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How Does Dog Clicker Training Work?

 

Training your dog is important to make sure that they learn good behavior and grow out of bad behavior. Some people look into clicker training, but the question is, “how does dog clicker training work?

 

Black dog on a red leash

 

Training your dog is not optional because you want your fur friend to be on their best behavior when you take them out and encounter other dogs. A lot of people go the traditional route by taking treats and teaching their dogs the tricks they want them to learn, but online videos show pet trainers training dogs with the use of a clicker. 

While the concept seems easy, not all dogs are receptive to this and you may have problems if you don’t understand how it works. In this article, we answer the question, “how does dog clicker training work?” and give tips on how to do it properly so that you can successfully teach your dogs tricks with the sound of a click. 

If you want to try dog clicker training, watch multiple shows and get tips from professionals so that you can execute the training well. A combination of patience and diligence will help you and your dog, and make it easier for both of you in the long run.

When it comes to your dog, you should train them to the best of your ability so that you can take them out easily without worrying about misbehavior.

 

Dog on a white leash


What Is Dog Clicker Training?

Dog swimming with a ball


Basically, clicker training is a way for you to teach your dog tricks using the power of association. For the first few times, you have to teach your dog that when they do something you want to train them to do, you press the clicker and reward them with a food treat. The concept here is that the food is your primary reinforcer. When your dog does something good, you press the clicker to enforce the trick they just did, but the food will primarily reinforce that they did something good. 

This form of training is a great substitute for the fear-based training style which punishes a dog for bad behavior. With clicking, you teach them that they get treats for good behavior and it’s less aversive compared to bullying a dog to learn to behave. 

 

Benefits of Clicker Training:

 

Golden dog walking

If you want to raise your dog in a way that won’t make them scared of you or scared of certain gestures, then you should try clicker training. It supports more positive behavior, and it doesn’t force your dog to associate any of these tricks with violence. 

  1. You can use any clicker toy: When it comes to clicker training, you can use any tool or toy that produces a clicking sound. This makes it very accessible and easy for you to purchase online or offline if you live close to a pet store.

     

  2. You can use any food treat you want: Clicker training doesn’t require your dog to like the food treat you use because the food is just the positive reinforcement during clicker training. Once they complete a trick, you will teach them how to like the treat and perform the trick properly.

     

  3. You can use the clicker to learn as many tricks as possible: The great thing about clicker training is that there’s no limit to how much you can train your dog using a clicker toy.

     

  4. Your dog won’t have to develop a fear of anything: One of the disadvantages of alternative training methods is that some of these methods use violence as a way for the dog to learn, but this can have detrimental effects if you use the methods for too long.

     

  5. It teaches you about being patient with your dog: Different training works for different breeds. Some people fail to see that not all dogs are able to handle gentle training methods, while other dogs don’t take violent training well . If you’re not very patient, then the clicking method can help you develop more patience.

Whether you’re new to owning dogs, or you’ve had experience, how you train your dog will develop how they act in the long run. We hope that this answers the question, “how does dog clicker training work?”

Conclusion:

Dog growling

 

Owning a dog comes with a lot of responsibility, which includes how you train your dog. It’s important that you take care of your pet until they’re old and let them understand which behavior is good for them to keep, and which behaviors they should unlearn. 

We hope that you understand the answer to the question, “how does dog clicker training work?” and that you have an idea of how to train your dog with this type of training. Just make sure to understand the mechanics behind this training and give your dog the adequate treats to reinforce the tricks.

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