First you need to get the dog used to the sound of a clicker and to make him associate the sound with treats. In order to do this, you need to click and then immediately give the treat to the dog over hundred times a day for a couple of days (preferably for a week).

It is better if you use especially delicious treats, just tiny bits (and a hungry dog!) to make the association as strong as possible. Similarly it is advisable to use also favorite toys and other items the dog loves as a primary reinforcement. The aim is to make the dog associate the click and the positive things coming after it, the reward. The more variable primary reinforcements you use, the stronger the association becomes. When you can be sure the dog really understands what the click mean, you can start the actual teaching.

First you teach the behavior. Only after this you attach the verbal cue (or a hand signal) to the behavior. If you do it vice versa, the dog has no way of understanding what the cue means.

Clicker training

• Clicker training
• Conditioning
• Keeping contact
• First training session
• Principles of shaping
• Touch stick
• The word "wrong"
• Can you improve show behavior?
• Eliminating fears

Obedience

• Obedience