What Can I Clicker Train My Dog to Do?

You’ve heard about people using clickers to train their dogs to sit and stay. But did you know you can clicker train your dog to play catch or go hiking? You can even use clicker training to make your dog stop barking!

 

So what can you clicker train your dog to do? Here are some of the most popular skills dogs can learn with clicker training:

 

• Obedience skills – sit, stay, come, heel, down


• Crate training, potty training


• Behaviors – barking, chewing, biting, jumping


• Bathing


• Speak and be quiet


• Reliable recall


• Games – fetch, Frisbee, hide and go seek, snow play


• Sports – Canicross, Treiball, hiking


• Safety – holiday, vacation

Clicker training is a positive reinforcement method of training your dog. When you give a command and your dog performs correctly, you immediately click a clicker and give him a treat. Dogs especially enjoy the click and treat form of training; it becomes a game for them.

 

To be a successful clicker trainer, you need to learn exactly when to click. You must click at the exact moment your dog performs the desired behavior. The clicker is not difficult to use; it just requires a little practice. To become more proficient at clicking, practice away from your dog until you become totally confident with your mechanical skills in using the clicker and you’ve perfected your clicker timing. Practice makes perfect!

 

There are so many fun things to clicker train your dog to do. Start with the basic obedience skills and make sure he is consistent in responding to your commands. With a strong foundation, you can clicker train your dog to be a fun companion inside and outside!

Clicker Train Your Dog to Speak AND to be Quiet!

Clicker training is so easy and so much fun for both you and your dog. With the positive reinforcement method of clicker training, you just give the command, and when your dog performs correctly, you click and give him a treat. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

Training to speak.

• Make sure he knows how to stay and sit.
• Start with a click and treat to get his attention.
• Tell him to sit, then click and treat.
• Tell him to stay, then click and treat again.
• Then wiggle your finger back and forth and say “Speak.” When he barks, click and treat.

Some dogs may get overly excited and bark at inappropriate times. So it’s important to teach him to be quiet as well.

Training to be quiet.

• When your dog starts barking at something, check to make sure everything is okay.
• Then get his attention.
• As soon as he quits barking, tell him “Quiet” and click and treat.
• You can also create a situation that causes him to bark to do the training.

Be patient, always positive, and have fun clicker training your dog!

Tips From the Experts for Successful Clicker Training

Clicker training is a widely accepted and popular method for training pets with positive reinforcement. The clicker method is easy for anyone to learn, even children. Animal trainers have found clicker training to be a wonderful training tool. Following are some tips from professional animal trainers to help you and your pet reap the most from your clicker training experiences.

Mary Hunter, stalecheerios.com

“Have a well defined plan. It’s easy to get in trouble or get stuck if you haven’t mapped out where you’re going. Decide what you will and won’t click for. Plan each step towards your goal. Think about potential problem spots and know before you start what to do in each of these situations.”

Pamela Dennison, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training

“Make a list of the behaviors you observe in your dog now, along with what you’d rather see instead….When you identify what you want, you’ll be surprised at how often you actually do get these behaviors—even without training. No dog can be ‘bad’ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week….And now you can start reinforcing the ‘good’ behaviors because you know what to look for.”

Jane Killion, When Pigs Fly!: Training Success With Impossible Dogs

“If you want a dog that is quiet and polite in the house, you have to reinforce that. Every dog calms down sometimes, even if it is only for ten seconds. Find that ten seconds and reinforce it….By reinforcing the quiet behavior, you can grow those ten seconds of calmness into hours of calmness.”

Mary Ray and Andrea McHugh, Click & Train Your Dog

“Practice with a clicker before using it near your dog, and remember that he has sensitive hearing so avoid close proximity to his head.”

Melissa Eldredge, Amazing Pet Tricks

“If you are training a cat, try out some cat treats. Cats are often pickier than dogs, so don’t buy a whole bunch of one type of treat until you’re sure your cat will like it.”

Marilyn Krieger, Naughty No More

“Cats are easily sidetracked. It is important to train in a location without distractions such as other animals or loud noises, where your cat feels safe. The treats you are using as primary reinforcers should be the only food available during the training sessions.”

Clicker Training for Dogs, www.medicinenet.com/pets/dog-health/clicker_training_for_dogs.htm

“Practice a new behavior in many different places so that your pet learns how to do it everywhere. Start in calm, quiet environments and slowly work up to more distracting locations.”

Clicker Training for Dogs, www.medicinenet.com/pets/dog-health/clicker_training_for_dogs.htm

“Some trainers like to click and then deliver a “jackpot”-a bunch of treats-when their pet has accomplished a particularly challenging task. Big efforts deserve big rewards!”

Mandy Book and Cheryl Smith, Quick Clicks - 40 Fast and Fun Behaviors to Train With a Clicker

“Because clicker training is ‘no-force’ training, it’s an excellent method to use with fearful dogs, and can be managed by both children and seniors, even with large breed dogs.”

Best Pets as Christmas Presents for Children

Puppies and kittens are the most popular pets for parents to get their children. Who doesn’t love the sweet affection of an adorable puppy or the playfulness of a frisky kitten? If you use the positive reinforcement of a clicker to paper and obedience train when you first bring it home, you and your pet will have a head start on a long and happy relationship.

Some children are allergic to dogs and cats, so consider other pets that your child may not be allergic to. The following are some of the most popular pets for children…all of which can be clicker trained with clickers:

Rabbits. Loving, quiet, and easy to take care of, bunnies are a favorite pet for older, calm children any time of year. Use clicker training to help your bunny feel safe when being lifted and held. You can also clicker train it to do tricks like hopping over jumps and running through tunnels.

Birds. Parakeets, canaries, cockatiels, lovebirds and small parrots make wonderful pets for children and thrive with constant affection. For best results, look for hand-tamed babies from a reputable breeder.

Guinea pigs. These little furry friends are gentle and good-natured, in many ways a perfect pet for children of all ages. Guinea pigs are a little skittish around people at first and need to be clicker trained to trust you when being held and carried.

Rats. Believe it or not, rats are fastidiously clean, intelligent, and love to be handled. Your child can clicker train a rat to come when called, kiss, beg, and many other tricks.

Children at least six years of age can be taught to clicker train their pets. Clicker training teaches kids to not tug or yell at pets, which could cause the pet to react dangerously. If you’re planning to give your child a pet for Christmas, find a pet that’s right for your child’s age and personality, and help your child become more confident in handling pets.

Canicross – A Fun New Way to Exercise With Your Dog

Canicross is the popular European sport of cross-country (“cross”) running or walking with your dog (“canine” or “cani”) pulling you. The dog wears a special harness and you wear a waist belt attached to the harness with a bungee line or towline. Canicross is growing in popularity throughout the U.S. and Canada as a dryland sport to keep sledding dogs in shape during the off-season, but many people just want to enjoy working out with their dogs hands-free without a leash. By pulling on the line, your dog helps you run faster and farther without causing you to fall. With the positive reinforcement clicker training method, you can teach your dog the basic skills required for canicross.

Any medium to large breed of dog over one year of age weighing 30 pounds or more and without hip dysplasia can learn to canicross. Dogs can learn at any age, but the best time to start training is when they’re puppies learning basic obedience skills. This is where clicker training begins. To be successful in canicross, your dog must understand basic commands for starting, stopping, turning and continuing past distractions.

The following commands are used in canicross:

“Hike” – start running or run faster

“Gee” – turn right

“Haw” – turn left

“On By” – ignore the distraction

“Easy” – slow down

“Whoa” – stop

“Line Out” – run ahead and pull the tugline tight

With clicker training, you can teach all of these commands. After your dog has mastered the basic obedience commands such as sit, come, stay, and down, you can begin clicker training the skills needed for canicross. Train your dog to stay with you on a loose leash and to stay just ahead of you. Whenever the dog naturally runs ahead and pulls the tugline tight, then say the command "line out." Click and treat every time your dog lines out in front of you. With every skill, allow your dog plenty of time to learn to associate each new skill with a treat. Through clicker training, you will learn better dog communication and will become more attentive to your dog’s behavior, signs of tiredness or pain, weaknesses, and strengths. Take it one step at a time and create a good training foundation to keep the activity fun and safe.

Canicross is an excellent physical and mental workout for your dog, building his strength, endurance, and self-confidence. Clicker training and canicross build a strong bond of trust and respect between man and dog.

Learn more about Canicross at:

American Dryland Mushers Association

CaniX.UK

Ehow.com

Skijor

How a Clicker Trainer Changed My Dogs Life

While flying home from vacation recently, I engaged in conversation with a young woman sitting next to me, Jennifer. In the course of conversation, I learned Jennifer had a five year old basset hound, Waldo. She described Waldo as a sweet, lovable dog who enjoyed hour after hour of lounging in the yard, watching people walk by. But Waldo wasn’t always so easy with people.

As a puppy, Jennifer used clicker training to teach Waldo basic obedience skills. She was so excited about how quickly Waldo learned to obey simple commands and how easily she paper trained. But Waldo was so afraid of people that any time someone came to the house, or even walked past the house outside, Waldo ran and hid. “Taking Waldo for a walk was not fun. If someone came toward us, Waldo was on a leash and couldn’t run away, so he started barking and growling. It was so strange to see my sweet puppy become so scary.”

At her wit’s end, Jennifer called a dog trainer who assured her that fear of people is not uncommon and Waldo could be trained to relax around people. The trainer explained that teaching Waldo to associate something especially positive with people may help Waldo change his reactions. To do this, the trainer suggested using the clicker since Waldo was already familiar with and enjoyed this method.

Jennifer began clicker training Waldo to sit when he saw people, and she rewarded him with a click and his favorite treats. She was told to limit Waldo’s time around people initially, so she started training him in the house and yard with a friend for two weeks. When Waldo was ready to be around more people, she started taking him for walks, and eventually to the park. It took about three months of clicker training before Waldo would let people come up to him, but the training paid off.

A clicker trainer gives a dog positive reinforcement when he behaves correctly. This training method allowed Waldo to associate people with something special. “I can’t believe what a different dog Waldo is around people now. We couldn’t have fun at the park or even just going for walks. That clicker really changed Waldo’s life!”

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.

 

The Right Clicker Training Treats Are Crucial to Dog Clicker Training Success

Now that you have the dog training clicker, you need to determine what treats you’re going to give your dog that will make him want to respond to clicker training. Many clicker training experts suggest the dog treats found in grocery stores may not be special enough for your dog to stay focused on a new or difficult task; they recommend “human” food as the healthiest, tastiest treat for your dog. Cheese, hot dogs, chicken, steak—what special treats does your dog love? Be sure to cut them up in tiny pieces and give them only as clicker training treats for the best results.

You may be asking yourself:

Q. How do I keep my dog from getting fat with all the clicker training treats?
A. Be sure to cut up the food into tiny morsels – the size of a pea or smaller. One trainer cuts a hot dog into 80 pieces. Consider the treats part of your dog’s regular meals and reduce the food given at meal times by the amount used during clicker training.

Q. What if my dog doesn’t respond to food treats for clicker training?
A. Some dogs just don’t respond as well to food rewards. Maybe your dog loves certain toys, playing ball, or getting pats from you. As you get to know what your dog likes, you’ll find the best combination of treats or rewards for clicker training.

Q. Will I have to give my dog treats the rest of his life just to get him to obey?
A. If you keep the food hidden from your dog until you’re ready to reward him and use a variety of rewards, your dog won’t expect food every time he obeys. For long-term clicker training success, use both food and non-food treats so your dog learns that the reward can come in different forms.

Make sure you have plenty of clicker training treats on hand wherever you go with your dog. Order Treat Totes from The Clicker Company.