Marking Desired Behavior
Most folks active in dog training today have some personal experience with or have at least heard about "clicker training."
Clicker training was an innovative approach to animal training that brought many animal trainers into the more enlightened practice
of applying positive and rewarding operant conditioning to their behavioral shaping and training strategy.
In its day, the mechanical noise-generating clicker was a novel and innovative approach to new and improved dog training.
In its most simplistic terms, the clicker noise was intended to replace what would otherwise be the trainer's
verbalized affirmation sounding something like, "Yes, good boy! That's exactly what I wanted you to do, and now
I'm going to reward you for doing that!" Instead of saying all those words, the trainer
would simply click the plastic or metal handheld clicker to communicate praise and impending reward for desired behavior.
There are however a number of shortcomings related to the use of the manually activated handheld "clicker" for dog training. Not the least of which is the pervasive mumbo-jumbo that is the hallmark of some clicker training gurus more into noisy gadgets than common sense training applications. Fortunately, we've always had readily available a demonstrably more effective, efficient, and
user-friendly method for signaling or "marking" desired canine behaviors. I've been using the
HA!n Your Mark! method of behavioral shaping and foundation obedience teaching and training with my
private students for over ten years. It's fun to learn, easy to remember, simple to use, and best of all -- it works.
While in its time the plastic and metal clicker was a revolutionary concept, a truly innovative and
creative use of what was a common dime store novelty, we no longer need to depend on manufactured gadgetry to help us
shape the behaviors we desire. If you're one of the growing number of trainers who understands the
importance of timing, consistency,
and clarity in your fundamental behavioral shaping, teaching, and training, then you'll appreciate
the elegantly simple and distraction-free method of generating the signal to mark
and teach desired behaviors. You'll understand why this refreshingly natural method of
marking is preferable to the handheld clicker with its relatively cumbersome and inefficient, time delayed
dual-tone noise. And the novice dog trainer especially, who may find the clicker to be more befuddling
and distracting for them than it is for their dog, will surely welcome the transition to a more
simplified and user-friendly marking strategy in their operant conditioning and
positive training endeavors.
Operant conditioning with the application of the marking signal is a core element of effective learning and positive training. Operant conditioning principles are detailed in the behavioral management, early teaching, and formal obedience training lessons in our Online Dog Training courses.
