Target Practice Q&A

There’s a lot of information out there about target practice (some people call it target training). We want to help you avoid some common mistakes and talk through a couple of key things about target practice.

This is intended for folks who are already familiar with the basics of targeting, so it might be a good idea to read through our Target Practice post first.

Should I do target practice regularly?

If your learner can press buttons with accuracy then you don’t need to target train with them at all, and we’d recommend you stop target practice once they do seem to be accurate with their pressing, whether or not they are activating buttons on their soundboard yet. Target practice isn’t something you need to refresh or keep up with as your learner will be pressing buttons lots on their soundboard once they get going.

If your learner seems to really enjoy practice, then consider learning more about trick training or shaping behaviours so they can do a similar activity. There’s lots of great resources online, and “Training” can be a great button to add to your soundboard if it’s something your learner enjoys.

My learner is scared of their talking buttons - can target practice help?

Always go at your learner’s pace. That might mean simply having the button nearby for a while.

You might need to begin with a button with no sound - by that we mean don’t activate the practice button (ie: don’t pull the little plastic tab out of the bottom), or take the batteries out to prevent any of the pre-recorded sounds from going off.

Repeat the steps we’ve set out in our main guide very slowly and at times when your learner is relaxed and comfortable. Once they’re happy to press a silent button you can move onto a button with a quiet word on it (you can’t adjust the button volume, you just need to speak quietly when you record) and eventually to one at full volume.

I over-prompted my learner and now they won’t press - can target practice help?

First off, there’s no judgment here, we’re all learning as we go along and we’re here to help you from wherever you’re at now, but we’re not promising you any quick fixes. If you’ve been advised target training or target practice will start your learner pressing again I’m afraid we disagree. Target practice is not going to make a learner who is fed-up or reluctant to press because you’ve been pressuring them forget that experience. Creating positive experiences around the soundboard will make them feel warmer towards buttons.The number one way to do that is to up your modelling and stop all prompting.

That said, if your learner is nervous around buttons because you’ve prompted them or pressured them in the past, then a session or two of practice might be a good way to show them buttons can be a fun thing, and spark their interest.

If you do choose to do any target practice with a learner who was already pressing buttons and stopped, only ever use the buttons when your learner is relaxed and comfortable, and don’t go overboard. Make the sessions short (5 minutes or less) and allow your learner to walk away at any time. Don’t make these a regular thing or on a schedule, otherwise they’re becoming another way that interaction with buttons only happens on your terms.

Why can’t I just use a cue to tell my learner to press a button?

If you cue your learner to press a button, they won’t understand that it’s something they can do as and when they like.

In the very beginning of button teaching this was something people used to do. Everyone was learning and we were relying a lot on applying existing animal training and behavioural techniques to teaching button communication. Over time we’ve realised cues around buttons confuse the idea that buttons can be pressed at any time, especially for learners that are highly trained and know a lot of cues. We’ve seen enough people have problems that we’re confident saying this shortcut risks prompt dependency for some learners. Need a reminder of what that means? - Check out the Definitions page.

Imagine you want to give your cat its kibble in a puzzle toy that is a series of boxes with levers next to them. The cat has to press the lever next to each box to open that lid. If you pointed to each lever in turn and gave your cat a “paw” cue to hit the lever, they’d ‘do’ the puzzle, but they might well get the idea that they should only hit each lever when you give the cue - plus, it would make for some very boring mealtimes for both of you if you have to talk them through every step of the puzzle every time!

Should I keep the target practice button on the soundboard?

Please don’t. Only put ‘real’ words on your board that you’ll respond to all the time. ALL your learner’s soundboard buttons need to work in the same way - i.e. your learner can press them whenever they want and you respond to them consistently and positively. Adding a button you only respond to sometimes or on your terms is going to confuse them. Read our main article on target practice for advice about how to do target practice with buttons that are already on your board.

I’ve put the button I’m using for target practice on the board, what do I do?

What you’ve accidentally done here is added a button to the board for the reward you’ve given in your practice sessions!

Your learner pushes a button and gets a reliable response (probably a treat) so what you’ve been doing isn’t training or practice, it’s modelling. If you’ve only responded to any presses of that button when it was in a ‘training session’ then, we hate to tell you this, but you’ve done really inconsistent modelling that has probably been confusing your learner.

Leave the button where it is. Taking the button up now risks being confusing and demotivating, especially if your learner was excited about the reward they were getting in their practice sessions. If your button has a ‘nonsense word’ at the moment, re-record and label your button as “treat” (or whatever you call the reward you’ve been giving) and continue to do target practice with it, as well modelling throughout the day and responding to any presses.

You may get some frustration or spamming of that button. Remember your learner has been confused about the practice button, and it’s connected to something very desirable, so it’s natural they’ll want to test the button out.

Try creating a system of diminishing returns to manage overuse of the button. That is where you gradually offer a less high-value option when a button is pressed repeatedly. This way you are still saying yes to the button a lot of the time in a way that reinforces the meaning of the word you’re trying to teach, but it's a reward your learner is less excited by each time. Soon they’ll learn they won’t get endless treats if they press continuously, but do get a high proportion of positive responses when they press a button which will help them see that buttons are fun and useful. We cover the idea of diminishing returns in detail in our guide.