Many dog owners have heard of clicker training but aren’t familiar with how it works. It is not only simple but highly effective. And here are the basics to show you how and why.
What Is A Dog Clicker?
A clicker is a small hand-held training tool that makes a clicking sound that is clearly audible to your dog. When using it to teach your dog, you give him a command and if he does it correctly you click immediately and give him a reward.
Dogs Learn Through Associations
The fact that dogs learn from the associations they make can be hugely helpful when it comes time to train them. Whether it is a word of praise for sitting when asked, a treat for shaking hands, or even a tug of the choke collar when pulling on the leash, canines associate certain activities with being positive or negative. The problem is, sometimes pets can make the wrong association or be slow to pick up the right one.
Instant Recognition
Clicker training is extremely effective because it is fast. It gives dogs instant feedback so they know right away what behavior they did right. The clicker helps them to identify the behavior right away. And when you follow the clicking sound by giving him a treat you create an association between the sound and a reward.
If you were only using treats or praise there would be a delay and because of this many dogs become confused as to exactly what they did right. Without a clicker, you can definitely create associations but it might take longer for your dog to realize what you want.
Reward
The reward you give your pet is important. It should be tasty so that he is excited to get started in your training sessions and keep doing the desired behavior time after time. You definitely don’t have to give our pooch whole treats. Cutting them up into small bits is often a much better idea. Using a pouch to hold your treats is also a smart idea that way they are easily accessible so you can reward him as fast as possible.
Phase It Out
Luckily you won’t need to use your clicker or treats forever. Once you have created the association you don’t need to use the clicker. And eventually, you won’t need to reward your dog either, a simple verbal praise such as “good boy,” should be enough.
Costing only a few dollars a clicker is a worthwhile addition to your dog training tool kit. By using one your dog will be able to make associations faster and that means learning important commands with less hassle and time wasted.
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