Clicker training basics for dogs and puppies

Although clicker training has been around for decades, to the uninitiated it may still seem like a rather complicated practice. Rest assured that this effective method of combining edible rewards with sound is an easy and fun way to train your canine pet. Once an owner has mastered the basics of this technique, training without a clicker may seem unthinkable. No matter what you wish to teach your dog, a clicker can almost certainly be integrated into his training.

Clicker training basics

Most pet supply stores offer clickers. These small plastic and metal devices are economical, but they can produce big results. By quickly depressing the metal section of the clicker and then instantly letting go, the sound is made. The timing of this all-important click, however, is crucial. The sound must accompany the behavior you wish to reinforce. Click the device just a moment too soon (or too late), and you will have reinforced the wrong behavior.

For instance, if you are teaching your dog to come to you, press the clicker while your dog is still in the process of making his way towards you. Once you have pressed the clicker, also offer your dog an edible reward. The edible reward should also be given while your dog is performing the task you are teaching, but its timing it a bit less critical than that of the sound. As your dog begins learning this command, you will offer the food reward only sporadically, but the click will be a consistent part of the process until he has mastered this particular training task. Once he has it down cold, you may then replace the use of the clicker with a visual cue for the task and work on practicing that. Continue to use an edible reward here and there to help in this process.

If you feel overwhelmed using clicker training on your own, enlist professional help! Trainers who use this proven technique based on operant conditioning are widely available. You may schedule a private lesson for you and your pet with one of these individuals or sign up for a class along with other owners who like you who are completely new to the concept.

One of the best things about the clicker is that it allows you to reward your pet for things he is already doing right. Since the clicker sound occurs so quickly, you can instantly reinforce all your dog's good behaviors – a positive step towards future learning. And speaking of positive things, clicker training is an exclusively positive method of training your pet. It should never be used with punishment of any kind. Just like children dogs tend to learn the most when they are caught being good!