Clicker training police dogs? - Page 4

I think you might have great success using at least the science behind clicker training Missbeeb .  You may even realize that's sort of what you have been doing all along.  Using a clicker does not replace a command,  you will still have to say "what me".  

I have to go with 4pack on this one.  I find the sound of my voice easier and I always have it with me.  The tone on the e-collar is exactly the same as a click.  I could even argue that it might be better because the tone is near the dog's ear making it useful in a noisy situations and at distance.  Although most clicker trainers would faint if your pulled out an e-collar.  There is no reason why you can't condition in the several reinforces: the click, a vocal ‘good’, the e-collar tone and a hand signal (and ‘No’....associated with a correction).

Do I think a police dog could be trained entirely with a clicker?  Nope, I don't.  Perhaps the foundation work.  At some point in time you are going to want the dog to do something that it disagrees with, especially a thinking dog like a GSD.  The dog can't see the whole picture.

That is also the way I was taught to use the clicker Jeff.  Love the object guard exercise BTW!

You teach the dog that 'click' (or 'yes' or 'beep' or whatever) means food is coming by clicking and feeding.  No other requirement.  This if often called 'loading'.  Then you pick a movement to reinforce; for example moving the left back foot.  Any time there is movement in the left back foot, you click.  No talking, just wait for the dog to figure it out (shutting up is hard for me!). Traditional ‘clicker trainers’ wait for behavior to happen, no luring, Others choose to lure...I have seen both work (luring in faster IMHO).  As Jeff says it is absolutely amazing how quickly the dog figures the game out and how precise you can be!  One you have the dog offering the behavior freely ... you start to feel like a bloody Pez dispenser... you add a command just before you know the dog will offer the behavior.  You can tweak things simply by adjusting what you reward.  Only reward fast sits, only reward straight sits, whatever, just work one thing at a time.  Don’t try fast and straight sits, that will come with practice.  The idea here is that the command (or signal) is useful information to the dog. The command always precedes the foot lift that precedes the food.  Since the command comes first it is the fastest route to the food.  Once you have the behavior on command (and have added distractions), how you reinforce it is up to you. Traditional clickers would use reinforcement schedules and continue food usage.  Others choose to add a correction if the command is not followed.   

So using the police dog as an example if some rewarded 'out' with a click (which I personally would not choose to do) the dog would already understand the command long before he was faced with a real bad guy so the clicker would never even be an issue.

Jeff don’t waste your time. If people still think that a clicker is used after a behavior is learned, they are too stupid to be reasoned with.