Friday, February 3, 2012

Train Your Dog More Effectively With Clicker Training

By Sandy Rutherforde


One of the expert dog trainer's most vital tools is a clicker, a small gadget which can be held in the hand and that produces a noticeable "click" sound when pressed. Dogs react to audible signals quite well, and it's not only possible but in fact very easy to train your pet to execute specific commands on the sound of the clicker - when you know the techniques.

Clicker training is only productive in the long term due to the hard work that both pet owner and dog carry out in the beginning. The only reason that the dog learns to accomplish something on hearing the sound of a clicker is the fact that he associates that noise with something nice. As you first begin clicker training, the trick is to get the timing right when offering the command to ensure that once the dog does it right you push the clicker, offer him a lot of praise and, naturally, a treat. After that, the sound of the clicker will be associated with both verbal commands and good things to eat, so that at some point it is possible to eliminate the treats all of the time and your pet will simply respond to the sound of the clicker by itself.

In the event you make a decision to try to use clicker training for your pet, there are three phases to move through in order for this method to be effective. To begin with, the trainer needs to show the pet what they want them to do after they hear a specific command. Take "sit" as an example. When telling the dog to "sit" the owner should gently press the dog's bottom down so they are sitting, prior to using the clicker and giving the pet his treat.

When this phase is mastered and the dog is following the commands without the need of being shown what to do, your next step will be to try out the command without showing them what needs to be done. As time goes on, people can lower the number of times that they accompany the click with a real treat, occasionally replacing with praise and affection as an alternative. The dog will continue to link the clicker with something nice without you needing to spend a lot of money on dog treats.

When the time is right, the treats can be removed and, eventually, the pet will promptly react to commands accompanied by the clicker regardless of where he and his owner happen to be. Often dogs find it difficult to follow commands learned in the home after they are out in the park, however the clicker solves this issue by offering some continuity.

And dogs have such great hearing that they will react to your voice and the clicker from some distance away also. In the event you think that clicker training might be the way forward for you and your pet, the clickers themselves may be purchased from pet shops or on the internet for just a few dollars.




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