get closer and closer to correct behavior to continue getting rewards.
For the trainer you need to focus on when exactly to give the reward. When just getting started with a new trick you should start very generous on what is considered correct enough for a reward, and gradually raise the bar until the pet is doing what you intend. For cold shaping depending on the trick this may take a decent number of cycles before you start getting anywhere.
If you are trying to raise the bar and the pet fails more than 3-4 times, go back to clicking for what was correct 3-4 times for positive reinforcement, before trying to raise again.
Reward <3
The reward almost exactly the same as the earlier loading phase. You might need to adjust the intensity or duration of the reward used in the loading phase to make it fit the pace of the training cycle. You still want to reward in training to continue reinforcing the clickers attachment to pleasure.
For me i get immediate praise (good boy(like a dog), good job, etc.) and head scratches/pets. You can get creative with the reward, but it should be pretty short from the trick -> click -> reward or it makes the conditioning harder.
Reset!
At the end of the cycle you need to cue the pet to know that we're starting over at cueing. This is important in helping the pet understand what the cue is and what the wrong behavior is. Doing a reset instead of a reward is a strong signal that the behavior is either wrong or that the pet needs to do more if their previous behavior no longer elicits a reward.
A good reset is walking away from the pet and having them come to you when they are ready to give it another try. Walking in a circle and coming back to the pet also works for situations that it's harder for the pet to follow. This is also helpful in reminding the pet that your training can happen in spaces other than the room you're in. If you can, try reinforcing in public!
Frequency.
Conditioning works best with short frequent sessions. My trainings are on the sparse side at 2x per week for 5-10 minutes. If I lived with my gf and we worked from home we would aim for closer to 2x daily 5 minutes sessions. Make do with the frequency that works for you.
Safety considerations
Negotiation
Discuss what kind of tricks are on the table to be conditioned. Stay away from cues that might occur in unintended, unsafe, or unwanted situations. Consider what are possible worst case situations and decide if that's a risk the pet is willing to accept.
RACK is Risk Aware & Accepting Consensual Kink.
Some risks cannot be fully mitigated.
Even if a cue can be ignored, doing so might come with a lot of discomfort and stress.
Control
The pet owning their clicker helps reinforce that the tricks the pet learns are their own and it is their decision who gets to use them. The trainer gets the joy of training them in but they have no right to use or access beyond what is given by the pet.
This can also help add more structure to training sessions, with a ritual of the pet handing their clicker over at the start and getting it back at the end. (This doesn't always have to be the case, and it is very fun to eventually branch into clicking in public.)
Aftercare!
Starting with a simple trick (like the staring one) allows you to end a session on a high note, even if you and the pet are unable to make much progress on a more complex trick. Then after, traditional aftercare rules apply, figure out what both of you need and make sure each other is cared for and appreciated.
Misc Notes
Food treats generally don't work as chewing takes too long and can form an association with eating instead of the clicker.
An additional form of cueing is hot shaping, where the cue is provided immediately. This is not one we use in my trainings.
(Trainer's note: This is not one it notices that we use in our training.)
Conditioning does fade with time but depends on the trick, how the pet feels about the trick, the particular trick, and other things that you can't account for.
With clicker training it is hard to modify a trick after it's been conditioned, and usually just ends up muddying the response.
(Trainer's note: Clicking, like practice, makes specific responses permanent. Activities that work best with lot of variation aren't good choices. Like getting head.)
This guide has been focused on the bare minimum to prevent being overwhelmed with information, or stressing the pet you train with. It does not need to be so structured as I setup, but it was very helpful for it to be that way for me (primarily for autism reasons).
Trainer's note: Here are some additional resources that helped get me started https://sexnerdsandra.libsyn.com/pavlovian-sex-human-clicker-training-with-miss-holly https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/662336.Karen_Pryor_Getting_Started And then the more serious text on brainwashing, which does add good depth to the psychology, but isn't specifically about clicker training: https://sleepingirl.gumroad.com/l/QuncQ
Ok have fun be safe! Feel free to ask me follow up questions!
And as a serious note remember just like so many kink things, clicker training is a tool that is misused elsewhere. Consent is key.
