Clicker Training Puppies
Clicker training puppies can be a very effective way to train to teach desired actions such as going potty outdoors or learning obedience commands. Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement, where a dog is rewarded for desired behavior rather than punished for doing something wrong.
What distinguishes clicker training from other types of positive reinforcement is that with clicker training a distinct sound – a click – is made when the desired behavior occurs. The puppy is then rewarded with a treat. This can be produced vocally or with a clicker, which is a small box that can be purchased at a pet store.
For example, if you are trying to teach a dog to sit and every time he sits you click and then give the dog a treat, it will associate the click with sitting and then receiving a treat. Using a click has the advantage of giving the dog a clear signal that he associates with the behavior just performed. The click is the same sound each time, unlike saying the word “sit” which can vary depending on how the word is stated and the emotion, inflection and emphasis behind it.
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Getting Started with Clicker Training Puppies
Clicker training puppies can be used to train for a wide range of behaviors. Here is an example of how clicker training can be used in conjunction with potty training to illustrate how the process works. If you want your puppy to go potty outdoors, the first thing you should do is choose a permanent spot that will be the place for him to go. Always take your puppy out the same door and go to the same potty spot each time to train him.
Watch you puppy and wait for him to go potty. Just as he is finishing his deed make the click. Make sure you don’t click too early or he might not finish the job. After you click, give your puppy a treat. Timing of the click is critical so that your puppy will associate the click with going potty, followed up with getting a treat.
The advantage of using the click is that the distinct sound will become associated in your puppy’s mind with the behavior of going potty and anticipating the treat that he will receive for performing the deed. When he goes potty indoors he is not presented with the click or the treat.
Advantages of Clicker Training Puppies
Clicker training puppies has the advantage of building up desired behavior with positive reinforcement as well as providing your puppy with a clear signal. This leaves out a lot of the ambiguity of verbal communication that can occur between humans and animals. You do not have to rely on outdated punishment models of training to get your puppy to do what you want him to do. This makes training fun and rewarding for both you and your puppy.
Clicker training puppies needs to be done in short doses, as puppies have short attention spans. Five minute time frames or so are probably about as long as you want to go with your clicker training sessions. In addition to potty training, you can also use clicks to learn basic obedience commands such as sit, stay, down and come. You would go through the same steps as you did with potty training.
If you want to teach your puppy to sit, wait until he is about to sit. Just as his rear end hits the ground, make the clicking sound and reward him with the treat. Once he learns to associate sitting with the click and reward, you can introduce the verbal command of “sit” and eventually eliminate having to make the clicking sound.