A primary reinforcer is a reinforcer that an animal is born needing such as food, water, shelter. Secondary, or conditioned, reinforcers are stimuli, objects, or events that become reinforcing based on their association with a primary reinforcer. A dog isn't born wanting to play with a squeaky toy, but when that toy is paired with primary reinforcers such as fun and social interaction, it becomes a conditioned reinforcer. The toy, then, can be used to reinforce behaviors you like, much as you would use a food treat.
The clicker is commonly called a conditioned reinforcer. It is a neutral stimulus paired consistently with a primary reinforcer. Is the association, however, strong enough that you can use the clicker without a primary reinforcer? If so, are there any negative repercussions, and how long can you use the clicker before you needed to "recharge" it? These were the questions debated on the Click-L mailing list this week.
Students at the University of North Texas are currently researching this topic. They've found, according to fellow student Kellie Snider, that "treatless clicks" resulted in frustration behaviors and other learning problems. However that research was done using dogs new to clicker training. Helix Fairweather, a Click-L member, decided to try the experiment on her clicker-savvy Havanese, BJ. Although the "power" of the clicker lasted longer than it had in the UNT experiment, she found that it extinguished fairly quickly, especially once her dog figured out the pattern of reinforcement. When there was nothing in it for him, there was no reason to play the game.
And that, I think, is the crux of the matter. People who use treatless clicks have simply missed the point. We don't use the clicker in order to get by with as little additional reinforcement as possible. We use the clicker to tell our dogs, "That right there is what I want!" The power of the click, to the trainer, is as an event marker.
To the dog, however, the power of the click is as a signal that he gets something he wants. If he can get something he wants by listening to the click and then repeating that behavior you want, then we've found a wonderful win-win tool. But when you take away his motivation for listening, then the clicker is nothing but a tin noisemaker.
How a dog thinks of a click
Hi Melissa!
I just wanted to add that newcomers to clicker training often worry that their pockets will always be full of cheese. But the wonderful thing is, a click not only draws attention to behavior, it also draws attention to reinforcement. If we are consistent about ALWAYS delivering reinforcement after a click, the dog starts to identify things that happen after the click, that he might otherwise have taken for granted, as reinforcements.
Example: We can ask for a behavior, then click and release dogs to go outside. Or click and go RUNNING down the street with our dog. Or click and release to chase a ball or frisbee. Or, click and let Bowzer get up on the couch.
I start with food reinforcement, and I remember the first few times when I gave what might look like a "subtle" reinforcement. I'd click and toss the frisbee and she'd have a slightly surprised expression, but she loves frisbee, so she went for it! Or for example, I asked my dog "leash," and when she brought it to me, I clicked and put the leash on her, and took her for a walk! She might have glanced around for a second there, "click and what? no food? no frisbee?" But then she seemed to get it. "OH. The WALK must be my treat this time." Just as children get more responsibilities as they grow up, clicker training helps puppies learn about all the privileges they can earn.
So if we're walking and she surges ahead of me, I stop. She bounces back to heel position, I click and we get to start walking again. That's a pretty subtle reinforcement, but her history with the clicker is a big part of what helps her to understand that reinforcement, and appreciate it for what it is. Sometimes I've been able to reinforce her calm behavior around other dogs by simply clicking and then picking her up, holding her in my arms, where she feels safer.
So, as my dog matures, I don't need to carry food all the time. After she does a really awesome down stay, I can just click and let her out in the garden!
Formerly a contributing writer for Maine Times and editor/publisher of Harbor Voices: Fact, Fiction and Rumor Jenny Ruth Yasi's writing is found nationally in Mothering Magazine, Pass it On!, Country Dance Magazine, and elsewhere. Her dogs are registered working therapy dogs, and train in agility, freestyle, watersport, and service behaviors.