Dog Training with Clicker

Dog training with clicker is a stress-free methodology, which allows achieving the best results in training. Today this method is really the most effective. Clickers give the new opportunities and enable to work through thorough fulfilling the circus tricks and basic commands. The mechanism of the conditioned reflex underlies the clicker training.

Here you can read about the principles of this reflex:

1. You put the food in front of the dog - the appearance and smell of the treat activates the salivation. The reaction occurs as a reflex.

2. You make the signal and then provides the treat - the appearance and smell of the food also triggers the secretion of saliva. But because the signal happens the elaboration of the conditioned reflex.

3. After the frequent combining of food and signal will it be only enough to make a signal for the dog salivation.

So, click is the signal and salivation will be replaced by state of joyful wait.

Dog training with clicker step by step:

Step 1. Introductory exercise. Find the calm and quiet place to get used to the dog clicker. Click and give your four-legged friend the treat immediately (at the beginning between the moment of the click and treat it should not be more than 1 second). Repeat this exercise 15-20 times, stop the exercise and give your dog to relax and play.

Step 2. The exercise continues. Everything goes the same as in the first exercise with Clicker, but you should hold a treat not in the hand, but in your bag or keep away somewhere. Place the treat and go back to the dog. Click and only after that take the food and give that to your dog with a 5 seconds interval between the events. You can also change the time interval. This practice makes it so that the dog understands that it always gets the treat after the click, but sometimes it should wait for a few seconds. Hereinafter it will allow you to use the main rule of clicker while training the dog: It will be enough to make only a click during exercise. We recommend to make this exercise on different days and during different training, so that the dog understands the main thing, and always waits for the treat after the click.

Step 3. Completing exercise. If the dog has mastered the exercise well, you can start training with clicker. The dog understands the principle "click = success with subsequent reward". For example, we take the command "Give paw". Show the dog the treat and hold it in your fist. Hold your fist in front of the dog. If the dog touches your hand, click and give the dog the treat. If the dog meets the exercise after the oral command or gesture, you can take away the clicker. The success of your training depends on the correct calculation of the time interval and the motivational state of the dog. You also have no need to point the clicker to the dog, it will not help you to get the effect of the exercise faster.

Main rules of the work with Clicker. Please read the rules in order to understand the use of the clicker!

• Begin the training in commands with the help of button clicker when the dog does not have a conditioned reflex.
  
• You should confirm the accuracy of dog actions with Click to prevent the formation of incorrect connections and to let the dog know something non-violently.
  
• Clicker training for dogs should not be used for attracting attention or dog's reaction.
  
• The desirable behavior should be strengthen by clicking. The dog gets its encouragement. In this way, the success can offer the dog also its own proposal for behavior.
  
• If you want to get the best outstanding training, make the quantity of the reward bigger and improve the quality of the treat. That counts as Jackpot for the dog.
  
• The pet should regularly have the opportunity to get the jackpot. This will additionally encourage the dog. Jackpot should be given only in the situation when the dog has made a real breakthrough in practice.
  
• The dog often runs to you after the click to get the treat. That's totally fine - clicking ends the exercise and should be confirmed.
  
• Unwanted behavior should not draw your attention. Training is free of sanctions. The absence of the click means the failure for sensitive dogs who practice with clickers intensively. Therefore, you should divide the exercise into several small parts, so that the dog often has the click confirmation.
  
• Dog training with Button Clicker is not concentrated on the command. The goal of this exercise is the formation and determination of the desired type of behavior. Only when dog shows the desired behavior repeatedly, insert the individual commands and signals. This is a great advantage compared with normal training, because in this case the dog will associate the signal with an excellent achievement.
  
• Once a certain behavior is under control of the team in such exercise, clicker is no longer needed.

Please use the products for dog training: