Tag Archives: clicker training

Easy Shaping Part 8: Don’t Stop a Session Abruptly

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behaviour 3. Vary the Reinforcement 4. Relax Old Criteria When You Add New Criteria 5. Plan Ahead 6. Don’t Change Trainers Mid-stream 7. Be Flexible! When necessary, Change the Plan 8. … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping Part 7: Change the Plan!

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behaviour 3. Vary the Reinforcement 4. Relax Old Criteria When You Add New Criteria 5. Plan Ahead 6. Don’t Change Trainers Mid-stream. Rule number 7. Be Flexible! When necessary, Change the … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping: Part 3

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

The first two blogs on this subject covered… 1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behavior So now lets think about rule number ‘3’. 3. Vary the Reinforcement: Use different levels of reward so the reward each time … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping a Loose Leash Walk: Part 1

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

Shaping is a term used by clicker trainers to describe how we influence and communicate to our dogs the behaviour we want, without using corrections. I know that sounds almost unbelievable. How does the dog know what they are doing … Continue reading →

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APDT Australia Conference 2011 Day 3: Session Clicker Skills part1–2 Kay Laurence

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

Clicker Skills with Kay Laurence: part 1 –2   (as I describe this lecture, I hope Kay is very forgiving of my explanations, as much of it I am still sorting through in my head)! Effective Reinforcement I think one of … Continue reading →

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The Clicker Trainer’s Bible

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

Karen Pryor’s Reaching the Animal Mind , is a fantastic guide to what clicker training is, why it works, and how to do it successfully! She covers all the basics for beginners and a lot of the details that an … Continue reading →

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Book Review: “Don’t Shoot the Dog!” by Karen Pryor

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Marika S. Bell

Originally published in 1984, “Don’t Shoot the Dog!” became an instant must read for any trainer, educator, or coach. It outlines in plain easy to understand English, how learning works. I have actually been trying to get a hold of … Continue reading →

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Why Clickers?

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Marika S. Bell

When I am doing a first session with clients I usually start with introducing them to a clicker. A clicker is a small hand held noisemaker, much like you would find at kid’s parties. But for the purpose of training, … Continue reading →

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