Dog Clicker Training
No matter what breed of dog you own, using a dog clicker training technique is just about the most effective way to control your dog’s behaviour when you start with the basic training commands.
It won’t take very long at all for you to master these dog clicker training techniques and you will capable of teaching your dog more or less anything.
How Dog Clicker Training Works
The whole idea behind clicker training is so simple.
You will be teaching your dog to associate the click with a specific command, the reason for using a clicker is that it produces a strong, sharp sound that your dog can hear from as much as 60 feet or more away. The ultimate goal for you and your dog is that you will match the desired behaviour to the sound of the click.
Now, that sounds simple right ?
Well, the first thing you need to do is to teach your dog that the sound of the clicker is a reward for doing what you asked him to do.
The simple way to start is with a cheap clicker from a pet store and a bag of your dogs favourite treats.
The reason for starting in this way is simple, your dog must never hear the clicker for any reason other than to tell him or her they have done what you wanted and that there’s a treat coming.
The 3 Dog Clicker Training Steps
- Get the desired behaviour
- Mark with the clicker
- Give the treat
These 3 basic steps are all it takes at first. You get the desired behaviour, which may be sitting or lying down for example. You then mark that behaviour with the clicker, then you provide the reward.
Taking a “sit” as an example, you will need to put your dog into the sit, then click while they are sat, then reward.
It very often only takes 3-4 markings with the clicker before he or she learns what they did, and associates the click and the treat. Your dog is a clever animal when treated in a simple way. This kind of “positive reinforcement” gives them the chance to respond to you immediately and to gain their reward, all of which instills things in his or her mind very quickly.
Once you have reached the stage where they have done what you wanted and got the reward, continue to repeat the behaviour and gradually withdraw the treats and substitute with praise and petting which work just as well and will be just as welcome to your dog.
Transitioning to a Command
As time goes on you will want to move to spoken commands, so to use the “sit” again, put your dog into the sit position, say “Sit” clearly and sharply, then click and follow up with the reward.
Your dog will very quickly learn to associate the behaviour and verbal command with the click and the treat, which you both will find rewarding.
Over time, with good use of dog clicker training your dog will learn to respond to the spoken command and you can drop the clicker and the treat, your dog will be happy knowing that he has done what his “Alpha dog” wanted and the pack is running well.
Now that’s a very simple explanation of basic dog clicker training, but no doubt you can see that this method has a wide variety of possible uses. It really does make training your dog so much easier as you are now able to easily mark and positively encourage just about any behaviour.
