Rocky's Dog School (owned and run by myself, Rocky Maritz) is committed to using only force-free methods along with clicker training to achieve the best in obedience for our canine companions.
Although Rocky's Dog School was started in October 2012, I have been working with dogs as a hobby since 2003, when I completed my Advanced Obedience Certificate, and I have had a passion for them my entire life. The school has gone from strength to strength and I am truly excited for the future of Rocky's Dog School. We offer private home classes during the week, and public classes at Linber Boarding Kennels and Cattery in Tarlton (Krugersdorp, Gauteng Province) on Saturday mornings. Linber Boarding Kennels and Cattery, owned by Lindsay and Bernie Roberts, offer a truly personal touch when it comes to looking after the rescued dogs as well as their regular boarding clients. We do work for The 9th Day Animal Rescue, Paws R Us, Great Dane Rescue South Africa, K9 Best Friends. |
Clicker training is a way of training that uses sound to mark the behaviour you are looking for. The "CLICK-CLICK" signals that what the dog just did is what the trainer is looking for. The click is always followed by a treat. It becomes a form of currency that your dog understands. The dog gets "paid" with a click and reward for good behaviour. It is a powerful and completely force free way of training animals. A clicker is a small plastic box with a metal "tongue" that clicks when depressed and released. Below is a picture of a typical clicker. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colours, but they all perform the same function.
Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behaviour is controlled by consequences. Key concepts in operant conditioning are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment.
Positive reinforcement occurs when a desirable event or stimulus is presented as a consequence of a behaviour and the behaviour increases.
Negative reinforcement occurs when something already present is removed as a result of a behaviour and the behaviour that led to this removal will increase in the future because it created a favourable outcome.
Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behaviour is controlled by consequences. Key concepts in operant conditioning are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment.
Positive reinforcement occurs when a desirable event or stimulus is presented as a consequence of a behaviour and the behaviour increases.
Negative reinforcement occurs when something already present is removed as a result of a behaviour and the behaviour that led to this removal will increase in the future because it created a favourable outcome.