How to Use Clicker Training For Puppies
Clicker training is a popular way of training puppies and older dogs to learn desired behaviors. A simple plastic or metal clicker makes a very distinctive sound that your dog can be trained to respond to psychologically. At the end of the training the dog will associate the sound of the clicker with approval. The click can be delivered much more quickly and accurately than verbal praise, thereby making it easier to develop an association in your dog's mind between a particular action and your approval.
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Instructions
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Visit your local pet-supply store and buy a training clicker. They are usually very inexpensive. Alternatively, you could improvise with an object from your home that makes a clicking sound on command. The main thing is that the click should be loud, sharp and distinct form other sounds. The device also needs to be small enough to carry in your pocket.
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Purchase some dog treats that are small enough to eat in one bite, and which your dog really likes.
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Decide on a simple task you want to train your pet to perform. Even better, choose something he already knows how to do. The purpose of this exercise is more to condition your dog than it is to accomplish the task. It should be something very simple, such as sitting or shaking your hand or rising up on his hind legs. For the purpose of this article, we will use shaking hands as our example.
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Hold the treat tightly in the fist of one hand and hold the clicker in the other.
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Hold out the fist with the treat toward the dog. As soon as the dog picks up the scent of the treat, he will be attracted to this hand, and will begin trying to get at it. If he nips at your hand, pull the treat away for a moment so that the dog will learn that this is undesired. Keep holding out the treat until the dog reaches up to your hand with one of his paws.
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Click the clicker once. The click must happen instantaneously, as soon as the dog performs the desired action. It is very important that there be no pause.
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Give the dog the treat. This should happen immediately after the dog hears the click. Once again, there should be little or no pause. You want the dog to learn to expect a treat whenever he hears the click.
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Repeat the above steps several times a day for several days. The process should become very comfortable and automatic for both you and your dog.
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Increase by a few seconds the pause between the moment when the dog hears the click and when he gets the treat. Repeat the training. This way, the dog will learn to trust that the sound of the click means a treat is coming, even if it does not happen right away.
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Continue making small variations in when the dog receives the treat, but always be absolutely consistent with your use of the clicker. Occasionally--and not very often at first--skip giving the dog the treat altogether, and instead give him affection. (Use kind words and lean down and pat him or rub his belly.) By now, the dog is beginning to learn think of the click itself as a kind of reward. He will eventually learn that he does not always know what he will get when he hears the click, but it is always going to be something good.
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Try teaching new tasks using the same principle, and always have the clicker with you when you are with your dog. Anytime he hears the click, it should be a signal that he did something good.
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Tips & Warnings
The process above should take two to four weeks, depending upon the dog. The owner should be consistent in doing the training every day.
