Clicker Training

Should you Clicker Train your German Shepherd?

Should you Clicker Train your German Shepherd? Many individuals believe that Clicker Training is nothing more than a fad. All of these arguments can be laid to rest if you take the time to do a bit of reading and research. As far as it being a fad Clicker Training is a positive reinforcement method. One that has been around since Ivan Pavlov studied conditioning and response behaviors in dogs in the late 1800’s. The difference being is that Ivan used a metronome instead of our modern day clicker.

Some think that their dog, especially a breed such as the German Shepherd, should not be given a choice during training. Behavioral choices are always being made by dogs. They either choose to do what is asked or they ignore the commands given by their trainers. To claim otherwise would be a bit on the ridiculous side.
Others feel that it is too difficult to understand and put into practice or that it takes too long to use this training method. Surprisingly Clicker Training is much easier than you may think. It is based on the very basic principles of command and reward. Most German Shepherd dogs respond quickly to the method and soon realize that the correct behavior is rewarded.

Then there are the other cynics that claim the dogs won’t work or cooperate without treats. True that when you are first teaching your dog something new, the proper order of reward is ask, click, and treat. Once the behavior is well learned and consistently being performed the treats can be cut back and later removed altogether. Remember that the Shepherd tries to be a people pleaser.

Perhaps you’ve heard the old adage that it isn’t as effective with aggressive, barking, or problem dogs. This type of individual believes that it takes an iron firm handler and very strong punishment to train aggressive, strong willed dogs such as the German Shepherd. While it is true that it will take a little more time to change the behavior of an aggressive dog, it is also true that you can’t fight aggression with aggression. It would be like using gasoline to put out a fire. Clicker Training is a fairly easy technique that can replace the undesirable behaviors with ones that are much more acceptable in a relatively short period of time.

The old school opinion believes that Force is the only way to ‘break’ a dog of its ways and teach it to behave. First of all, who in their right mind wants to ‘break’ a dog? Dogs are always trying to please their owner/trainers. Similar to people, dogs are much more receptive to fair, consistent, and pleasant training than they are too harsh and unfair treatment. Which works better, a pat on your back or a slap to your face?

Of course still others argue that it is impossible to always have a clicker available, and how can you possibly control your dog without one, once he is trained to it? Clicker Training is used in conjunction with a voice or hand signal as secondary reinforcement. Eventually once the command brings a consistently correct behavior the clicker can be done away with and only used when refreshing and learning new commands.
As with any training method, Clicker Training has the ultimate goal of creating a well behaved, well socialized, and happy canine that has formed an intimate bond between dog and owner.