Written By Louisa, All Right Reserved.
I'll try and explain how clicker training works. If you train your bird to do
something simple, like pick up a ball:
You first have to assosciate the click noise with a treat. Any treat - food, juice,
scritches, fussing - anything your bird likes. The more he likes it, the better it
is as a treat. Once he expects to get that treat after he hears a click noise, you
move onto the next step.
Use the click noise to mark exactly what it is he is getting the treat for. It is better
than a word, because a click is instant - there and it's gone. A word or phrase "Good
girl!" acheives the same, but the bird could be doing more than one thing during the
speaking of the word or phrase. This distinction is important, because it is
fundamental to how clicker training works.
The bird learns that HE can control how to get the treats. For example, with the
ball above. Initially, the bird might look at the ball. CLICK! and give the
treat. Bird might think "Hey that was good, I got a treat." Bird potters
around the table, no clicks, and no treats. Bird looks at ball. CLICK! and
'hey I got another treat.' Bird might start to think maybe it's looking at the ball
that gets the click and treat. bird looks again to check theory (I've seen this
happen) - CLICK treat! Bird might think "Hey, it's that ball!" bird
has worked out that looking at the ball gets a click and a treat. Now, you can
change the criteria once that stage has been gained.
Try it with a small twig. Bird repeats process, and by this time might be starting
to think "Hey, it doesn't matter what it is, but when I hear a click, that gets me a
treat." Bird has now realised that if he does precisely what is being clicked,
he gets a treat. He can repeat this, and he will get more treats. And because
the click is so short and precise (compared to 'good bird') - he can more easily work out
exactly what is was that got the treat.
I've seen birds that actively beg for clicker training. They see a clicker in your
hand and come running - literally. I've even had my grey clicker train me - she
clicks when we give her something she wants (food normally). This is training working with
the birds intelligence, not rote training or drumming things into them.
It produces birds that will run around watching you, testing all the available things to
see if THAT will produce a click and a treat. They are working with their mind,
figuring it out. So often this side of a bird is not stimulated, and the clicker
training is merely a tool to help the process out. It sounds mechanical until you
have actually tried it and seen it in action. Believe me there is nothing cold or
mechanical about it!
Hope this answered some of the fundamentals...
Louisa
(International) +44 870 056 1322
Homepage: http://www.psycho-pets.demon.co.uk/index.htm