October Pet of the Month Costume Photo Contest!!!

October Pet of the Month

 Costume Photo Contest!!!

"Click" here to Vote for ZIMA

"Click" here to Vote for Matthew

"Click" here to Vote for JACK

"Click" here to Vote for Motley

"Click" here to Vote for Miss Charlee"

"Click" here to Vote for Ripley"

"Click" here to Vote for Chip"

September Pet of the Month contest!

September Pet of the Month contest

Alvin 

Blue

Chase

Dante

Daphne

Gizmo

Half Moon

Kona

 

Hero

 

Karma

  

Miss Charlee

 

Motley

 

Nadia

 

Oreo Cookie

 

Rory

 

Roxy

 

Sweet Danny Boy

 

Tzliah

 

Wiffus

Star Lyte

LEO

JACK

MANZO

Annie Boom Boom Pow

Penny Cat

JIMMY STACKS

Briee_Jasmine

Flicker

SPOT

TINY

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!

Love Your Dog With Clicker Training

Your dog loves you unconditionally. He depends on you to feed him, play with him, keep him healthy, and make him feel safe and loved. In return he gives you years of attention, friendship, respect, trust and fun. With clicker training, you’ll enjoy a wonderful relationship.

One way you can show your love is by training him to do the right things, to cooperate with you and obey you. There are numerous training techniques, but if you want a trusting relationship, why would you hit him, yell at him, and create fear in him with a harsh voice and physical pain? He wants to please you. And the best way to get his cooperation and respect is by the positive reinforcement method of clicker training.

With clicker training, you can teach your dog basic obedience skills, such as sit, stay, come, down – skills he needs to learn behavior boundaries and to avoid dangerous situations. With clicker training, you offer treats as rewards for doing good behavior, reinforced with your positive voice and words like “Good boy!” When using clicker training, there is no reprimanding for the wrong behavior. Just give the command again and reward the correct behavior. He will quickly learn what you want of him and give you the behaviors you reward. Over time, you’ll be able to eliminate the treat; your positive voice and words are all he needs to feel rewarded and happy.

Once your dog learns basic behaviors, you can teach him many fun tricks with clicker training. Clickers are effective training tools for almost every breed and size of dog. And even your kids can learn to train their puppy with a clicker!

Is dog man’s best friend? Yours certainly can be. Just treat him with love and respect, and use positive reinforcement clicker training to teach him everything he needs to know to be happy and healthy.

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.