The world of dog training for obedience has changed remarkably with the introduction of Clicker Training. This is a system of dog obedience training where a click marks a desired action and the dog is immediately rewarded with a treat.
Clicker training, or the Positive Reward training method, is relatively new within the animal training world, and particularly in the obedience training of dogs, but has very quickly taken over from the harsh, negative method of choke chain training.
The system can be, and is, utilized to train any animal to do almost anything. Chickens have been taught to weave through a series of vertical poles set in a straight line (in dog agility, these are known as weave poles). Dolphins, orcas and seals have been taught their respective tricks with this system.
Spy organizations have taught crows to carry tiny microphones and deposit them outside suspect windows.
Horses and elephants have been taught to play football and kittens have been taught to stop attacking ankles.
Based on the idea that an action rewarded will be repeated, the sound of the click tells the animal that it has done the correct action and will get a reward, which is delivered within a few seconds.
The training system requires the trainer to break the desired end result into small steps. Each step taken towards reaching the end goal is repeated until the animal freely offers the level achieved, he is then asked to progress to the next level until the final objective is achieved.
So, for example if you wish to teach your dog to lie on a particular position in the house, and on a particular dog bed, then you would start with the bed placed in an area where the dog feels safe and happy.
This is a shaping exercise and as you know, with shaping, you do not give the dog any verbal cues until you know he fully understands the exercise.
Have a bowl of tasty treats close at hand and a clicker in one hand. You wait for the dog to look at the bed and immediately click and reward. Keep this going for a few clicks then hold the click and treat until the dog takes a step towards the bed. Click and treat and repeat again.
Each step towards getting the dog to step onto the bed is thus broken down into small steps. You can now build on getting the dog to lie down.
Once this is achieved and the dog goes straight to the bed and lies down, take the bed to where you want the dog to always go and lie and restart the training from step one. It will go a lot quicker this second time.
As soon as the dog is going to his bed and lieing down you can start bringing in your verbal cue and send the dog to his bed.
A dog worked through an obedience training course using this system produces an animal that has been taught to think for itself and if he is shown you have a treat in your hand, but you do not give him a specific command, he will roll through all that he has learnt until you get the action you want and reward him.
Author Resource:
Nev Allen is a dog trainer with 30 years of experience and he is now sharing this experience to help you make your puppy a good, happy and well trained obedient dog. Visit my blog for more detailed dog obedience training and clicker training articles.
http:www.dogobediencetrainingblogs.com
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