Clicker Training

No, that's not a typo – at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, there really are dogs at the aquarium. I'm in the middle of my travels (midway now – next stop Boston!) and today was really the highlight of my trips so far.

When you think of aquariums, you think of fish, dolphins and whales. The Shedd Aquarium is usually full of those animals, but their marine mammal exhibit is under renovation so all the marine mammals are at other aquariums for a year or so. Because the big draw is gone, the remaining keepers wanted to be able to educate the public even without the animals.

So they came up with the fantastic idea to use their dolphin-training skills on dogs. We do this every day, in every one of our training courses at Smart Dog University. It's called clicker training. It's the fastest and easiest way to train – and as a bonus, the dogs love it!

So the Shedd Aquarium adopted several dogs from the shelter, each dog coming with his or her "baggage" of the past life. In a matter of two months, these "rough around the edges" dogs are performing beautifully on stage in front of an audience. They're doing amazing behaviors, are beautifully behaved and have impeccable manners.

And all without any punishment training at all. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

All positive reinforcement, clicker training. It's beautiful. I wish all dogs had the opportunity to learn manners this way, without fear of punishment.

Watching the dogs was like watching poetry in motion: tails wagging, happy dogs, enthusiastic trainer. Ah, it really was something to see.

If you're heading to Chicago, don't miss the opportunity to see this show – it's well worth it! (When I return from my travels, early next week, check back: I'll post a picture of me with my favorite dog from the show, Nico!)

Here are a few of the lectures today at the Assoc. of Pet Dog Trainers annual conference:

• What Zookeeping Teaches Us About Training with Positive Reinforcement
• Canine Cognition: What the Average Pooch is Telling Us
• Behavior Modification in the Real World
• Relationship Centered Training

Tomorrow's lectures look even better – check back tomorrow!

I'm not sure why some people are resistant to training with food, but the good news is that there are lots of other reinforcers you can use if you don't want to use food.

Make a list of the things your dog loves. Not just likes, but loves. I'm talking about everything:

• games with you
• toys
• activities (going for walks)
• access to fun stuff (going outside to play with the neighbor dog)
• touch (belly rubs)
• praise
• anything else your dog is a fanatic about

The picture I used in this post shows Nemo chewing on a chunk of dead grass. For Nemo, this would be a good reward! He clearly enjoys chewing it.

It's really important that your dog LOVE these things, not just like them. The reason food is such a good reinforcer for dogs is because they need it to stay alive. They can't live without it. That alone makes it a super powerful reward to your dog. But this article isn't about why you should use food (and there are a lot of good reasons), it's about what other reinforcers you can use instead of food.

It's important to make sure the reinforcer matches the difficulty of the task. For instance, coming when called is usually pretty tough — there are lots of better things to do (in the dog's mind) than come to you. There are dogs to play with, deer to chase, smells to investigate, grass to roll in…the list goes on and on.

So when you call the dog and he comes, give him the very best, most rewarding thing your dog loves. Usually, I'd recommend a piece of steak — steak makes quite an impression on a dog. The next time you call, he be there even quicker than last time because he still remembers the steak! But if you don't want to use food, what's the next best thing (according to the dog)? Whatever the next best thing is, you'd better use it. And be generous with it.

One last thing, make sure the dog thinks the reward is as good as you think it is. In other words, it's up to the dog to decide how good a reward is, not you. So while YOU may think praise is pretty good, your dog may not find it nearly as rewarding. Maybe the dog would much rather chase the tennis ball. Or go for a swim in the lake.

So you don't have to use food, that's true. But it's still the fastest and most powerful reinforcer for most of our dogs. If you decide not to use food, just be very sure that your dog finds what you're using very rewarding.

Here's a great article in my favorite magazine The BarK, by Andrea Arden. The article focuses on what you should be teaching your dog, what methods to use, and what can happen if you don't teach your dog (or teach him using non dog-friendly methods).

I love the magazine The BarK. If you don't subscribe, you should really give it a whirl. It's the magazine I look forward to the most. (No, I don't make any money if you subscribe, I just really like the magazine!)

Read this terrific interview with Dr. Nicholas Dodman about the rapidly changing world of dog training and how you can keep up and do the right things with your dog.

Dr. Nicholas Dodman runs the renowned Tufts University Veterinary Center. He is an international expert in domestic-animal research as well as in
the veterinary practice of animal psychology.

Lily performed perfectly at the workshop What Dog Trainers Know – That You Don't! today. I took her because she's an experienced dog in shaping, luring, capturing and targeting. She is a released service dog and has been clicker trained from seven weeks of age – and absolutely loves working with the clicker.

She was flawless today – conservatively greeting people (preferring men to women, no surprise), volunteering lots of behaviors during the shaping portion, and relaxing (and falling asleep!) during the lecture portion.

We had a lot of fun with all the participants – everyone was very interested in learning these techniques, and positive reinforcement training, to use with their own dogs. The workshop was sponsored by Your Dog's Friend, a non-profit organization in Montgomery County, Maryland. They have workshops all summer long – if you're in Maryland, or even Northern VA or DC, you should check them out!

We were honored to be invited and really enjoyed spreading the joys of clicker training.