A clicker is a small tool that makes a “click” sound when pressed. The sound of the clicker makes a good “reward” signal to the dogs thus helping you train them and teach them tricks. It is a good method to train your dog to repeat desired behavior like sit stand roll etc. The aim is to get the dog to distinguish the sound of the clicker and condition him in such a way that he knows he will receive a treat if the task is done. 

 

Getting Started with Clicker Dog Training

 

You will firstly have to introduce your dog to the clicker and teach him that everytime he hears the sound of a click, he will get rewarded. The dog has to only get used to hearing the click and getting rewarded, he does not have to do any training at this point of time. If you click at the wrong time, you should still treat your dog so that he does not misinterpret the click in any other manner as not rewarding the dog will reduce the significance of the clicker training. He should be able to learn and associate with the clicker in around 20-30 clicks.

 

The next part is to teach him a desired training or behavior using the clicker. For e.g.: I you want your dog to sit, you should keep the treat in one hand and the clicker in the other hand, holding the treat just above your dog’s nose. Slowly lift your hand upwards in such a manner that you observe that he is sitting. The moment he touches the ground, you click the clicker and give him the treat.

 

What your dog learns from this exercise after 20-30 repetitions is that when you keep a treat in front of him and use the word “sit”, he should sit, and that sounds the click thus receiving a reward. To test if he has learnt the command correctly, you should give the command before rewarding him with the treat. If he understands the pattern properly, he will sit immediately and wait for the treat. You can give him an extra treat or praise him to make the dog know that he has completed the right command. Through this method, your dog will associate the command with the click and reward model. Sometimes, you can also observe your dog’s behavior and use the clicker when you catch your dog sitting. When you notice your dog is about to sit, you press the clicker and immediately reward the dog.

 

Training a dog with a clicker will teach them to be obedient and also unlearn any bad behaviours in the future. This process of training will be highly useful while trying to teach them more complex commands as well since they already understand the sequence of the events.