Dog Clicker Training
Clicker training for dogs, the easiest way to improve dog obedience.
You may want to teach an old dog new tricks or start a full clicker training program with your puppy.
Clicker training is suitable for dogs and puppies of all ages and all levels of current obedience.
In this article I will discuss dog clickers, how to use a dog clicker, when to use dog clicker training products, offer you clicker training tips, what exercises are suitable for clicker training, clicker training for puppies, how to buy a dog clicker and what other dog clicker training resources are available.
I will provide links to dog clicker training videos, books, websites and try to provide you with enough information on problem solving to avoid your puppy clicker training disasters.
This article is a complete dog and puppy clicker training resource with everything you need to start a clicker training program with your dog.
Amazon UK for Dog ClickersClicker Training Books
Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs
Amazon Price: $7.80
List Price: $16.95
Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals
Amazon Price: $3.73
List Price: $16.00
Clicker Training for Obedience: Shaping Top Performance-Positively
Amazon Price: $19.07
List Price: $34.95
What is dog clicker training
Clicker training is a complete stand alone dog training program used for training dogs and puppies or can be incorporated in to your current training sessions.
The clicker makes a unique sound when pressed, this sound is then used to reinforce positive behaviour from your dog.
This method of dog training has been developed over many years and has been honed to be one of the quickest ways to train a dog or a puppy, it involves a basic understanding of dog psychology and teaches you how to incorporate this into your dog training sessions.
Each time your dog gives you the behaviour commanded IE: SIT, he hears the sound of the clicker and receives a treat or praise, very quickly his brain will associate the click sound with a pending reward.
He will become conditioned to give you the desired behaviour on command to get his reward.
Clicker Training DVDs
Clicker Puppy-dvd, Kids and puppies learning together
Amazon Price: $15.27
List Price: $24.95
Train Your Dog – The Positive Gentle Method
Amazon Price: $19.95
How does clicker training work
Clicker training works by identifying the exact behaviour you want from your dog, communicating this to your dog by way of the clicker sound at the exact moment he performs the the desired behaviour.
If you have read my other dog training articles you may remember “dogs do not speak your language”, they respond too and understand sounds much easier. For this reason a clicker sound is an ideal way of training your dog as it is playing to your dogs strengths.
During your non clicker training sessions, you will speak to your dog, give him a treat or stroke when he does what you have asked. But how does he know exactly what he did to get the reward? He doesn’t; he may have actually ran around a while before he came back, he may have not sat next to you rather sat 3 feet away but still got a treat. There is always a risk of your dog believing that the undesired part of the training ( running around on the way back ) got him the reward so he will repeat it.
Clicker training eradicates this problem as the owner clicks precisely on the specific behaviour; this sends the message to your dog, do that and get a reward thus avoiding confusion.
Clicker Training with High Energy Dogs
Buy your dog clicker here
StarMark Clicker Dog Training System
Amazon Price: $1.60
List Price: $6.17
Karen Pryor i-Click Dog Training Clicker, 3 Clickers
Amazon Price: $0.14
List Price: $8.99
Big Button Pet Dog Cat Training Clickers, click with wrist bands – 4 Pack, by Pet Supply City
Amazon Price: $9.99
List Price: $15.99
SODIAL(TM) Dog Training Clicker Obedience Trainer Cat Pet Click Agility
Amazon Price: $1.25
List Price: $19.99
Karen Pryor, Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs Kit
Amazon Price: $16.47
List Price: $19.95
Karen Pryor, 10 Trick Card Set with I-click for Dogs
Amazon Price: $10.95
Buy a dog training clicker
The first thing you will need for clicker training is a good clicker, sounds obvious but there are some very poor quality clickers out there. By poor quality I am not talking about the build but the sound, in order to be successful at clicker training your dog needs to be able to actually hear the clicker.
I have listed here a selection of decent quality clickers, these dog clickers can be bought here online via Amazon.
Buy a Dog Clicker
Karen Pryor, Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs Kit
Clicker Training Kit by Karen Pryor
Easy Training Fast Training Make your training effective and fun!
Affordable
Amazon Price: $16.47
List Price: $19.95
Karen Pryor i-Click Dog Training Clicker, 3 Clickers
A quiet click.
For classes or for sound sensitive animals it’s the must have tool. Dogs that have been trained with a classic box clicker completely understand the lighter sound of the new i-Click.
i-Click has been designed to let you click no matter how you happen to grab hold of it
Strap it to a wheelchair and click with your palm or chin.
Amazon Price: $0.14
List Price: $8.99
Karen Pryor, Getting Started: Clicker Training Kit for Dogs PLUS
Ultimate Dog Clicker training kit by Karen Pryor
Amazon Price: $38.34
List Price: $39.95
BLACK Big Button clicker with wrist band for Clicker training – click and train dog, cat, horse, pets, by Pet Supply City
Timing is Everything. With the new-i-Click you won’t miss a clickable moment because you fumbled trying to use your clicker. The i-Click has been designed to let you click no matter how you happen to grab hold of it. Upside down click, sideways click, right side up click. You can click with your thumb, with your palm, even your foot. And no more worries about clicking with your gloves on, if you suffer from arthritis or if you have long nails or large hands.
Everyone Can Click. The new i-Click is disabled friendly. Drop the clicker on the floor (it always lands in a clickable position) and you can click with your foot. Strap it to a wheel chair and click with your palm or chin.
Amazon Price: $5.99
List Price: $9.99
GSI Super Quality I-Click Clicker Multi-Position Dog Training System – Newest Generation – Great Behavioral Tool For the Sound Sensitive Pet
Newest Scientific method of training your pet safely and easily
With the I-Click You Won’t Miss a Moment, Designed to Click in All Postions
Click with Thumb, Palm, Hand and Even with Foot, Or with Gloves On.
Balanced Clicking Function: Click At the Exact Time with The Slightest Pressure
Disabled Friendly: Perfect For the Wheelchair-Bound Trainer
Amazon Price: $500.00
List Price: $19.99
Dog clicker training exercises
During these basic clicker training sessions we will be using hand signals rather than command words which you can add in when the dog is efficient at obeying your command:
Train a dog to sit
Use dog treats for these exercises
stand in front of dog
hold treat out so dog can see it
lift your hand upwards and backwards over dogs head
Dog will go into sit position
the minute his bum hits the floor “CLICK”
give treat and praise
repeat over and over
dog will become conditioned to the movement of your hand over is head means “sit” and “click” means treat
now offer a treat on every other click, then third click until the dog obeys the command but is not relying on a treat. He needs to perform the command just in case he gets a treat not for a treat
Train the down command
get dog into “sit” position using hand signal
hold treat in front of nose
pull your hand down to the floor in front of your dog until your hand reaches the floor
When dog goes into down position “click” and let him have the treat
repeat over and over
now offer a treat on every other click, then third click until the dog obeys the command but is not relying on a treat. He needs to perform the command just in case he gets a treat not for a treat
Train a dog to come/recall
For this exercise we need two people and dog treats, if you have not already trained with voice command I suggest you read my article on puppy recall here
two people stand 10 feet apart, on has treats one doesn’t
the one with the treats bend down and hold dog gently
the one without the treats calls puppy using command, I use “come”
when puppy gets to second person, hold him gently; he gets a stroke but no treat
first person “the master” then uses the recall command “come”, as puppy reaches you “click” give a treat and make a fuss. What you have just done is taught him you are more important and interesting than anyone else.
repeat over and over building your special bond with your dog
now offer a treat on every other click, then third click until the dog obeys the command but is not relying on a treat. He needs to perform the command just in case he gets a treat not for a treat
Train a dog to leave
This exercise will eradicate your puppy mouthing things he shouldn’t, you will need an item for him to leave and some treats
hold out the “leave item, when your dog tries to get it, close your hand but do not pull it away, upon closing your hand say “leave”, repeat until he stops tring to get the item
when he stops trying to get the item “click” and give him a treat from the other hand
repeat over and over
now do the same exercise with the “leave item” but do not close your hand, if your dog has learned the command he will not even sniff the open hand, if he doesn’t “click” and offer treat from other hand
repeat
now offer a treat on every other click, then third click until the dog obeys the command but is not relying on a treat. He needs to perform the command just in case he gets a treat not for a treat
These are some basic exercises that your puppy or older dog should pick up very easily. Do not overdo the clicker training as you can move onto more difficult exercises later.
Basic Dog Clicker Training
Buy clicker products
StarMark Clicker Dog Training System
Amazon Price: $1.60
List Price: $6.17
Karen Pryor i-Click Dog Training Clicker, 3 Clickers
Amazon Price: $0.14
List Price: $8.99
Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs
Amazon Price: $7.80
List Price: $16.95
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Clicker Training for Puppies-Easy Dog and Puppy Clicker Exercises
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How to Teach Your Puppy to Sit, Stay and Wait-Train a dog to sit and stay
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Useful links to Dog Clicker resources
Karen Pryor Clickertraining
Dog Clicker Training
Mary Woodward’s Clicker Training Lessons
Free clicker training lessons for your dog, inlcuding photos and videos