Clicker Training for Dogs: Pros and Cons

Dogs are known as “a man’s best friend”. Training your dog is important to make them well-behaved, obedient, and safe. It can be a fun and rewarding experience for both you and your dog. Speaking of reward, here, we will show you in detail everything you need to know about the Clicker Training for dogs. 

What is Clicker Training?

Clicker training is a type of scientific and reward-based training to communicate with your dog where a clicker is used to tell them that they did a good job. It also works as a signal that indicates to your dog that they have just earned a reward. 

So what’s the point of the click when you can just reward your dog (through food or toy) instead? It simply means that the treat is coming and it is a lot faster than to grab the treat out of your pocket and then give it to the dog. 

You can use the clicker to let your dog know when and how exactly they did the right thing. The sound of the click is used as a mark for good behavior. You can use this type of training instead of traditional training as it helps the dogs learn faster and more effectively. 

To master the clicker training, you need to show your dog what the clicker does i.e., introduce your dog to the clicker when it does something good. Be consistent in using the clicker as a part of training. At a time, the clicking sound itself becomes a great reward system for the dog as they learn through it that their owner appreciates their work and will give them a treat.

Clicker training can also be used to carry out desired actions and commands. It can also be used to get the attention of a dog that’s not sure about what is going on around them. Use the clicker to teach your dog certain commands. You can also use vocal commands along with the click, like ‘sit’. It makes the training process more efficient.

Pros of Clicker Training for Dogs

• Positive Reinforcement-Based
• Fast and Effective Learning
• Reduces Fear and Anxiety
• Perfect for Distance Training
• Fun for dogs

Cons of Clicker Training for Dogs

• Requires Patience and Consistency
• Dependency on the Clicker
• Requires Proper Timing
• Potential for Overuse/Misuse
• Not Ideal for All Dogs and Owners

Pros of Clicker Training for Dogs: Why Should You Use It?

The clicker training is mostly a fun and positive reinforcement-based technique that results in the dog learning faster and more effectively, reducing their fear and anxiety, can train them from a distance, and has many other advantages. Now, we will look into the advantages and reasons why you should use clicker training for dogs below:

Positive Reinforcement-Based

It is a form of positive reinforcement-based training that involves marking and reinforcing the behavior and the activity you like rather than marking the behavior you don't like. The reward system for good behavior is important to make your dog feel appreciated and motivated. Here’s how it can be done:

• Proper timing is important. The reward must occur immediately or within seconds after the desired action and behavior. Late rewards can cause them to think that they are being rewarded for the wrong action (for example, standing up instead of sitting).

• Use short commands and rewards as dogs don’t understand sentences, but body language and signs. Commands like sit, stay, wait etc. and signs like point down, one finger up, arm to side etc. can work.

• Rewards like food, toys, petting etc. are good reward systems for the dogs. Consistency is important to make sure that the dog knows the forms of reward for the desired behavior.

• You can also use shaping, which is a way to build new behaviors in dogs by training them slowly through small steps or a treat lure. Through this technique, you can lure your dog into the desired behavior by offering them treats.

Fast and Effective Learning

Clicker training can be preferred over traditional training as it can help the dogs learn about the desired behavior faster and more effectively. While traditional training may sometimes cause confusion, the click marks and pinpoints the exact moment your dog did the right thing, so they don’t get confused. Here’s how clicker training results in fast and effective learning:

• Timely clicking and proper marking allows precise communication, which makes the dog learn about the desired behavior faster.

• The clicker’s sound is a very precise marker which makes it easier for your dog to understand what exactly you want them to do and when.

• You can use simple vocal commands like ‘sit’ or ‘stay’ while using the clicker for your dog to understand exactly what you want them to do. This helps them learn faster, even more advanced commands can become easier for them to understand.

Reduces Fear and Anxiety

Clicker training is a good way to specifically train a fearful and anxious dog. It can be highly effective in calming aggression and giving a fearful dog confidence. As it is a systematic process, it can help a dog face their fears from their early days.

The Process: You shall use the clicker as a tool to mark the behavior you want to see more from your dog. Then you can reward them with a treat. It can teach your dog to focus and pay attention to you and your commands rather than what causes their fear and anxiety.

Refrain from punishing the dog as most of the time they act out of fear. Punishing them may actually increase their fear and aggression. Through clicker training, you can make them focus on what you want them to do as it guarantees them a reward instead of making them aware about things you don’t want them to do.

In this way, the dog will focus on their good activities and overcome their fears and anxiety.

Perfect for Distance Learning

Clicker training is the perfect means of training your dog from a distance. As it is a scientific and reward-based training technique, it is easier to teach your dog about your desired behavior even when you are not close to them. Here’s how:

• The distinct sound of the click stays in the dog’s memory, making them remember which command to follow and when they are being rewarded. 

• In case the dogs hear the click even from a distance, they will realize that they are being rewarded or praised for doing the right thing. So, they will run towards you after hearing the click because they know that the treat is coming.

• As the clicker establishes a trained response by marking desired behaviors, you can use the clicker to give commands from a distance (for example, 50 yards away). If the dog has been trained well, they will follow your command at that moment.

Fun for Dogs

Clicker training is fun for both the dogs and their owners. It uses a distinct and consistent signal to mark a desired behavior in a specific time and then follows that behavior with a motivating reward. Proper clicker training can result in rewarding outputs like: 

• Creating a fun learning environment that rewards both you and your dog.

• Makes the dog aware about what their owner wants from them but in a more quick, fun and effective manner.

• Build a strong relationship between the owner and the dog, and train the dog to be more human-friendly and playful.

• The rewarding atmosphere that the clicker training creates encourages exploration and the initiative to try new things.

So, from the above discussion, we can come to know a lot about the advantages and effectiveness of clicker training and why you should clicker train your dog while growing up.

Cons of Clicker Training for Dogs: Limitations and Potential Downsides

As the clicker training is effective and fun for shaping desired behaviors in dogs, there are a few limitations of it as well. It requires patience and consistency and proper timing, and may even sometimes cause confusion and overuse/misuse. We are providing below the limitations and potential downsides of clicker training in details to make you aware about them:

Requires Patience and Consistency

Shaping your dog’s behavior requires patience and consistency to make sure your dog learns in a positive and encouraging environment. It is, in the end, a systematic process that teaches your dog step by step on what behavior you want from them.

• Consistency and repetition is required to solidify the association between the click, the behavior and the reward. 

• You have to be very patient and not get angry during the training process as it shapes up your dog’s behavior from the very start step by step.

Dependency on the Clicker

Dependency might be a big problem while using the clicker training. The dog you are training may not be able to perform without the clicker in case it depends on the sound of the click too much. Points to be noted:

• Once your dog starts to get used to your commands, slowly reduce the use of the clicker so that they don’t become dependent on the click. 

• If the use of the clicker is not reduced overtime, they will be too used to the clicker and always keep expecting a reward or treat whenever you say the command.

Requires Proper Timing

Timing is critical in order to properly train your dog to follow commands and understand for which activity they are being rewarded. Mistiming in the click may cause confusion, for example, if they are being rewarded to sit, the click must be timed after they sit. If the click is done after they stand up, they will think that they are being rewarded for standing up. 

• Wrong timing of the click might be confusing for your dog as well as frustrating for you. 

• Being too late or too early with the click will make your training process less efficient and result in delay of training your dog. 

• It is important to start with consistency in maintaining quick timing of the click. Once the dog is trained well and is used to it, the timing of the click may last up to longer periods. 

Potential for Overuse/Misuse

The overuse of a clicker can make your dog insensitive to the sound of the click. It may cause the clicker to be less effective as a training tool for your dog. 

• It is required to make sure that the click is being followed up by a proper reward that has meaning to the dog.  If you are using something as a treat that the dog does not find rewarding, the clicker may begin to lose its meaning. 

• Some owners mistakenly use the clicker as a tool to scold or punish their dogs. It is important to use it gently when your dog does something right to mark good behavior.

• Do not use the clicker without a certain purpose. It causes the dog to get used to the click sound and they will not take the click seriously later on when it actually matters.

• Do not use the clicker for every small reason. Focus on using it only when the dog carries out your desired behavior. Otherwise, the dog won’t find the specific functions important.

Not Ideal for All Dogs and Owners

Clicker training is not appropriate as the only method for training all dogs. Clickers are not the right tool for every training situation. Again, the effectiveness of the clicker training depends very much on the skill and understanding of the trainer themselves.

• Make sure that as a trainer, you are skilled enough in understanding when to use the clicker and if you are suitable for using it.

• Clickers can be very loud, and dogs have much more sensitive ears than humans do. If the dog is sensitive or has anxiety, it can be startled by the clicker. Especially if the sound of the click takes place close to its ears.

• Dogs with low attraction towards rewards like food or toys may be difficult to train as the method is reward-based.

Therefore, these are the common limitations and possible downsides of the clicker training method for dogs.

How to Decide if Clicker Training is Right for Your Dog

Clicker training is a training method that is applicable for all animals, especially dogs. Proper use of the clicker can train your dog to learn every basic behavior faster as well as complex behaviors like advanced skills/tricks or dog sports skills. But still, there are some factors that decide if clicker training is right for your dog or not. 

If you are the one training your dog, you should have a calm and confident demeanor and be able to effectively communicate with the dog. As the clicker training is a positive reinforcement-based training, you should be positive i.e., patient and consistent with your training method. Also, a rewarding mindset is necessary as it will make your dog more obedient towards you. 

Clicker training is a reward-based training method. The purpose of the clicker click sound is to mark the exact behavior or action to the incoming reward. So you have to make sure that your dog is drawn towards food, toys, or other rewarding systems. Dogs with low attraction towards food or low toy drive may be more difficult to train as they are comparatively reluctant towards the usual rewards. If the dog is fond of getting rewards, it will be easier and more suitable for you to clicker train your dog. 

End of the day, it comes down to this- to observe if your dog is positive about rewards which is the main base of the clicker training, and if you have the capability to train your dog with confidence, patience and consistency. These are the key factors that decide if clicker training is right for your dog. 

Conclusion

In almost all cases, the clicker training is the best method as it is a reward-based technique. Dogs are mostly fond of rewards and treats. So they respond positively to the sound of the click. However, remember that you need to have patience and start off simple with the use of the clicker for your dog to understand what behavior you want from them.

Consistency is key, so if you are consistent with your timing and precision, in a few weeks you will be able to make your dog more well-behaved and obedient. 

Overall, clicker training is a wonderful way to enrich your relationship with your dog. Stay with us to know more about pet habits and behaviors, tips and tricks to train your pets and necessary activities for the welfare of your pets.