Four Paws Training School: Clicker Training Info

ALL dog training starts with the relationship you have with your dog. GREAT dog training employs challenging your dog mentally, and making learning fun! A relationship built on mutual trust is the perfect foundation for any training program.

If you’ve read my bio, you already know that I’m an avid clicker trainer.

What exactly is clicker training?

In its simplest form, it is a method of “marking” a behavior with a click, and then rewarding that behavior. Of course there are volumes written about it, but that’s it in a nutshell. You can get remarkable results with it. Clicker training pinpoints the exact behavior you are looking for, making the learning much easier for the dog. It also helps to build confidence, (and lack of confidence is a major cause of fear biting).

Dogs must learn their place in the family. They need to acquire the skills that will help them become a valued and enjoyable member of the family pack. After all, if we want them in our homes, they need to learn basic appropriate behaviors. All dogs should be able to walk nicely on a loose leash; to come when they are called; to go lay down while you eat dinner, and to greet guests in a mannerly fashion. We would like them to wait until we release them before bolting out the front door (or the car door, or their crate door). We would also like them to give-up whatever they have in their mouths that they are not supposed to have!

You can use the clicker to mark the dog's correct moves, shaping behaviors that your dog would never offer on his own. It’s somewhat like playing “hot and cold”.

Dog training is a process, just like child rearing. The same basic principles apply. Think about the rules you would like your dog to live by. Be fair and consistent in enforcing those rules, and you’ll generally get a well-behaved dog.

It’s true that the dog training of today focuses on kinder, gentler methods, but that doesn’t mean that we accept bad behavior from our canine companions. It just means that the method is different - better - MUCH better!