Timing Your Click With Behaviors Correctly In Clicker Training

One of the more positive reinforcement methods for teaching your dog is training your dog with a clicker. It is a very simple method that every member of your household can do, and your dog will happily comply.

This training only requires a clicker which is a small box that has a long piece of metal that when pushed it makes a clicking noise. The great thing about it is that it is family friendly. Even children can learn how to use the clicker for simple basic commands.

The training also has a way of keeping the pet engaged in what is going on. He knows that if there is a click, there will be a reward shortly afterwards.

What makes the clicker work so well is that it has a distinct sound that carries further than your voice. When it is associated with a reward, the clicker will mean the same thing as saying “good job”.

The dog will learn that the clicker is a positive reinforcement for good behavior, and then anyone can use the clicker, including a young child. The great thing about including the family in this process is that the pet becomes more flexible when other people are around.

How Clicker Training Works And Why It Is So Powerful

Training your dog with a clicker is the simple process of making the clicking sound, and rewarding the dog at the same time so that he will associate the noise with a treat. Rewards do not necessarily need to be treats all the time, sometimes a pat on the head or some kind of praise will work.

At first the treats are more effective until the dog understands that the clicker is a positive experience. Once your pet understands that the sound is a good thing then strong reinforcements like treats will not be as necessary.

How to Train Your Dog With A Clicker

It is best when you start training your dog with a clicker to be in an area away from everyone and most sounds. This allows your pet to concentrate on you and what you are doing. Be sure to have some of the dogs favorite treats with you when you begin teaching him about the clicker.

Make a clicking noise and give the dog a treat so that the pet will associate the sound with reward. You may have to do this up to ten times in one training session. Training sessions should not last more than fifteen minutes at any given time.

The Effectiveness of Training

A way that you can find out if the training is working is to click when the dog does not expect it and see how he responds. If he comes right to you, be sure to reward him right then so the dog will continue to get the reinforcement of reward associated to the clicker. The next step in training will be to click when he follows through with a basic command. The clicker is a positive and accurate training method.

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