Clicker training police dogs? - Page 1

So I recently talked to a  "trainer" who said she knows someone who trained police dogs with only clicker training. What do you guys think about that? Could you really clicker train a dog if he was a really hard dog like Max van Tiekerhook or some of the other dogs like him? I don't really see clicker training for police k9s, but what do you guys think, and how would that work out?

I was talking to a police trainer friend of mine last night who was talking of that very thing..... he told me of a seminar he attended whereby the trainer (will find her name for you, apparently world renowned) used their dogs, and had never met or assessed them for clicker training before.   She apparently got these dogs, in ten mins or so, hooked on to clicker for food reward and only by them exploring the room in a relaxed mode and every time they touched a cone in the empty room, she clicked from her chair - they looked saw the food, and returned took the food etc and she repeated this.  Apparently within 10 mins or so most dogs were actually going right back to the cone, nidging it and returning for their treat.   She then hid the cone slightly for them to find - same thing happened.  So - I imagine, from what I have heard of Tiekerhook dogs - high drive and intellegence - they would pick that up in no time, and then the trainer could apply it to other things.   I would love to hear others experiences with this on working police or service dogs...   Mo - Mascani   PS - Nina Beremenko was the trainer apparently - sorry if I spelled it wrongly.

 I just got off the phone with a police trainer that uses only his mind to train police dogs. >rolls eyes<


So now there is so little crime that they are gonna use police dogs to pick up traffic cones??? LOL PT Barnum has struck again here on the pdb

 and what if the bad guy has a clicker on him

The clicker is merely another tool.   Personally I find it useful in beginning detection and obedience phases.  MissBeeb I suggest you read up on the training theory behind the clicker, Karen Pryor's book  "don't shoot the dog" is a good one.  Most people are probably using a variant of a marking signal already whether they realize it or not. 

As to the question what if the bad guy has a clicker? I am sure the result will be the same as if the bad guy yells "aus"  The dog will ignore him.  They (dogs) are not as stupid as some seem to think.

For me it lets me mark a very very precise part of the exercise that I want to re-enforce for the dog. The sound is quicker and crisper, and also very consistent.

I asked thr question why not voice, and was told  - there is no differing emotion or sound in the clicker on any occasion - a dog can pick up different emotion or voice level - and once relating the clicker to the habit, the clicker becomes part of the habit quicker than the voice...... phew - gone are the days when we got a lead and took out the dog and said heel eh?  Still, i have to say I admire greatly these people that achieve well with differing methods.   Mo