Soon after learning that a click marks the exact behavior and tells the animal what earned its reward, newcomers to clicker training wonder how to go about getting that clickable behavior. On this point, the answer they hear depends on whom they ask.
Dogs
The Training Game
By Karen Pryor on 01/01/1995The Training Game is a great way to sharpen your shaping skills and have fun at the same time. It allows you to see and experience other trainers' decision points, and to be aware of what you might have done instead. It also allows trainers to make mistakes, and learn from them, without confusing some poor animal or unsuspecting person! Maybe most valuable of all, it allows you to see the training process from the viewpoint of the trainee, which is often a highly illuminating experience. The training game also helps us get rid of the superstitious behavior of putting the blame for problems on the person or animal we are working with, instead of on the training contingencies, where it belongs.
How to Train a Deaf Cat to Come Inside for Medication
By Jules Nye on 11/01/2009Recently I had a client call about her deaf cat. She wanted to train him to come inside when she called because he needed medication in the morning and evening. Giving the meds in the morning was no sweat, simply because he was in the house and "catchable." Giving the evening meds was an absolute nightmare.
Is Dog Dominance Fact or Fiction?
By Aidan Bindoff on 11/01/2009The answer is...it is a fact.
However, we need not imply that simply because dog dominance is a fact, dogs are constantly trying to "rule the roost," or that we need to eat first, go through doors first, never let our dogs sleep on the bed, etc. That would be circular reasoning.
Designing Effective Reinforcers: What Every Teacher and Humane Educator Should Know
By KPCT on 11/01/2009Editor's note: Lynn Loar, Ph.D., LCSW, President, The Pryor Foundation, recently contributed an article to the summer and fall issues of The Latham Letter. Entitled Designing Effective Reinforcers: What Every Teacher and Humane Educator Should Know, the article was co-authored with five children. We're pleased to introduce the piece, and two related brochures created by some of the children, to readers of www.clickertraining.com.
