Clicker Training Basics – Dog Training
clicker training basics start by conditioning the clicker take about ten treats and put them in one hand the clicker in the other hand click one time and give a treat with the other hand the dog does not have to do anything just click and treat ten times notice that I am not moving my clicker hands the clicker is not a remote control click first then move your hand to give the treat if you need to count to two in your head before giving the treat using a toy instead of treats if you want to use a toy to reward click and give the toy the downside to using a toy is that you can’t get in as many repetitions when using a toy make sure you play with it play is what your dog wants training tips once you have done multiple click treats wait until your dog is slightly distracted and then click if the dog looks at you then he understands the click the secondary reinforcer means his primary reinforcer the reward is coming if the dog does not look at you then he does not understand what the click means if he does not understand then do about ten more clay treats wait a bit and test his knowledge again if using a word use something that is not a normal everyday word I like yes or yep I would suggest not to use good or good dog because most people tend to use this a lot when I say good boy good girl or good job it means the dog is on the right track and I like what they are doing it does not guarantee a treat or a toy conditioning the word yes instead of clicking you can use the word yes sometimes you might not have a clicker or it might be easier to use a word yes yes yes yes clicker basics the clicker is not a toy and should only be used as a training tool the click is like a camera taking a picture of the exact behavior that you like or that you want repeated one click equals at least one reward rewards are usually toys food environment and playing with your dog set your dog up for success by making things easier for him and slowly make it harder think of the steps when a human learns math start with learning to count then add subtract multiply fractions algebra etc dogs learn in steps like humans never click the clicker next to your dog’s ear if you click and you did not mean to click you still owe your dog a reward whose fault is it if you click the wrong behavior yours so practice your timing the clicker is for training new behaviors increasing criteria adding duration adding distance or working around distraction and does not need it once your dog knows the behavior what should you do if your dog does not do what you ask simply wait a bit and then ask for the behavior again do not yell or get upset with your dog it is not really that big of a deal just wait and ask again maybe your dog did not hear you maybe he was thinking about something else when you asked how many times has someone asks you something and you were busy or thinking about something else and just did not hear them you are not being defiant or stubborn were you you just did not hear the person say anything to you because you were slightly distracted this happens to our dogs all the time maybe the dog does not really know the behavior maybe the dog is not motivated by the reinforcer so be patient and do not take it personal if your dog does not respond use the clicker to capture lure or shape behaviors that you want to put on cue keep your training sessions short Isabelle is offering behaviors and I’m clicking anything this is just a fun game that I play with them clicker training is a magical and fun way to train animals and humans with humans it is called tag teaching use the clicker to increase criteria use clicker training to prove behaviors the dog knows if you would like to learn more about clicker training I sell DVDs on my website at wwlp.com
