Clicker Training - A Fun Approach to Dog Training

Proper communication is fundamental to helping your family have a great experience in training your dog. If family members are not united, with the signals they give your dog, problems can ensue. When giving the same verbal command members of your family may vary in the tone of their voice which will lead to confusion in your dog. This in turn may cause your dog to act erratically.

If your dog does not perform the way you expect he becomes further confused, if you scold him, because he does not know what he did wrong. If your dog continues to feel confused he may become aggressive.

Clicker training can eliminate confusion. Clicker training is easy to learn. A clicker improves communication and motivation because it helps your dog clearly understand the task he is expected to accomplish. Since your dog can trust a clicker to be consistent he is motivated to learn to follow the commands of anyone using a clicker.

The rewarding of proper behavior is the focus of clicker training For instance, if you don't want your dog to bark you would reward him when he is quiet. You always emphasize the behavior you want not the incorrect behavior.

As soon as your dog performs the way you want you immediately click the clicker. A treat is given with the click to reinforce the task you want done.

Ignoring bad behavior does not mean you allow it to happen. You stop the behavior you do not want and then reward for the correct behavior. For instance, if your dog starts to get up on your sofa you would take him off and then, when all four paws are on the floor, you would give a click with your clicker followed by a treat. Every time your dog performs the proper behavior you give a click followed by a treat. It will not take long for your dog to realize that the behavior you want is followed by a click and a treat. Your dog actually becomes an active participant in his own training as he finds ways to please you so he can receive the treat that follows the click.

When your dog performs a task well you can add a hand signal or verbal phrase. This hand signal,word or phrase will then become the cue your dog will follow when you want him to act a certain way. To be specific your cue must apply to one specific task. It cannot be over emphasized that a specific cue must be associated with a specific action.

When you introduce the cue you only use the clicker and treat after you cue the task your want your dog to do. Once the cue is well understood you do not have to follow it with a click and a treat. Your praise and attention will be your dog's reward at this stage.

The entire family can be part of clicker training. It is interesting to note that children seem to be more open to clicker training than adults.

If you use a clicker correctly it is a fantastic training tool. It is highly recommended that you use a clicker as part of your dog training program. Dog training takes time, patience and consistency. Clicker training is no exception but it is worth learning. Clicker training is an enjoyable and satisfying way to train your dog.

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