Clicker training is a system of teaching that combines science and behavior analysis. The underlying principle of clicker training is the use of positive reinforcement for desired behaviors. The reward you provide is something that your dog really loves - yummy treats cut into small pieces are effective for most dogs. This reinforcement increases the likelihood that your dog will repeat the behavior. The clicker is used as an event 'marker,' which pinpoints the precise behavior that you want your dog to repeat (learn). The precision of the clicker gives us a way to clearly communicate what we want.

Accelerated, error-free learning

With Clicker, learning is greatly accelerated because your dog is fully involved with the learning process. You'll decide what you want your dog to learn and we'll focus on the most effective way to produce that behavior, including breaking it down into small steps. Your dog will be encouraged to figure out which behavior produces the reward (reinforcement), which generates enthusiasm and excitement. Clicker trainers never use punishment. Punishment creates anxiety and results in avoidance, when the dog is more focused on avoiding the punishment than obtaining the reward.

Lifetime learning

Clicker training has been shown to have a lasting effect, even for wild animals that have been rehabilitated and released back into the wild. Researchers conducting health checks on these animals have discovered that those who were clicker trained while in captivity continue to respond to clicker directions and willingly submit to medical exams, even years later! This not only reduces stress to the animal, but it also minimizes the safety risks for researchers.

Shadowing Karen Pryor at the Denver Zoo

In October 2009, Karen Pryor came to Denver to lecture and share her expertise in animal behavior and training with the keepers at the Denver Zoo. Angela Eaton was invited to shadow Karen as she toured the zoo and consulted with the keepers. Karen also talked about her many experiences that led to her latest book, Reaching the Animal Mind.

Many keepers at the Denver Zoo already use operant conditioning with event markers (clicker training) to teach behaviors for medical exams, to keep the animals and zookeepers safe, and to enrich the lives of captive animals.

An ostrich has 4-inch claws on each foot, so its feet are very dangerous. To prevent injury to keepers at the zoo, the birds are taught to sit, which immobilizes their claws. The most effective way to teach them to sit on cue is through operant conditioning. “Using a whistle as an event marker, the ostrich’s movements are shaped” until it is in a sitting position – in other words, each time the bird approaches or approximates sitting, the behavior is marked with the whistle and the ostrich is rewarded, until eventually, the bird sits.

Prior to clicker training, veterinarians used to dart zoo animals to sedate them for exams or other procedures. Using clicker training, zookeepers teach animals to respond to cues that are specifically used for medical exams - like the “blood draw behavior.” The animal is taught to sit or stand in a comfortable position while the keeper inserts a needle to draw blood.

Rhino’s have always been considered dangerous, especially in captivity. They were historically darted with drugs to subdue them for exams or to move them. This caused the animals to associate the keepers with darting, so they would thrash about when they were approached, injuring themselves and damaging their enclosures. Clicker training has changed that dynamic. Watch the video on the right to see how calm this Rhino is and all the behaviors he can perform on cue.

In the video on the right, a Rhino stands calmly while his blood is being drawn. A zookeeper cannot use force or coercion to train a large animal like a Rhino to stand still and be calm. Clicker training encourages the animal to willingly submit to the blood draw.

Gerenuks belong to the same family as the antelope. They are elegant animals with dramatic markings and long, thin legs. A consequence of being fast and nimble in captivity is that they’ll run into fencing and hurt or kill themselves when frightened, making it difficult to keep them safe in captivity. At the Denver Zoo, the keeper has captured the Gerenuk’s natural behavior of using its front legs to stretch against a tree trunk and eat leaves by using a whistle to mark this behavior. In the video on the right, the zookeeper is able to draw blood and do a full body exam while the animal is relaxed, even when it’s in the public viewing area in front of the crowd!

Clicker training is also used to add enrichment to the lives of animals in captivity. Using operant conditioning and a marker, clicker trainers provide something the animal wants in exchange for something the trainer wants, making it more likely that the behavior will be repeated.

In addition to learning specific behaviors, the animals enjoy experimenting by creating new behaviors to see what else the trainers will reward. In the video on the right, you can see that both the sea lion and Connie Howard, the Director of Operations at the Boulder Valley Humane Society, have fun playing together.

At the Denver Zoo reception before Karen Pryor’s lecture, Angela and her group had another wonderful opportunity to see how the keepers have taught the African Lions to respond to cues. According to Karen Pryor: “When a client asks, ‘How can I train a dog without force or punishment?’ I always ask them: How can you force or punish a lion? Clicker training teaches respect for the animal and teaches the animal respect for us because finally we make sense to them.”

Will it work for my pet?

Many owners wonder if clicker training will work for their pet, afterall, each animal is unique. The answer is YES! Clicker training is effective with many species, not just dogs. It's also applied as a way of teaching marine mammals, wild animals, fish, birds, horses, people and cats, to name just a few.

Ever heard the expression, 'it's like herding cats?' Well, with clicker training, it really is possible to herd cats! Check out this short Clicker segment on CNN!

Lifetime learning

Clicker training has been shown to have a lasting effect, even for wild animals that have been rehabilitated and released back into the wild. Researchers conducting health checks on these animals have discovered that those who were clicker trained while in captivity continue to respond to clicker directions and willingly submit to medical exams, even years later! This not only reduces stress to the animal, but it also minimizes the safety risks for researchers.