What is Clicker Training?
Let’s first get some definitions out of the way so we are all on the same page. Very important in dog training to always make sure we are all using the same definitions to any terms, constructs or another word is labels.
Marker: A signal that through conditioning indicates a correct behavior that will result in reward. Typically, to be effective, the signal should be within 1.5 seconds of the behavior.
Event marker: A signal used to mark desired behavior at the instant it occurs. The clicker is an event marker.
Bridging stimulus: An event marker that identifies the desired response and “bridges” the time between the response and the delivery of the primary reinforcer. A secondary reinforcer that can be delivered with extremely precise contiguity. The clicker is a bridging stimulus which also includes stimuli such as whistles, clickers and praise words.
Ok now that we have the technical stuff out of the way we will explain in very simple terms. Ever hear a trainer say keep it simple for the dogs so they can learn and get access to reinforcers such as food? Well this is very true and one of the reasons why we use an event marker to keep it simple. Think of it as taking a picture of the behavior you wanted and letting the dog know what they just did was what earned the reinforcer. Which is why we also always hear timing is very important in dog training. An event marker takes out all the confusion when we are teaching, especially new behaviors. Therefore making it simple to understand what behavior they did lead to a reinforcer.
An event marker can be a clicker, sound, word, flashlight , whistle or even a visual signal. The most widely used is a clicker or word such as yes. A clicker is the easiest because it has the same distinct sound every time. We use the event marker anytime the dog does any behavior we want such as a sit. As soon as the dogs behind hits the floor we mark it with our marker and then introduce our reinforcer (food). It is very important to pair the marker with our reinforcer every time. Therefore the marker becomes the bridge to the reinforcer. Easiest way to remember and my favorite way to explain it is, taking a picture of the behavior you liked and marking it with our marker.
The event marker works because of classical conditioning. The marker is paired repeatedly to a reinforcer (food) or with some other very pleasurable activity. Therefore in a short period the marker is associated with a pleasurable experience and becomes pleasurable itself and a predictor of good things (reinforcer). Now we can use our tools such as prompting, luring, shaping or capturing to help teach our dogs all desired behaviors.
Classical Conditioning: Also known as Respondent Conditioning. The process of associating a neutral stimulus with an involuntary response until the stimulus elicits the response.
It doesn’t matter if you cannot treat the dog instantly every single time you mark a behavior. It might take you a few seconds to reach the dog after using your event marker, you should still always give him a reinforcer. One of the benefits of an event marker is the ability to let the dog know what he has done right with precise timing even if you cannot reward within the normal second (timing).This bridging effect allows us to reinforce behavior, even when we cannot get to the dog immediately.
In a short period the marker is associated with a pleasurable experience and becomes pleasurable itself and a predictor of good things (reinforcer). Therefore letting the dog know what they just did was what earned them the reinforcer.
The event marker works because of classical conditioning. The marker is paired repeatedly to a reinforcer (food) or with some other very pleasurable activity. Therefore in a short period the marker is associated with a pleasurable experience and becomes pleasurable itself and a predictor of good things (reinforcer).
An event marker can be a clicker, sound, word, flashlight , whistle or even a visual signal. The most widely used is a clicker or word such as yes. A clicker is the easiest because it has the same distinct sound every time.
Good trainers always set their environments up so they can control most consequences. If our dogs fail to obey a cue a good trainer will take a step back and see why things went wrong. As teachers we have to understand how dogs think and learn. If they fail we take a step back and teach our learners what is expected of them for next time we are in a similar environmental context. See Antecedent Arrangements
Clicker training as been proved to teach almost any animal from dolphins, pigeons to humans. What we are trying to accomplish when teaching an animal is an association with an action after a command or cue. We want to build a connection in their mind that performing a proper action means a reward.
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Are secondary reinforcers and event markers two different (but overlapping) types of markers or is there some other difference between markers and event markers? Are bridging stimuli and event markers the same thing just different theoretical perspectives to view it from? In the past I’ve only used praise like “good dog” (as a secondary reinforcer), I was typically using it to mark the behavior that was done correctly and then sometimes leaving that as the only reinforcer and sometimes also giving pets, play, and/or treats. When I couldn’t immediately give a primary reinforcer I’d sometimes use praise as a bridge by say “good dog” immediately upon success and again immediately before giving a treat to help minimize other differential stimuli minimizing the effect of praise (like he’s far away, so no point listening to him) and I thought of this as a bridge. When I read about the “yes” command/marker, I realized that it would be a useful addition since when I tell a dog “good dog” I often find it interrupts what they are doing. Do I understand correctly that how to use all this properly is:
*to continue using praise as I have been except only upon successful completion,
*to use “yes” or whatever event marker to mark success at an intermediate step, so it has a similar effect on behavior to telling a human “correct so far, but keep going”, and
*to not use the event marker upon successful completion or immediately before a primary reinforcer since those are the places of secondary reinforcers?
For example while potty training I plan to use an event marker when they first start to poop or pee, then again when they finish pooping, and finally, when they finish peeing or once you’ve picked up the poop without them eating any (possibly using a command like “leave it”) or stepping in it, then giving them reinforcement like praise (and not repeating the event marker).
Then from what Vincent Olito said (https://www.doggieresidence.com/easiest-housebreaking-techniques-dog-puppy/#comment-1015) my understanding is that once a behavior is successfully trained you stop the event marker for just that behavior (do you do this all at once or use it less and less often) but maintain reinforcement at least on some schedule.
The way I teach it is think of the clicker (event marker) as a camera taking a picture of the behavior you want to reinforce. Now after you hit the clicker your dog knows what he just did in that second got him the reinforcer. Now you have that bridge to get the dog that reinforcer. In order for a dog to tie a consequence good or bad to a behavior it has to be within a second.
Can the clicker become a reinforcer yes does the clicker always have to be paired with food many say yes and one scientist from Canada says no. His name is Simon and you’ll have to Google it for last name and his article on clickers.
In the beginning Of the article the three can be interchangeable and confusing. I to look at it as examples above with the camera and taking a picture of the behavior. Marker and event marker can be one of the same but you can look at it as one is a physical object and one is sound 🙂
Then the bridge from the event marker to the dog (getting the food to the dog).
PS I’ll have to reread thread to see if I missed any questions.