Karen Pryor Clickertraining - Learn

What is Clicker Training?

KPCT — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:51:18 -0500

Get the definitive answers to what is clicker training and frequently asked questions about the method.

The Ethology of Clicker Training

Karen Pryor — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0600

I used to think of myself as standing perpetually on a bridge, with a foot in each camp. I used to expend a lot of time trying to talk psychologists into understanding or at least coming to watch what we were learning about the animals with their science. No luck. No luck in the other direction, either: the behavioral biologists were not much interested in training or reinforcement.

The Neurophysiology of Clicker Training

Karen Pryor — Sun, 01 May 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Barbara and I hypothesize that the clicker is a conditioned "joy" stimulus that is acquired and recognized through those same primitive pathways, which would help explain why it is so very different from, say, a human word, in its effect. If this is true, another contributing factor to the extraordinary rapidity with which the clicker and clicked behavior can be acquired might be that the click is processed by the CNS much faster than any word can be.

Why Can't I Just Use My Voice?

Karen Pryor — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0600

Clicker training involves shaping behavior in small steps, identifying the behavior, as it occurs, with some kind of marker signal. Dolphin trainers use a whistle; dog and horse trainers have settled on the clicker. But couldn't you just use a word, like 'good,' or 'yes,' as a marker signal?

Ben: An Aggressive Dog Case Study

Emma Parsons — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0600

Editors' note: Award-winning paper!

What I am going to present to you is my own case study about my golden retriever, Benjamin. It was through Ben that I met Karen Pryor and, thus, found some of the most effective ways to deal with aggression and fear-based behavior in dogs.

Clicking for Cancer

Miranda Hersey Helin — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0600

The olfactory power of dogs has made headlines again this month, with new research supporting our canine friends' ability to "sniff out" the presence of cancer. While these findings continue to astonish many, one aspect won't surprise fans of operant conditioning: the dogs in this study were clicker trained.

Finding the Right Training Class

Peggy Tillman — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0500

Okay, so you've started clicker training your dog and you think that taking a class would be fun. It will take a little work on your part to make sure that the class you take meets your needs.

"NRMs" No Reward Markers

Melissa Alexander — Tue, 01 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0500

Humans are notoriously verbal creatures. We love to talk, and we do so automatically, even when the person we're talking to doesn't speak our language, can't hear what we're saying, or even when the "person" isn't a person at all.

The Poisoned Cue: Positive and Negative Discriminative Stimuli

Karen Pryor — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 00:00:00 -0500

Why clicking and correction don't mix.

Behavior analysts refer to a learned stimulus that triggers an operant behavior as a 'discriminative stimulus.' The behaviorists do not, as far as I know, differentiate between a discriminative stimulus that was trained through positive reinforcement and one that was trained through negative reinforcement.

Fifteen Tips for Getting Started with the Clicker

Karen Pryor — Mon, 01 Apr 2002 00:00:00 -0600

Clicker training is a new, science-based way to communicate with your pet. It's easier to learn than standard command-based training. You can clicker train any kind of animal, of any age. Puppies love it. Old dogs learn new tricks. You can clicker-train cats, birds, and other pets as well. Here are some simple tips to get you started.

Amygdala: the Neurophysiology of Clicker Training

Karen Pryor — Wed, 01 Aug 2001 00:00:00 -0500

About a year ago I gave a talk to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers about advances in clicker training, in which I discussed the possible relationship between clicking and the amygdala, a structure in the limbic system or oldest part of the brain. Many people have emailed me to find out more, so I thought I would give you a recap and an update.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

KPCT — Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 -0600

Why does clicker training work?

Clicker training uses a distinct and consistent signal to mark a desired behavior in real time and then follows that signal with a motivating reward. Because animals understand precisely which action earned the click and their reward, they learn new behaviors quickly, easily, and enthusiastically.

On Being a Change Maker

Karen Pryor — Sun, 01 Nov 1998 00:00:00 -0600

So you've become a clicker trainer. Naturally you are very excited. You want other people around you to stop using punishment-based methods and start clicking. So you introduce the clicker at your dog club or high school or wherever you are using it. And guess what: people not only don't change, they get mad at you.

History of Clicker Training II

Karen Pryor — Thu, 01 May 1997 00:00:00 -0500

Yes, it is charming; but it is also rather sad. We have been training animals for thousands of years, and we almost never ask them to DO this! To bring their own abilities to the table. To think. If you'll excuse the expression. ((laughter)).

History of Clicker Training I

Karen Pryor — Thu, 01 May 1997 00:00:00 -0500

Behavior analysis is the science that underlies the technology of reinforcement training. Applications of behavior analysis include performance management, in industry and business; precision teaching, in schools; behavior modification, in clinical practice; and clicker training. The annual meeting draws some 2000 psychologists, from around the world. The speech reproduced here was given as part of the opening ceremonies. Karen Pryor's address at the Animal Behavior Society convention in Chicago, May 1997

Targeting vs. Luring

Gale Pryor — Wed, 01 May 1996 00:00:00 -0500

Soon after learning that a click marks the exact behavior and tells the animal what earned its reward, newcomers to clicker training wonder how to go about getting that clickable behavior. On this point, the answer they hear depends on whom they ask.

The Training Game

Karen Pryor — Sun, 01 Jan 1995 00:00:00 -0600

The Training Game is a great way to sharpen your shaping skills and have fun at the same time. It allows you to see and experience other trainers' decision points, and to be aware of what you might have done instead. It also allows trainers to make mistakes, and learn from them, without confusing some poor animal or unsuspecting person! Maybe most valuable of all, it allows you to see the training process from the viewpoint of the trainee, which is often a highly illuminating experience. The training game also helps us get rid of the superstitious behavior of putting the blame for problems on the person or animal we are working with, instead of on the training contingencies, where it belongs.

How to Teach Give: A Winning Recipe

Leah Roberts — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:10:00 -0500

By the time most dogs get to my classes, their owners have already taught them that when they get hold of something special, it's going to be taken away. Most of the time, the owners get upset, yell, and force the object out of their mouths. So, when dogs find that deliciously smelly dead squirrel in the yard, they are more likely to hide the squirrel under the couch than allow their owners to catch them with it.

Behavior Boot Camp: A New Clicker Training Certification Program

Julie Shaw-Lewis — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:08:00 -0500

I had my first experience with animal training more than 20 years ago, with my own dog. I attended a traditional training class, which used a method I called "yank and thank." We waited for the dog to "get it wrong," then yanked on its choke collar and promptly "thanked it" by offering praise. This method makes as little sense to me now as it did then, but at the time I knew of no other options.

Stepping on the Food: A Memo from Karen

Karen Pryor — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

You're training "leave it." You drop a bit of food, the dog lunges toward it, and you cover it with your foot. Are you just managing the environment, or is this negative punishment, taking away something desired?