This brief article is an introduction to Clicker Training for Puppies and Dogs. Clicker Training is an effective and pet-friendly method of dog training that anyone can learn and use straight away to teach tricks and solve common behavior problems.

What is a Clicker?

A Clicker is a small noise-maker which makes a clicking sound. The click itself is brief, clearly audible and consistent.

What is the point of using a Clicker?

If we wish to reward a dog for behavior that we want more of, we need to be able to say to the dog Yes! That is exactly what I am rewarding! For many behaviors, we can simply say Yes! or Good! and follow up with the reward (usually food, see the article Secrets of Dog Training Professionals – Why Use Food? for reasons why).

The clicker, or verbal marker, is known as a Bridging Stimulus because it bridges the gap between behavior and reward.

If you are trying to teach your dog to push a button with his paw, for example, then you need to be able to reward that exact behavior. This is where the clicker comes in, you can click the clicker precisely as the paw hits the button – effectively saying That is exactly what I want you to do – then give the reward.

How Do Clicker Trainers Stop Unwanted Behavior?

Clicker Trainers have a bag of tricks based in the science of Operant Conditioning. However, they do not use force, fear, pain or scolding to train. That still leaves Negative Punishment, Extinction and training alternative behaviors.

When a clicker trainer comes across an unwanted behavior, they ask What is reinforcing this behavior? and What would I like my dog to instead? Then set about removing the reinforcers for the unwanted behaviour and training a preferred behavior.

Does it Really Work?

Clicker Training is nothing new, it’s just taken a while to catch on. It is proven to work and has been used to train dogs in every field of endeavour, from Guide Dogs, to Police Dogs, to Obedience Champions. It has also been used to train thousands of species of animal, including wild animals in their natural environment.

If you try to punish a wild animal it will either run away or kill you. This leaves Clicker Training as one of the few effective alternatives. Tigers and Bears have been trained to offer a tail or paw and have blood taken. Dolphins have been trained in military surveillance in the open ocean. Dogs have been trained to make their disabled owner’s beds – just a few examples of what clicker training can be used for.

Where Can I Learn More About Clicker Training?

Positive Petzine is a free resource for people training their own dogs. Join now, and for a limited time you can download all available back issues (a $29.95 value) for free!

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of Positive Petzine.

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The 10 Greatest Puppy Training Tips of All Time According to Dog Training Experts

10) When trying to settle a puppy into a new home, providing them with a warm hot water bottle and placing a ticking clock in the room where they sleep will help to replicate the body heat and heartbeat of their litter mates and can really help them to relax in their new environment.

9) When taking your puppy to the Vet for its first inoculations, health checks etc, it is good practice to sit with your puppy on your lap and not have him or her on the floor. Apart from being able to comfort and re-assure the puppy easier in this position you must also consider the fact that there may be a number of sick animals in the surgery and your puppy is vulnerable if they come into direct contact with infectious animals that may also be in attendance at the same time as your pup. Make a very deliberate effort to ensure your puppys trips to the vets are as fun as you can make them. Dont allow your puppy to think you are nervous or concerned, instead make a game and even take a toy to amuse the puppy with whilst they sit on your lap.

Always ensure from the earliest possible moment that your puppy is given his or her own, private sleeping place that is not used by anyone else in the family or another pet. Your puppy will benefit from short periods left alone in his or her den with you always returning to reward the pup when he or she is relaxed and quiet.

7) Try to make sure your puppy is entertained adequately for short but regular intervals during the day. Long periods of being left unstimulated may lead to destructive or disruptive behaviour later in life. Little games playing fetch with the pups favourite toy will have the beneficial affect of stimulating the pup, increasing his or her bond with you and allowing the pup to expend short, sharp bursts of energy.

6) Dont over-train your puppy. Remember, a one-year old dog is, effectively, the same as a seven-year old person. It is a good rule of thumb to keep reminding yourself would I expect a three, four, five or six-year old child to accomplish some of the tasks I am asking of my pup? Manners, house-cleanliness and the very basics (including socialisation) are all you should really seek to instil in your puppy until such a time, as they are mature enough to undergo a more formal training regime. Puppies can deceive you into thinking they are ready for training but will ultimately rebel against discipline as they get older. Ensuring you have taught your puppy to respond to his or her name, what is and is not acceptable in terms of house-manners and establishing an uninhibited relationship with your pup is more important than any other discipline in the early stages of any dogs life.

5) OWWWW! Teach your puppy that biting or nipping is not a pleasant experience for you by reacting as if in pain to their playful nips. Rather than scold the dog, let him or her know that nipping is not a pastime that you wish to engage in. Letting out an over-exaggerated expression of pain will more than likely shock the puppy into ceasing this behaviour. You will be glad you put an end to this behaviour early on instead of confronting a playful 2-year-old with a full set of adult teeth!

4) Decide early on what is and is not acceptable in your house. If you dont want your pup to use the living-room sofa as a raised dog bed when they get older then dont encourage him or her to come up for fuss when theyre young just because they look sweetly at you and are small enough to pick up.

3) Jumping up. All puppies love to jump out when greeting anyone. Rather than reprimand the pup, simply ignore the behaviour and wait until he or she settles down and is not jumping up before lavishing any attention on them. Above all else, dont encourage the behaviour by patting or praising the dog when they are in the jump-position or you may run in to problems as the dog gets bigger and views jumping up as an easy way to receive attention.

2) The puppys name will be with them for life, make sure they know it by associating it with all things pleasant and fun. In the same way dogs cotton on in a very positive way to words such as walkies, biscuits or dinner-time they should be given the same association with their own name. Too often the only time the puppy hears his or her name is when they have done something naughty. Jasper, stop doing that! Buster, leave that alone! Its tough but try to ensure that you NEVER use the puppys name in a negative scenario only positive ones. Instead of Jasper, leave that alone! simply, Leave that alone! or better yet No!. And instead of walkies, biscuits or dinner-time try Jasper, biscuits!, Jasper, walkies!, Jasper, dinner-time! Golden rule. Your puppy should associate his or her own name with all that is pleasant and fun and nothing that is negative. The word no is negative and it is enough to cover all undesirable behaviour.

1) From the moment your puppy comes into your life teach him that coming to you when called is nothing short of being the best thing in the world. Puppies cant resist humans who sit down on the floor with legs spread apart so, while theyre easily persuaded to come by this very simple gesture, make the most of it by using their name, sparingly, but making a huge fuss when puppy arrives. Try it at times when pup is pre-occupied with something interesting and make coming back to you the most enjoyable and rewarding experience in the world for him or her. You will really see the benefits as the dog gets older.

This article was taken from K9 Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for dog lovers and is available in both digital and print formats. You can subscribe to K9 Magazine or get lots of free dog articles, features and advice at http://www.k9magazine.com

All content K9 Media Solutions Ltd & K9 Magazine.

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