Editing Clicker training (section)

==Method==
[[File:ClickersFxwb.jpg|thumb|upright|A selection of clickers]]
The first step in clicker training is teaching the animal to associate the clicker sound (or other chosen marker such as a whistle)<ref name="5 Clicker Training Myths"/> with a treat. Every time the click sounds, a treat is offered immediately.

Next the click is used to signal that a desired behavior has happened. Some approaches<ref name="ASPCA Clicker training"/> are:
*capturing: catching the animal in the act of doing something that is desired, for example sitting or lying down. Eventually the animal learns to repeat the behavior for a treat.
*shaping: gradually building a new behavior by rewarding each small step toward it.
*luring: using the treat like a magnet to get the animal to move toward the desired position.

Once the behavior is learned, the final step is to add a cue for the behavior, such as a word or a hand signal.<ref name="ASPCA Clicker training"/> The animal will have learned that a treat is on the way after completing the desired behavior.

The basis of effective clicker training is precise timing to deliver the conditioned reinforcer at the same moment as the desired behaviour is offered. The clicker is used as a "bridge" between the marking of the behaviour and the rewarding with a primary reinforcer such as a treat or a toy.<ref>Pryor 1999, p. 29.</ref> The behaviour can be elicited by "luring", where a hand gesture or a treat is used to coax the dog to sit, for example; or by "shaping", where increasingly closer approximations to the desired behaviour are reinforced; and by "capturing", where the dog's spontaneous offering of the behaviour is rewarded.<ref>Pryor 1999, p. 60–62.</ref> Once a behaviour is learnt and is on cue (command), the clicker and the treats are faded out.<ref>{{cite web | last = Grobbelaar | first = Claire| title =What is Clicker Training?| url = http://canineconcepts.co.za/clicker-training/ | access-date =2 December 2012 }}</ref>