Clicking training puppies is way of teaching your dog to perform desired actions such as learning obedience commands or going potty outdoors. Punishment is not used in clicker training, just rewards to positively reinforce desired behaviors.
When a desired behavior is performed by the dog, a click sound is produced when using clicker training which positively reinforces the desired behavior. As this occurs you give the puppy a treat as an award. You can pick up a clicker at the pet store or produce the click vocally.
If you give your dog a treat and make the click sound every time he sits in training, he will begin to associate the two things together. Your dog gets a clear signal from the click that he will associate with the behavior that he just finished performing. Saying the word “sit” for example, can vary in terms of inflection, emphasis and emotion, whereas as a click will sound exactly the same each time.
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How to Start Clicker Training Puppies
Clicker training puppies is a useful training technique that can be applied to a broad range of learning behaviors. To show you how clicker training can be used in combination with potty training, here is an example. Pick a spot that is the permanent place that you want your puppy to use for going potty during potty training. Every time you take your puppy out for potty training, use the same door and the take him to the same potty spot.
Keep your eye on your puppy and watch for him to go potty. As he finishes, make your click sound. Make sure you don’t click until after he is completely done or he might not finish. Give the puppy a treat after you click. Timing the click is crucial in getting your puppy to associate the click with going potty and being positively reinforced with the treat.
The advantage to using a distinct sound like a click is that it will make an impression on the puppy and he will start to associate it with going potty outside and getting rewarded with a treat. He does not hear the click or get a treat when he goes potty inside.
Benefits of Clicker Training Puppies
The advantage of clicker training puppies is that it builds up the behavior that is desired through positive reinforcement in addition to giving your puppy a clear signal. There can be a lot of ambiguity in the communication between animals and humans and this leaves that out. Old and harsh punishment training models do not have to be used to teach your puppy to behave in ways that you want him to. You will find that the training you do is both fun and rewarding for yourself as well as your puppy.
Clicker training puppies should be conducted in short training sessions due to the fact that puppies do not have long attention spans. Training for about five minute intervals is about how long you should go with clicker training sessions. Clicks can be used to teach obedience commands like sit, down, stay and come in addition to using them for potty training. The same steps that were used for potty training can be used for teaching obedience commands.
To teach the puppy the obedience command “sit,” wait for him to begin to sit. Just as he is about to finish sitting, make a click and reward him by giving him a treat. As soon as it is clear that he has learned to associate sitting down with the click and getting a reward, begin introducing the verbal command of “sit” and then you can eventually stop using the click and he will sit with just the verbal command.
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