Puppy Clicker Training for Idiots

Clicking training puppies is way of teaching your dog to perform desired actions such as learning obedience commands or going potty outdoors. Punishment is not used in clicker training, just rewards to positively reinforce desired behaviors.

Clicker training is different than other forms of positive reinforcement in one significant way, and that is clicker training uses a click sound when the dog performs the desired behavior. A treat is then given to the puppy as a reward. A clicker, a small box you can buy at a pet store, produces the click or you can also just use your vocal cords.

If you give your dog a treat and make the click sound every time he sits in training, he will begin to associate the two things together. Your dog gets a clear signal from the click that he will associate with the behavior that he just finished performing.  With verbal commands like “sit” you will not get the same consistency of sound as you will with a click which sounds the same every time it is made.

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An Introduction To Clicker Training Puppies

Clicker training puppies is a flexible training method that can be used to teach your dog many desired behaviors. To show you how clicker training can be used in combination with potty training, here is an example. If you would like to teach your puppy to go potty outside, choose a permanent spot which will be the one he always uses. To train your puppy to go potty outside, always go in and out of the same door and go over to the permanent potty spot each time.

Wait until your puppy starts to go potty. Click at the same time that he finishes going potty.  Make sure you don’t click until after he is completely done or he might not finish. Hand your puppy a treat after clicking. It is important to time the click correctly in order for the puppy to associate going potty with the click and treat.

Using a click has the advantage that your puppy can begin to associate the click sound with his going potty outside and getting a treat.  He isn’t rewarded with a treat and is not presented with the click sound when he goes potty inside the house.

Clicker Training Puppies Advantages

Clicker training puppies is advantageous in that it builds up desired behaviors by using clear signals and positive reinforcement.  This helps to take a lot of the ambiguity out of the communication which happens frequently between humans and animals.  To properly train your puppy to perform desired behaviors, it isn’t necessary to punish him. Training can be both rewarding and fun for both your puppy and you.

Puppies have very short attention spans, so clicker training puppies should only done for short amounts at a time. Training for about five minute intervals is about how long you should go with clicker training sessions. Basic obedience commands including, come, down, stay and sit can also be taught in addition to potty training using clicks. When teaching your dog obedience commands use the same steps that you did for potty training.

The sit command can be taught, but you need to wait and watch for him to sit.  As soon as his back end makes contact with the ground, click the clicker and hand him a treat.  As soon as it is clear that he has learned to associate sitting down with the click and getting a reward, begin introducing the verbal command of “sit” and then you can eventually stop using the click and he will sit with just the verbal command.

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