Using a clicker can be a pia. You have to have it with you at all times around the animal you are training. Drop it, forget it or sit on it and you are sol. The clicker also must be in your hand to properly time your CR. Tough to do that with tidbits, hawk and whatever else you have in hand. You can simply click or cluck your tongue the millisecond the animal does what you want it to do. You will not lose, sit on it, nor forget it. Keep the sound consistent and it will have the same desired effect. Plus, you do not have to purchase anything.
I also like to wait a second or two after giving the CR to deliver the reinforcement. Repeat this over and over and you will get the benefit of dopamine dumping into the brain, then reward. It is an added benefit to OC and builds a patient animal. Those that feed quickly after the CR, get an impatient animal that expects it's food immediately after the CR. This can have some serious downside effects and you then need to reward each and every time. Varying the reward down the line once training; some little, some lots, and some none at all builds a very strong response, especially with a hunting carnivore.
I also hide the food in the glove. The bird must come to the glove to find out if it is there. Show the food and the bird can then decide if the reward is worth coming to you, or not. I do start training showing and then transition to not showing at all. This also builds a better response, along with varying the reward.
Hope this finds all of you well.
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