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Clicker Training

     Clicker training is a fun and easy way to train your dog almost anything, from basic obedience to complex tricks. Clicking is a force-free method of training that relies on your dog offering behaviors, and occasionally being lured into an action or position, without the handler having to position the dog with hands or leash. This also makes clicker training an excellent training tool for those with physical limitations.

     The clicker itself is used to let the dog know instantly that the behavior he has offered is one you want him to repeat. This signal is immediately followed by a treat, and soon your dog will associate the sound with an impending reward. Your dog must make this association before any other training can begin.

     To establish the relationship between the clicker and the reward you will need to do what is commonly called “charge the clicker.” Charging the clicker is accomplished by clicking and quickly giving a treat, this “charging” should occur briefly at the beginning of each session. Repeat, using 6 to 12 clicks per minute, until your dog starts to immediately perk up and give you attention at the sound of the click. For now you are not focusing on any one behavior, just on getting the click and treat down.

     Your next step is to decide on a behavior that you would like to enforce. You’ll probably want to start with basic behaviors such as sit, down, shake, and rollover. In this case I’ll use “down” as the example. Start your training session with a bit of charging and then relax as your dog thinks things through. Try not to put pressure on your dog by staring at him, it may even be a good idea to feign interest in the TV or a book so that your dog will become calm enough to behave naturally.

     At some point your dog will lie down on his own and you should immediately click and treat (c/t). This is called capturing the behavior. (Note: Do not start by giving the command “down”, naming a behavior is avoided until you are certain that your dog understands what the behavior is). Once your dog has offered the behavior and received his c/t simply sit back and wait for the behavior to be offered again, which may take a few moments as your dog thinks back over what he may have done to receive the c/t.

     As your dog realizes laying down is getting him the click he will start offering it faster and you may have to toss the treat after clicking so he will have to get up in order to lie down again. Now that the behavior is understood you can name it by saying “down” as he begins to lie down, & c/t on completion. You may still want to start the next couple of sessions with offered downs before giving the command, to make sure he is still getting the hang of it. Now you have taught your dog to “down” using the clicker method!

     This same method is used to achieve most single action behaviors. Simply wait for your dog to offer the behavior you desire then c/t immediately and let the dog think things out. You may be amazed at the variety of actions offered as your dog discovers that he is now playing an active role in his own training by trying various behaviors to earn that wonderful click and treat!

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