Involve the Kids! Clicker Training Fun for the Whole Family

Clicker training is fun and easy to learn for the every member of the family, including kids. Clicker training doesn't require physical force or control, so kids can train even a big dog. By the time children reach the age of 6 or 7 and have developed good hand/eye coordination and a sense of timing, they can master the command-click-reward timing. Younger children can help deliver the treats and rewards.

 

Parents, you should do the initial clicker training with the dog. Wait until your dog has learned that a click means a reward is coming before allowing your child to use the clicker. Spend a few minutes several days a week working with your child and dog to teach your child how to use the clicker properly. Help your child start with simple commands such as “Come,” “Sit,” and “Lie Down.”

 

 

When your child and dog have mastered these, let your child try training your dog to do some fun tricks like shake a paw and chase his tail.

 

Clicker training helps kids become more confident in handling dogs and teaches kids to not tug or yell at dogs, which could cause a dangerous reaction from the dog. It’s important that kids learn to give only positive reinforcement; the dog is to be rewarded for doing the right thing, not to be punished for making a mistake.

 

When your whole family is involved in clicker training, your dog will take commands from anyone in the family. Teaching your kids how to clicker train your dog will help to build a loving relationship and bond of trust between your child and your dog.

 

Timing Is Everything – The Trick to Timing the Click

Before you use a clicker to train your pet, you need to learn how to time your clicks. A clicker makes a sound that marks the behavior you want to reward. When clicker training your pet, you should have your thumb poised and ready to click. If you click too soon or too late, you may inadvertently mark the wrong behavior. To become more proficient at clicking, practice until you become totally confident with your clicker technique.

Here are some suggestions for practicing how to precisely synchronize your clicking to specific events:

• Stand outside near a street or parking lot and click every time a car reaches a certain landmark.
• Throw a ball in the air and click when it reaches a predetermined point, such as the highest point, a piece of furniture, or the floor. The noise of the ball touching something and the sound of the clicker should be simultaneous.
• Watch a TV show and click every time you hear a certain word (e.g., a person’s name or the word “doctor” in a medical show) or see people perform a certain action (e.g., wave or sit down).
• Work with a partner. The partner can help by throwing a ball at different speeds and distances to give you a variety of training experiences, and can observe and critique your clicker timing.

Make sure you practice your clicker skills far from your pet’s hearing. Otherwise, when your pet hears the clicker and doesn’t get a treat, he won’t learn to associate the click with a behavior. Practice until you’re confident in your mechanical skills in using the clicker and you’ve perfected your clicker timing. Now you’re ready to introduce your pet to the clicker!

Clicker Training Your Pet Pig, Turkey and Llama?

Clicker training for dogs is a widely accepted and popular method for training with positive reinforcement. Puppies can be obedience trained with a clicker, and many people use the clicker training method to teach their dogs to do tricks, play games, and perform special emergency mission jobs such as finding survivors in a disaster scene.

The use of clicker training began with dolphins to do tricks, like the dolphins at SeaWorld. But did you know there are people who have used clickers to train turkeys, birds, llamas, fish, rabbits and pigs?

A veterinarian clicker trained a two year old parrot that would only allow one person to hold her to trust other people. The parrot bit everyone else to the point of drawing blood. Through clicker training with millet as the treat, the parrot learned to trust the touch by another owner. Another person clicker trained a pet turkey in just five minutes to fly to a target wherever the target was put, in and out of the cage.

Llamas have been clicker trained to carry packs and ring bells, and on obstacle courses. Pigs are very smart and have been easily trained to sit and do tricks like pushing a ball with their nose and maneuvering through obstacle courses. Pet rabbits have been clicker trained to hop over jumps, run through tunnels, and to feel safe when being lifted and held. Imagine the tricks you can teach your pet — with clicker training!

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Patty is the owner of Northwoods Dog Training located in Petosky, MI.

You can visit their website at:

http://www.northwoodsdogtraining.com/

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