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What is “Click for Blick”?
“Click for Blick,” also known as “Blick and Click,” is a technique of classical counter-conditioning. It involves changing the dog’s expectation in a positive direction. The dog learns to anticipate a pleasant experience when encountering a stimulus or situation. As a result, dogs are often more relaxed. For more information, you can read the article on successfully applying counter-conditioning.
In “Click for Blick,” “Click” refers to the marker signal or clicker. If the dog cannot take treats, it is possible to link the marker with other rewards (praise, functional rewards such as distance or sniffing). However, it is advantageous to initially practice a fixed ritual, such as always using treats as a reward. This provides security for both the dog and the handler and is relatively easy to learn.
“Blick” refers to the dog’s gaze toward the trigger or stimulus, not the gaze toward the human (that comes later).
The first step of “Click for Blick” proceeds as follows:
Blick
The dog sees a stimulus (another dog, a person, something scary, etc.).
Click
Marker (click, tack, top, yep, …) or clicker.
Reward
Reward (food is usually the simplest option at the beginning).
The food can either be given from the person’s hand, which promotes orientation towards the handler, or it can be tossed on the ground away from the stimulus, encouraging the dog to turn away from it and exhibit more relaxed body language. However, when the dog searches the ground for food, there’s more opportunity to disengage from the search and become agitated or slip into an undesirable mood.
To determine which method is best for you, individual training is ideal.
The dog will likely soon learn that a specific reward always follows exposure to a particular stimulus. Consequently, the dog will naturally turn away from the stimulus and toward the handler upon seeing it. In the second step, spontaneous turning away from a stimulus is marked and rewarded.
In the third step, an alternative behavior can be introduced. This should ideally have a functional aspect. For example, if the dog wishes to increase distance, the alternative behavior should incorporate and allow this. An easy alternative behavior is a hand touch. If the hand is held away from the trigger, the behavior also has a functional purpose.
Further down, you can download a summary guide of “Click for Blick” as a PDF (note: unfortunately not yet available in English).
Possible Applications
“Click for Blick” can be used in many areas. It is often applied in situations involving encounters. These can include other dogs, as well as people, bicycles, scooters, and anything else the dog might find intimidating and tends to associate with negative emotions.
I also use the technique in training related to hunting behavior. As soon as Lina perceives wildlife (which I can see from her body posture), I mark the calm standing. This is less about counter-conditioning (since her emotions are already positive) and more about reinforcing calm standing by the roadside instead of immediately chasing after.
I also apply the method to sounds. Instead of “Blick” (gaze), it’s more like “Geräusch” (sound). For example, Lina initially reacted strongly to dog barking, even from a great distance. By applying “Click for Blick” and the resulting counter-conditioning, her reaction has significantly lessened, and her emotions toward dog barking have improved (more neutral than overly excited, which suits us well).
What Should You Pay Attention To?
When applying the technique, there are a few key points to ensure you don’t inadvertently encourage unwanted behavior.
What’s not possible: You can’t amplify fear or aggression as emotions! However, behavior that is activated as a result can indeed be reinforced. Additionally, the dog should still be in a thinking state, ideally in the green zone or, at most, the orange zone (refer to the article on the escalation ladder).
Guide to “Click for Blick” Technique
Note: Unfortunately, the guide is not yet available in English.
Further Information
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