Train Your Dog More Effectively With Clicker Training

By Sandy Rutherforde

One of the professional dog trainer’s most critical tools is a clicker, a small device that can be held in the hand and that produces a noticeable “click” sound when pressed. Dogs react to audible signals very well, and it’s not only possible but in fact an easy task to train your pet to carry out certain commands on the sound of your clicker – when you understand the techniques.

Clicker training will only be effective in the long term as a consequence of the hard work that both owner and dog accomplish from the beginning. The only real reason that the dog learns to accomplish something upon hearing the sound of the clicker is that he links that noise with something good. When you first get started with clicker training, the trick will be to get the timing correct when offering the command so that once the dog does it right you press the clicker, supply him with lots of praise and, of course, a treat. Forever after, the sound of your clicker will be connected with both verbal commands and great things to eat, so that gradually you can do away with the treats all of the time and your dog will simply react to the sound of the clicker itself.

In the event you make a decision to try and use clicker training for your dog, there are three stages to go through in order for the method to be effective. To begin with, the trainer must show the dog exactly what they want them to do after they hear a specific command. Take “sit” for example. While telling the dog to “sit” the person needs to gently press the dog’s bottom down so they are sitting, prior to employing the clicker and offering the animal his treat.

Once this stage has been learned and the dog is following the commands without being shown what to do, the following step will be to try the command without showing them what has to be accomplished. As time goes on, people can reduce the number of times they accompany the click with an actual treat, at times replacing with praise and affection instead. The dog is going to still connect the clicker with something nice without you needing to invest a lot of money on dog treats.

Once the time is appropriate, the treats can be removed and, finally, the pet will promptly respond to commands followed by the clicker no matter where he and his owner are. Frequently dogs find it hard to obey commands learned at home once they are out in the park, but the clicker eliminates this difficulty by offering some continuity.

And dogs have such excellent hearing that they will respond to your voice and the clicker from some distance away too. If you think that clicker training might be the way forward for you and your dog, the clickers themselves can be purchased from pet stores or online for only a couple of bucks.

Are you looking for tips to more effectively train your dog? Be sure to visit Dog Training Answers for tips on how to potty train a puppy and stop puppy chewing.

Article kindly provided by UberArticles.com

Topics: Dog | Comments Off

Tags: clicker training, Dog, dog training, dogs, family, Pets, pets and animals

Reprint Rights

Comments are closed.