Clicker Training

[shelb'smum]

I am New to the training thing, any dog I have had in my life has been a rescue, they came pre trained! just needed fine tuning.

now that I have a bundle of energy called shelby to train I am looking into the Methods of training. and I am WONDERING... what is a clicker how does it work and where can I find one. now I know that i could go to so pet store and ask them! but i love reading the post on here!

 

I have come to LOVE the BC breed. they are just SO SMART and eager to learn, my shelby is only 11 weeks old and she already comes when i call her, and sits. i haven't done much else with her yet, but I want to.

 

but that Is my question.

 

and I'll be sure to post a picture of my Shelbs when I find the battery for the Camera

[Kat's Dogs]

Clicker training is just a sound to mark a behavior.

 

The dog does something, and WHILE they are DOING the behavior you click the clicker. Then you give a treat (rather then interrupting the behavior to give the treat). You can do the same thing with a word, like "YES!" - but the actual clicker tends to be easier to use. So if I told a dog to sit, as soon as their but hit the floor I would click the clicker and then give a treat. Or a better example, in agility, if I told her to jump - WHILE she is in the air I would click, then when she was done jumping I give her the treat but she knows that the treat is because she jumped.

 

Clicker training is very helpful for shaping behaviors (example: to teach the dog to "wave" first just click when the dog's paw comes off the ground a little, after doing that a few times, only click and treat if the dog raises their paw higher, then little by little ask for more and more from the dog until you have a nice high "wave"). I taught my Dazzle to "clean up" her toys by shaping the behavior.

 

You can get a clicker at just about any dog store.

 

Oh, and before you start clicker training, you have to "charge" the clicker. You do that by having you pup in front of you, you click and then immediately give a treat. You do that a lot until the dog really knows that click = treat.

if you want more info, try using the search tool on the boards - clicker training has been discussed before.

 

I can't wait for pictures!