List Focus
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List Focus

Clicker training is a positive method of training based on the theory of Operant Conditioning. Clicker training focuses on three parts of the Operant Conditioning matrix: positive reinforcement (R+), extinction, and negative punishment (P-). The other two parts, negative reinforcement and positive punishment, do not fall into clicker training as defined by the list-owners and thus are not topics of discussion on this list.

We, the list owners and hosts, believe that it is possible to train reliable companion, competition, and working animals using a combination of R+, extinction, and P-. We subscribe to this premise, which is continually proven in practice: Animals learn best when their own capabilities are encouraged and directed into behaviors that help them live well with humans.

We set up the animals to succeed, and then reward them for their successes. Following that philosophy, we encourage discussions of not only clicker training but also the works of Karen Pryor, Jean Donaldson, Turid Rugaas, Bob and Marian Bailey, and Murray Sidman. Please refer to our recommended reading list of these and other authors.

List Members and Hosts

The list is owned and maintained by Melissa Alexander (mca @ clickersolutions.com) and Debbie Otero (wdotero@yahoo.com). A roster of experienced trainers and other professionals is also in attendance to help pet owners understand how to use clicker training to train animals. We have endeavored to find trainers who specialize in many different areas of training, including companion animals, competition obedience, agility, and service dog training.

You will find trainers on our roster who do not use clickers, but who have invaluable insights into animal behavior and learning and other facets of positive training. We welcome then and thank them for their help with this list. All list-roster trainers share the same goals: effective training without pain and fear.

List members include everyone from professional trainers to first-time owners. Anyone who has a genuine desire to learn about positive training methods is welcome. Always feel free to ask even the most basic, simple questions. For more information, be sure to check out our training articles and clicker training FAQ.

List Rules

List rules are intended to keep the list harmonious with its purpose.

Responses to training and management questions should be restricted to positive methods. Recommendations of physical or mental aversives which cause pain or fear are not permitted.
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Personal attacks, flaming, uncivil rhetoric, and malicious sarcasm are not permitted. If you disagree with a post, specify your disagreement by describing what you think might work instead or better.
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ClickerSolutions traffic is often quite high. The following subjects are and are not appropriate.
APPROPRIATE:
Training posts
Dog behavior
Success stories
Questions
Attaboys/congratulations/etc.
Seminar announcements
"Any trainers in ___?"
Treats and their effect on diet

INAPPROPRIATE:
Virus warnings
Scam warnings/hoaxes
Missing dog e-mails
Puppies for sale or adoption (some special cases have been aproved)
Jokes
Chain letters, even funny or thoughtful ones
Poems and cute Internet stories
General diet discussions
Debates about the effectiveness of, necessity of, or severeness of aversives, general or specifc
Judgmental sniping or other "collar popping" of posters
Before forwarding *anything* to ClickerSolutions, please get permission from BOTH the original author AND one of the ClickerSolutions list owners.
If you reply to a post, trim the original text. At the minimum, remove headers and footers. *Never* reply without trimming.

List hosts will endeavor to be as tactful as possible and may call a temporary halt to topics that raise dissent so badly that list member feelings begin to disrupt list harmony. If your topic is ruled temporarily out of order, please respect the ruling. The list owners reserve the right to remove any poster from the list.

Subscribing

ClickerSolutions is a YahooGroups list. Because there are YahooGroups features which are beneficial to list members, I strongly encourage prospective members to sign up at the YahooGroups site, which will simultaneously associate your account with a YahooID of your choosing. Remember the YahooID and password you choose.

To subscribe, visit the ClickerSolutions page at YahooGroups, and click "Join this Group" on the right side of the page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClickerSolutions

When you submit your subscription request, you will receive a short, four-question questionnaire. Simply answer the questions and return the questionnaire to either melissa @ clickersolutions.com or wdotero@yahoo.com. When we receive your completed questionnaire, we will activate your account.

If we don't receive the completed questionnaire, you'll receive a "denied membership" announcement -- and a second copy of the questionnaire -- in five days when we remove your name from our "Pending Subscribers" list. You may still return the questionnaire, and we'll manually subscribe you.

Mail options

ClickerSolutions is available in several formats.

Individual e-mail -- Receive each post individually as it is posted. This is the most immediate option. However, ClickerSolutions traffic is quite high -- upwards of 100 messages a day during the week.
Digest -- The digest option groups posts together in batches of 25 and sends them in one e-mail. This option is good if you want less mailbox traffic but still want to keep up with the list on a daily basis.
No-mail/Web only -- This option sends no e-mail. Instead you can read posts at your leisure on the YahooGroups site (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClickerSolutions). This option is perfect for people...
- who don't want to receive posts in their mailbox,
- who want to read online,
- who want the freedom to check in only occasionally,
- who want to belong in order to access the archives but not to read current discussions,
- who are going on vacation

To change your delivery options, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClickerSolutions and log in using your YahooID and password. Then click "Edit My Membership" on the right-hand side of the page, and select the mail option you prefer.

Note: If you are a current subscriber, and you don't have a YahooID, go to http://groups.yahoo.com and click "Register" on the upper, left-hand side. Register using the same e-mail address you used to subscribe to ClickerSolutions.

To Unsubscribe

To unsubscribe, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClickerSolutions and log in using your YahooID and password. Then click "Leave Group" on the right-hand side of the page..

Note: If you are a current subscriber, and you don't have a YahooID, go to http://groups.yahoo.com and click "Register" on the upper, left-hand side. Register using the same e-mail address you used to subscribe to ClickerSolutions.

To Temporarily Stop Mail

Sometimes you will be away from your computer for a few days and will want to temporarily stop receiving posts. Rather than unsubscribe, you can set your delivery preferences to "No E-mail.".

Note: If you are a current subscriber, and you don't have a YahooID, go to http://groups.yahoo.com and click "Register" on the upper, left-hand side. Register using the same e-mail address you used to subscribe to ClickerSolutions.

Posting to the List

You may post to the list by sending e-mail to clickersolutions@yahoogroups.com, or you may post from the YahooGroups site (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClickerSolutions).

List Focus

List Members and Hosts

List Rules

Subscribing

Mail options

To Unsubscribe

To Temporarily Stop Mail

Posting to the List

Archives