Overcoming fear of the clicker

Occasionally, even in a modern, force-free, systematic approach to training animals like clicker training, your animal might find the new sound of the clicker rather alarming at first. Typically this is just a beginner problem that will resolve once the dog understands a) the relationship between the “click” and food and b) that they are in control of the “click” and can actually make you do it rather than it being a scary sound happening randomly and unpredictably.
 
Why Use a Clicker?
So why not just toss away the clicker and use a verbal marker instead? I will be honest in saying that I don’t use a clicker all the time for training, but, my dogs are advanced and very open to learning the relationship between their behavior and the reinforcement. So essentially, I’ve earned the right to be a little sloppy because I’ve put the time in with them to build a very strong foundation. However, with beginner dogs, trick training and reactive dogs, I ALWAYS use a clicker.
 
There are certain situations, like the above mentioned, when you need the precision of a clicker. For example, for a dog that is brand new to learning how their behavior choices can influence the delivery of reinforcement from their human, the timing of reinforcement MUST be immediate. This is one of the first and most important advantages to using a conditioned reinforcer like the clicker - it can be delivered within 100-200 milliseconds while even a one-syllable word is going to be at least twice as long. It’s short and sweet and right to the point, helping the dog know EXACTLY what they did to earn that click.
 
Teaching tricks and working with reactive dogs, you are often asking them to perform behaviors they don’t normally do or asking them to do something different from what has already been conditioned. Therefor in these situations, the precision of a clicker to capture and shape new behaviors is invaluable. That same precision isn’t necessary to teach a dog behaviors like sit and lay down, because these are things that they already do anyway so they are very easy to put on cue without a clicker.
 
The Science Behind the "Click"
The scientific research on the benefits of using a clicker in animal training is fascinating but I will save you from the boring details of that research in this particular article. I will however, just quickly sum it up for you. The sound of the clicker gives off what is called “instant onset/offset sounds” and that means the energy in the sound begins at full force, rather than gradually increasing in amplitude and this stimulates the cells perceiving the sound instantly.  Cool, right?! Furthermore, the sound of the click also gives off, what is called, “broadband sounds” meaning the sound contains energy in a broad range of frequencies from high to low so they light up a lot of cells in the dog’s brain at the same time. Sounds
 
like words are called, “narrow band sounds,” and they have energy in a smaller range of frequencies. So the clicker sound gets more cells in the brain fired up!
 
Although there are times when I don’t use a clicker and I rather use a marker word instead, I don’t kid myself that the science points towards the more effectiveness of a clicker. So when it is immensely important that I effectively deliver the training information to my dog, such as in the case of reactive dogs, I will always use the tool that gives me the most precision, has no emotion attached to it and will light up the most cells in their brain to set them up for the best possible learning.
 
Tips on How Create a Joyful Response to the "Click"
If you’ve attempted to “charge up” your clicker only to discover it startled your dog and caused them to shutdown instead of have an enjoyable experience with it, here are a few ways to help you get through the initial mishap:
 

1. Try to muffle the sound of your clicker by placing it in a sock or a glove.
2. Try a different clicker. The i-Click doesn’t have the really sharp harmonics that makes an old-school box clicker have such a ringing tone.
3. The Clicker+ has different sounds and volumes, which is great for super sensitive dogs that may just have their own preference that isn’t too much for their system to handle.
4. Try a push-pen or a small pocket stapler without the staples in it if all else fails.
5. Lastly you could use a tiny key-chain flashlight from the dollar store – the kind you squeeze to turn on. You could use a blink instead of the click.

 
MORE Ideas to Establish the Positive Connection
With any of these variations, rather than trying to habituate the dog by clicking at random, try to make the connection between the marker very clear:
 

1. Click when you put the dog’s dinner down.
2. Click when you give a piece of your steak at dinner.
3. Click for every treat you give the dog.
4. Click when you open the door to take the dog out for a walk.

 
Have a “click session” to build a strong, pleasant association between the click and food:
 

1. Prepare some really valuable treats in very tiny pieces. I would use something like cheese, hotdogs or chicken cut into pea-size bites.
2. Play this game when the dog is really hungry, such as right before dinner.
3. Give the dog a couple of free pieces, so she knows what she is going to be getting.
4. Go into a small room with the dog’s dinner bowl and put the treats somewhere that is easy for you to reach them. Shut the door to the room.
   
5. Don’t put any extra pressure on the dog by looking at them or pointing the scary clicker at them. Keep that clicker hand very still! Read a book or check out Facebook so that you’re not paying her much attention.
6. Click and drop a piece of that yummy goodness in your dog’s bowl. If she eats it, great! Repeat a couple of more times and then take a break. Don’t over-do it.

 
Still Fearful? Let's Explain It Gently
If your dog is still cowering away from you or trying to hide they are clearly misinterpreting the situation, which lets be honest, you’ve probably come to me for training because you have a reactive dog that misinterprets most situations in their life. So this won’t be really THAT surprising. Let’s work though it and help them understand the game by explaining it to them.
           

1. Ignore her. Pay no attention to her. Continue to read your book or check Facebook in the small room, don’t stare at her or look at her, just continue to click and then drop a piece of yumminess into the bowl (that’s where the food goes after all).
2. You could move the bowl towards her if she won’t come out of hiding. Wait a little longer. If she eats the treats great! End your session and repeat again a little later.
3. If she doesn’t eat them, click one last time, drop a few more bites into the bowl and leave the room. Leave the door open so she can come back and eat the bites when she’s ready later, or if you have another animal in the house they can go in and eat them up so she can see them do it. This will motivate her for the next round! "Hey! That was MINE!"
4. Next round, one click as you place her full dinner on the floor. Easy! Do this for half her breakfast the next morning as well.
5. Use the other half of her breakfast for a quick session a little while later.

 
We Always Want What we Can't Have...
This STILL isn’t working? Well I’ve got another game for you. You always want what you can’t have…
 

1. Play another clicker game at dinner or breakfast time in the same location that your dog eats their meals. Place the empty food bowl on the floor and tether your dog, or have a family member hold the leash, just out of reach from it. No other pets in the room for this one, please.
2. Click and drop food in the bowl 6 – 8 times, but your dog can’t get the food, only watch you drop it in.
3. If she does anything at all, sits, glances at the bowl, takes a step towards it, click while she’s in motion, and drop a few more pieces in the bowl. So before she’s even eating the food you are creating an association between the dog’s actions and the delivery of the click. So she understands she gets to make it happen by choice and it’s not some scary, random event. It’s actually quite predictable.  Don’t overdo this process that would be unfair to her.
4. Next, repeat the above step. If she strains forward towards the bowl that’s great! She’s got it. Move that bowl over to her and let her eat it.
5. Remove the leash and leave her alone.

 
This will be a great learning experience for you as well! You will learn much about your dog through this process and you’ll both feel pretty good about overcoming such a big obstacle in the initial stages of your training career. That should about do it though. Keep learning and keep having fun!