by Heather Bernard

Created on: September 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2009

What is that sound? It is the sound of a dog being properly trained!

Clicker training, so successful if done properly and yet so extremely frustrating when done wrong. This is one of the greatest gifts psychologist have given dog owners(actually pet owners in general). While not all inclusive solution this a great way to address some of the issues that plague dog owners.

Our golden retriever had many issues when she was a puppy and clicker training has been a God send. I was already familiar with the Karen Pryor techniques but I had never tried to implement them on dogs.(I once had to clicker train a rat for a psychology class but that is a completely different story). Here are a few of my dogs greatest issues and how I was able to address them with clicker training.

1.) Walking on a leash. This was one of the most difficult things in the world for my overgrown puppy. I tried everything (Yelling, tugging on the leash, begging). It was one giant power struggle the whole time. I decided to start small with the clicker training. I decided on a goal. My end goal for my puppy was for her to walk beside me not try to pull my arm off. I started out with a small distance and kept my clicker in my hand( you want to click it as close to the desired behavior as possible) and the reinforcer (turkey) in my pocket. As usual she put up a fight but just for a few seconds I got her to walk calmly and I clicked quickly and gave her a small piece of the turkey I had in my pocket. This went on for two walks across the yard and it seemed to snap. She finally figured out what I wanted. I went farther and farther each time without giving her the treat. It took a total of three days for her to get the concept with a few minor mistakes and by the end of the week she had it down packed.

2.) Listening- I was tired of having to yell, threaten, and cajole her every time I needed her to do something (go outside, sit, get off the couch). I decided to try the clicker training here as well. I made sure she already had walking down and I had stopped using the clicker for it (they eventually stop needing it) before I started with this. The first thing I worked on was her sitting. I said Sit had my sister force her to sit and I clicked and gave her the reinforcer (this time it was bacon treats). I practiced it a couple times and she got it relatively easy. I then used the same process with the word Out and pointing. This worked great as well and she got it within a couple of days.

3.) Potty training- This was a great way of potty training her as well. I would put her outside and wait for her to go to the bathroom. I would immediately click and give her the treat. This was at first a little time consuming but towards the end it got easier. This will save you a whole lot of time in the long run as well.

One of the detriments of clicker training is it isn't effective on behaviors you want to decrease (chewing and barking are difficult, although we are working on the barking one). It is a great way to teach something quickly and effectively though (the technique that Pryor teaches in her book, Don't shoot the dog, also works on humans as well).

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