# Clicker Training - is the click a release? Noah and I have started doing training sessions every night before bed again.  We were pretty lax for a while, but we're back into it now.  Anyway, we came across a question tonight that I hadn't thought of before... does the click double as a release, or do you click and then expect the dog to hol… ## Thread In Behavior · started by hondru · 5 replies - **Category:** [Behavior](https://nihonken.org/community/c/behavior) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## hondru (moderator) · 2008-02-23T03:46:40.000Z Noah and I have started doing training sessions every night before bed again.  We were pretty lax for a while, but we're back into it now.  Anyway, we came across a question tonight that I hadn't thought of before... does the click double as a release, or do you click and then expect the dog to hold the command until you release?  For example, if I say "sit" and the dog sits, I click, then is the dog allowed to break the sit because I have clicked, or must the dog wait until I give the release word ("Okay!")?   By the way, I am so glad we're getting back into this!  I had forgotten how much fun the pups had with clicker training!  Tojo especially goes crazy when he can hear me clicker training someone else, he gets really excited and he wants to be a part of it.  I also started clicker training Ridley.  I haven't started teaching him any tricks yet, just conditioning him.  So far it's working because he also gets excited when he hears the clicker.  He has to go in a kennel while I train one of the pups. ## Edgewood · 2008-02-23T10:22:44.000Z Heidi,  The way I was trained to clicker train and that works very well for me is that the click is the "yes" that is what I want, but NOT the release. I use the word OK to release. For instance, the dog should be attempting to do the behavior (say sitting), when he gets it, you click, if he moves I go "uh uh" and usually they go back to what they got the click for (in this case sitting). If the "uh uh" didn't work, I put the dog back to the spot where I had given the command and put them back into the position (say sitting if that was what they were originally doing) and I do NOT repeat my sit command. You don't want to repeat the command because you want them to learn that the first time you give a command it really means something, (if you keep saying sit, sit, sit, SIT, they learn to ignore the first command till they get the more firm command). Clicker training is really good for refining the behavior you trained once they have learned it. That is how you get the really refined obedience skills (like finising to front perfectly straight or flipping to heel position). In regards to the release, my dogs are trained to hold whatever command I gave last without moving. So, if I say sit and walk away, they should stay sitting there and not move or lay down. Same with down, they should stay down and not sit up. If I want to reinforce the command (say I am going out of site to another room), I will give the one command (eg, down) and then the stay command. With practice you can get them to stay and not move either laying, sitting or standing (ie, stand for exam in obedience tests where you have to step away 6 ft and they have to stay standing). A couple things that I feel are important with clicker training are to periodically reinforce the "click" by giving small treats in succession after the each click (at the beginning of the session or every other sesssion). During training, using variable reinforcement (Psych 101) will improve the response when combined with the clicker training. By this I mean, every so often during the training session, give a piece of treat along with the click. Make it random and not on a pattern (animals can quickly determine the pattern of reward) so that the dog never knows when the "bonus" treat is coming and keeps working hard. Cut your treats into small pieces and make certain that they are yummy treats (to a dog 20 pennies/small pieces is more paycheck than 1 quarter/large piece of food). Also, keep sessions short, especially with young dogs. It is much better to do 10 five minute sessions over the day than one long hour session, especially with a puppy. Keep an upbeat voice so that the dog thinks it is fun and looks forward to working and pleasing you. And finally, remember to say your command only once so that they learn to respond the first time. And as a side note, since you have multiple dogs. When I had 3 dogs, I would put 2 in another room while I trained 1. Then I would rotate thru to the others. IT was funny because they all so enjoyed the training (and the chance for a "paycheck"--food) that they competed to see who could be the first to start training. Good luck! I love dog training ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-07-29T16:55:46.000Z YAY! I'm so glad there is a thread on this already! (i'm sorta bumping it for myself..) Edgewood, amazing explanation!! We started Hachi on clicker training... for now we're using the lid to a snapple bottle because the sound of the actual clicker we had scared her, the snapple bottle is muffled and doesn't scare her. Is this a better method of training for a fearful dog than say basic obedience with word commands? I feel it is, there is no emotion in the clicker, whereas my voice can sometimes show an emotion and less arm movements which I feel is counter productive, at least with her. Any thoughts? Or advice for clicker training? ## kwyld · 2008-07-29T17:20:51.000Z I have started bringing Taj to beginning obedience and she is and always has been a pretty fearful Shiba. She used to squint and jump into the air when I started using a clicker with her and she hated it. For some reason within the last 2 weeks of using it and super yummy treats, the click doesn't bother her anymore and I never had to use the Snapple bottle top(which I was instructed to try to use for her because she didn't like the loud click). She is animated and precise while using the clicker and I think prefers it over my praise. ## Edgewood · 2008-07-29T17:46:05.000Z "Is this a better method of training for a fearful dog than say basic obedience with word commands? I feel it is, there is no emotion in the clicker, whereas my voice can sometimes show an emotion and less arm movements which I feel is counter productive, at least with her." I have never trained a fearful dog, but if she is really sensitive to tone of voice, you might try training her using clicker training with hand signals (instead of verbal commands). You may need to have a trainer show you the "official" hand signals for down, sit, stand, come, etc. But to a dog, hand signals are just as easy to learn as verbal ones (and there is no emotion conveyed with the hand signal). They are learning a "new" language any way -- whether it is verbal or nonverbal. When training something new, remember to click when they get "close" to the behavior. As they get the idea of what behavior you "want", click only when they get closer to the behavior you are looking for. Eg, when they are learning at first, anytime they "sit" you click, but as you go on training, you only click when they sit "straight and in line with you at heel position". Make sense? ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-07-29T17:53:56.000Z it makes a great deal of sense! thank you very much. She is more sensitive to my husband's voice period, with me she will do as I ask when I ask, we have no issues between her and I with training, but she is just so skittish with men, or just my man (who is tall, dark haired with facial hair and has a looming sort of voice), so for him to begin successfully training with her, I think clicker is the only way to go. I ordered a pamphlet a couple weeks ago by Karen Pryor for him to read, but your explanation is awesome, I'm emailing it to him - if thats ok! he's never done any clicker training.. i started with the foster basset but he was adopted before we got really good with it. :) --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)