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!

Halloween Safety for Dogs and Cats

Trick-or-treating and wearing costumes is fun for children, but this holiday is not so much fun for dogs and cats. Although your pet may be very social, when a person in costume comes to the door, your pet may become scared or over-excited. Even pets that love children can react unexpectedly when there are so many children ringing your doorbell, yelling “Trick or treat!” and looking unfamiliar in strange costumes. Some animals will run away, some may bolt out the door, and others may become aggressive or start barking furiously. The clicker training you’ve worked on with your pet will help him stay calm. Use the clicker to make your pet sit, stay, come, quiet, or even to lead him to his safe place.

In the excitement to find their favorite treats in their bag, kids will drop candy or leave it lying around. And kids love to share their treats with their pets. But chocolate can be toxic for dogs and cats. Use clicker training to teach your dog or cat to “leave it” so you can stop him from eating candy if he starts to pick it up.

Keep your pets inside. It’s unfortunate but true that for some people, doing tricks to dogs and cats is “fun” on Halloween. This is one reason it’s so important to clicker train your pet to “stay” so that they don’t run out the door while you’re handing out candy. Even better, put your pet in their safe place, away from the door and the excitement.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) provides a list of Halloween safety tips. They remind pet owners to be careful of electric cords for lighted decorations – dogs love to chew – and lighted pumpkin candles that can easily singe your curious pet or be knocked over and start a fire. The ASPCA also suggests putting costumes on your pets may be very cute or funny, but can overly stress your pet. And, as always, “make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can be a lifesaver, increasing the chances that he or she will be returned to you.”

Clicker training your dog and cat is not just about basic behaviors and clever tricks. Clicker training builds trust and respect between you and your pet, and in special times, such as Halloween, you show them your love by protecting them from potential stress and safety issues. Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Preparing Your Dog for the New Baby

You’re expecting your first baby – how wonderful! There are so many things to start thinking about and planning for, including preparing your dog for all the changes that will occur when you bring the baby home. The best time to start training your pet for this new lifestyle is today. Using the positive reinforcement clicker training method will reinforce the strong positive bond between you and your dog and make the transition much happier for you and your dog.

Obedience Training
This is the time to make sure your dog has been obedience trained to respond to your commands: sit, stay, come, down. Clicker training is one of the most successful methods for obedience training, and once you’ve mastered the simple clicker technique, you’ll be able to teach your dog to do these basic commands. Once you’ve fine-tuned these skills, you can clicker train your dog to walk with a leash.

Crate Training
Make sure your dog has a safe place to go, a place just for him when he needs to get away from all the baby activity or for you to put him when he needs to be out of the activity for a few hours. Clicker train your dog to go to the crate, where his bed, food, water, and toys are kept, and he’ll be much happier when you need him to stay there for a while.

Behavior Training
With all the attention shifted to the new baby and all the new smells and noises, your dog may feel threatened or overwhelmed. As early as possible, start clicker training to address issues such as barking, growling, and other aggressive behaviors; and chewing, jumping up on people or furniture, and other destructive behaviors.

Environment Training
All the noise and commotion may make your dog skittish, aggressive, or withdrawn. You can help him learn to stay calm by introducing him to similar environments. Clicker train your dog to lie down and be calm when children approach her. Take your dog to visit friends with young children and clicker train him to learn to stay calm with all the strange noises and smells. Introduce these for short periods and increase the time as he becomes more comfortable.

You’ll find a number of blog posts on this site with information about clicker training techniques and tips. Clicker train your dog early, reinforce the training often, and make him feel loved and important. You’ll be able to enjoy this exciting time of your life with your new baby and your happy, well behaved dog.

A Clicker Trained Puppy Is a Happy Puppy

Puppies love to chew, bite, bark – things that come naturally to them. But these behaviors are not acceptable in your home. Like children, dogs need to know their boundaries. Start clicker training soon after you bring the puppy home to encourage your puppy to develop desirable behaviors and to curb negative ones.

To use the clicker successfully, you’ll need to teach your puppy to associate the clicker sound with a treat. The first step is to click once and give him a treat. No need to over-feed him – just give him one small piece of his regular food and adjust the amount you feed him at meal time.

By starting clicker training with your puppy as soon as you bring him home, your puppy will learn the clicker training technique and will want to perform the behaviors you desire. As he learns to recognize the sound of the clickers, you can start clicker training to house train, heel, sit, stand, stay, and come when called. Later, you’ll be able to teach him games and tricks. One of the keys to successful clicker training is learning when to click. You must click at the exact moment your puppy performs the desired behavior.

Your puppy wants your praise and approval. Help your puppy live happily in your home and give him the best start in life by starting the clicker training technique early.