Clicker Training for Dogs: Master Basic Training, Common Cues, and Fun Tricks in 15 Minutes a Day

by Hannah Richter

  10 DELICIOUS TRAINING TREATS YOUR DOG WILL LOVE

  Apples. Most dogs prefer red apples. Your pup will look adorable crunching them! Apples are also good for your dog’s teeth.

  Blueberries. Blueberries are a delicious sweet treat to use for training. They’re best used on a floor that can be cleaned easily because they can be messy.

  Carrots. Carrots are a great low-calorie treat. Carrots are healthy for dogs, providing vitamins and nutrients.

  Cheddar cheese. Cheese is one of my dogs’ absolute favorite foods. Only use a tiny bit to prevent an upset tummy.

  Chicken breast. Chicken is a popular favorite among dogs. If you need a very high-value treat, boil a chicken breast and cut it into tiny cubes.

  Freeze-dried beef liver. Most dogs love beef liver, and the freeze-dried treats are great on the go. You can find small and large liver treats.

  Freeze-dried sweet potato. This nutritious snack is a popular treat among dogs I’ve worked with. You can tear it apart easily or use a big piece to stuff in a food toy.

  Rice cereal. Rice cereal is a treat that is neither smelly nor greasy and is made of tiny pieces.

  Turkey breast. Low-sodium turkey makes the best training treat. Regular turkey has a lot of sodium and can be unhealthy for dogs.

  Unsweetened banana chips. Unsweetened banana chips are easy to break apart, and dogs love them.

  What You’ll Need to Get Started

  You can do clicker training pretty much anywhere. All you need is a dog, a clicker, and some delicious treats.

  Clicker. You can purchase clickers at many pet stores or online. I recommend the i-Click, which has a softer sound than a box clicker. Box clickers are quite loud and can startle dogs (and humans).

  High-value treats. Think about treats on a scale. At the top of the scale are high-value treats. These are doggy gold and might even make your dog do a happy dance, especially if it’s freshly cooked meat, such as chicken or fish. Just under that is cheese. Then come freeze-dried treats, followed by veggies and fruits, then store-bought chewy treats, then store-bought crunchy treats. At the bottom of the scale is kibble, because that’s something my dogs eat often.

  Calm, quiet, relaxing environment. Before you can expect your dog to respond to you in a high-distraction environment, you’ll need to train them in a low-distraction environment. Try to find a space where you can work with your dog without interruption. Find a spot where your dog can comfortably lie down. Once your dog consistently offers a behavior, it’s important to practice in a variety of environments. Dogs are not naturally good at generalizing behavior, meaning that they do not easily understand that a learned behavior applies to new environments. When you’re working in a new place, you may have to remind them of the behavior.

  Additional Tools

  Collar/harness. A flat-buckle collar or a back-clip harness is the best choice for basic training. For walking work, front-clip harnesses, martingales, or head halters are helpful if your dog is prone to pulling.

  Leash. Training with a leash can help keep the learner focused. It’s a smart way to associate being on a leash with rewards. A nylon leash 4 to 6 feet long is the simplest option.

  Treat pouch. Having treats in a pouch, not in your hand, will encourage your dog to respond even when the treats are not present.

  Tug toy. Using toys as rewards during your training sessions can be a great way to switch up your routine. Pick longer toys to play tug with, such as a foot-long rope toy. Before you add toys to your training sessions, practice Get It and Drop (see here and here) with your pup to establish some rules around playing with toys.

  How Do You Use the Clicker?

  Pick up your clicker and press the button a few times. After you have tried it out, set a goal to click only if you’re giving your dog a treat. If you click without delivering the reward, you’ll weaken the clicker’s value to your dog. The clicker is a teaching tool; once your dog knows a behavior well, you can stop clicking that behavior. When your dog has learned a behavior, that behavior has what’s known as fluency. This means that your dog is able to respond reliably and accurately to a given cue in any environment, with any amount of distraction.

  Keep in mind that the clicker will only be a part of your training plan if you are

  1. teaching a new behavior.

  2. in a new environment or around a distraction.

  3. refining a behavior.

  Do not use the clicker to get your dog’s attention or to call them to you.

  Having accurate timing is essential to successful clicker training. You want to time the click at the exact moment your dog is offering the behavior you’re trying to reinforce. You’re saying to your dog, “Right there. That exact behavior I liked.” Usually your dog will be able to pick up on the exercise if you click a moment after, but you should work to improve your precision with timing. If your timing is off, you may accidentally reinforce unwanted behaviors. The click allows you to pinpoint with accuracy, but you’ll need to practice your technique.

  When Should You Clicker Train? How Often?

  Sprinkling in training throughout the day is the best way to work because dogs learn best in short sessions. Randomizing training teaches your dog that training can happen any time of day, and they’ll learn that training applies to different environments. Align your training plan with your schedule. Training just before you need to take your attention away from your dog will set you both up for success. Try to train once in the morning, once in the afternoon if possible, and once or twice in the evening. Each training session should last between 3 and 15 minutes.

  Learning new behavior is hard work for your pup. They exert mental and physical energy when training. Dogs have short attention spans, so give them breaks to play or rest every 5 minutes or so. This allows them to take in the information without becoming overwhelmed or frustrated.

  Introduce Your Dog to the Clicker: “Charging the Clicker”

  I remember when I started to realize the value of money. At first, I thought, Getting money is easy! You put a card into a machine, and out come the dollars. I hadn’t yet learned the concept of earning money. One day, I went into my parents’ coin jar and took out enough coins to buy a stuffed animal dog from the toy store. Turning in the coins got me the prize I wanted: the stuffed dog. My parents were not pleased. Regardless, I learned that money buys you things, and that’s why it’s valuable.

  The click is like money for your dog. Every time they hear the clicker, they know that a reward is on the way. The clicker tells your dog, “Yes! You did it!” When using a marker such as a clicker, you can take a bit more time to get the reward to your dog because the marker captures behavior. This helps prevent training errors: You don’t have to worry about fumbling around to find the reward as quickly as possible.

  Charging the Clicker: Click = Treat

  When beginning clicker training with your dog, you must spend time teaching them that the click predicts a reward. This is referred to as “charging the clicker.” You want to begin in a relaxing environment free of distractions.

  1. Hold the clicker in your hand and press the button to make the click.

  2. Give your dog a treat.

  3. Pause for 5 seconds or so.

  4. Repeat.

  Keep clicking and treating until you can see a physical cue from your dog that they’re excited to hear the click. This will likely happen after 15 or so clicks.

  Common reactions you’ll see from your dog:

  • Looking at your hand after you click

  • Wagging their tail after you click

  • Alert ears

  • Head tilt

  • Wiggly body

  What to Do if Your Dog Is Afraid of the Clicker

  The clicking sound may be a bit scary to some dogs at first. If your dog is having trouble adjusting to the sound of the clicker, try the following:

  Muffle the sound. Use a washcloth or T-shirt to lessen the intensity of the clicker. As your dog becom
es more confident, you can gradually remove the cover.

  Use a marker word. If your dog doesn’t adjust to the clicker, use a marker word such as “Good!” or “Yes!” to mark your dog’s behavior as correct.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Clicker Training FAQs

  BEFORE YOUR FIRST clicker training session, set aside time to organize your training plan. Practice using the clicker before you use it with your dog, and review the answers to the common clicker training questions in this chapter.

  When Do I Stop Clicking?

  Once your dog is consistently responding to the verbal and visual cue, you can stop clicking that behavior. Remember that the clicker is used to identify the behavior. Once your dog has learned the behavior, the click isn’t necessary. Instead, use a marker word such as “Good!” or “Yes!” rather than the clicker. Your marker word should be short and simple. The timing for the marker word will be the same as for the clicker. Remember that every dog learns at a different pace, so the timing for dropping the click will vary from dog to dog.

  Will I Ever Stop Giving My Dog Treats?

  At first, you will reward your dog for every correct response. This is called continuous reinforcement. Once your dog responds to the cue reliably, you’ll reward them for most repetitions but not all. This will put your dog on a variable reinforcement schedule.

  Remember that each behavior has a piggy bank that needs to be filled up with reinforced repetitions. When you ask for a behavior and you don’t reinforce your dog, you can think of it like making a withdrawal from the piggy bank. You always want to keep your piggy bank more full than empty. When you’re making more withdrawals than deposits, your dog will not be as responsive and may even stop offering that behavior. If you’ve asked for a lot of repetitions in a row without rewarding, be sure to spend some time recharging that behavior.

  Once your dog learns a behavior well, it’s important to get them on a variable reinforcement schedule, meaning that not every repetition will be rewarded. You can also use a secondary reinforcer if you know you won’t have access to treats (e.g., a clap or a pet).

  What If My Dog Doesn’t Like Treats?

  Just like humans, dogs need to eat to survive. Food is a primary reinforcer, meaning that it’s a biological necessity to your dog. You can use anything that your dog will eat as a food reward.

  Most dogs prefer a meat-flavored treat that has a strong scent and a soft texture. I recommend freeze-dried treats and single-ingredient treats. Try to use some of your dog’s meals as training treats. If you’re having trouble finding a treat that keeps your dog focused, try a bit of cooked meat or fish, such as chicken or salmon. Food is not the only way to reward your dog, but it’s an easy, biologically reinforcing way to teach them by using something that they need daily.

  What If I’m In a Situation Where I Can’t Bring Treats?

  If you know you’ll be without treats, spend time beforehand working on getting the treats out of your hands while you’re cueing, and start to work on a variable reinforcement schedule. Remember that you need to have a history of many reinforced repetitions before you can vary the reinforcement schedule. When you don’t have treats, you can use a secondary reinforcer.

  A secondary reinforcer has a learned association with a primary reinforcer. To teach your dog a secondary reinforcer, clap, make a noise, pat your legs, or offer another behavior, then deliver the treat. Repeat 10 times several times a day. This will charge that action or noise by teaching your dog that the secondary reinforcer predicts good things. Sprinkle in the secondary reinforcer randomly during your training sessions by making the sound or action between repetitions of behaviors. If your dog perks up when they hear the reinforcer, you can use it on occasion in place of the food reward.

  Does It Matter What My Dog Is Doing When I Reward Them?

  Yes. You want to reward your dog in a way that reinforces the behavior you’re working on. Where you reward your dog can make a difference in how they learn a behavior. For example, when you’re practicing leash walking, try to reward in the spot where you want your dog to walk. If you want your dog to walk next to you, deliver the treat next to your side to build up the value of that spot. I encourage my clients to pick a spot on their leg (knee, calf, etc.) to hold the reward every time. The reward position reinforces the way you want your dog to behave.

  What you’re doing with your body when you click and reward is also important to consider when training. Over time, your dog picks up on your behavior patterns and expects you to act in certain ways. An example is clicking and reaching for the treats at the same time over and over again. Reaching toward the treats will become part of the cue to your dog. This becomes a problem when treats aren’t present because your dog has learned the treat bag as part of the behavior. To prevent this from happening, click, pause for a moment, then get the treat. The reward should always come after the click or marker.

  What Do I Do If My Dog Doesn’t Get It Right?

  Don’t do anything. Your dog will begin to understand that when they don’t hear the click, they should keep guessing. When you’re clicker training, silence, or the absence of the clicker, after your dog offers a behavior serves as feedback. There is no need to correct them. Simply start again or break down the goal into smaller steps.

  Shouldn’t My Dog Want to Do Things Just to Make Me Happy?

  Would you go to work just to make your boss happy? Of course not. You go to work to earn money to buy the things you need to survive, such as food and shelter. Your dog may love you and feel joy when they see you’re happy, but they likely will not respond around distraction just to make you happy. They need to be reinforced for hundreds of correct responses before you can expect them to respond in any environment. You need to pay your dog for their work. Of course, you don’t want them to become too dependent on seeing the treat, so it’s important to get them used to you cueing them without you holding the treats in your hands.

  Why Can’t I Say the Word Right Away?

  Dogs communicate mostly through body language. They express themselves with their eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tail, and posture. Trying to learn a new behavior and the name for it at the same time can be confusing and overwhelming for your dog. If you try to add the verbal cue from the start, you’ll teach your dog to ignore the word because you’re saying it over and over without it having any meaning. Teach your dog the behavior first, then add the verbal cue. Teaching your dog what to do and then labeling the behavior will make this an easier process for them, preventing learning error and confusion.

  When and How Do I Add Verbal Cues?

  You can add the verbal cue once your dog is responding consistently to a behavior’s visual cue. At that point, they’ll know the behavior well enough to concentrate on what you’re saying and the behavior. Say the word once, show your dog the visual cue, then mark and reward. Over time, you’ll add a small gap between the verbal and visual cues.

  When Should I Change the Criteria?

  Before you begin to train your dog in a behavior, think about your end goal. Break it down into small, achievable steps. Remember, always keep your dog feeling successful. Once they can respond to a cue consistently, raise the criteria for the next step toward your end goal for that behavior.

  A finished behavior is often complex and detailed. Advancing your criteria means that you’re adding elements to the behavior. Dog trainers often refer to adding the “3 Ds of dog training”—duration, distance, and distraction—when referring to common criteria. Adding any one of the 3 Ds to a behavior will increase the difficulty level for your dog.

  When Do I Add Duration?

  Gradually mix in repetitions with more duration. Use random duration intervals to prevent your dog from guessing how long you’ll ask them to practice a behavior. Pick a “target number” as your goal duration for an exercise and vary repetitions to work up to that number. For example, to work up to a goal duration of 10 seconds, move through intervals of 1 second, 3, 5, 2, 7, 4, 1, 9
, 3, 6, and eventually 10.

  How Do I Decide When to Increase?

  1. Pick a behavior and work through 10 repetitions.

  2. Keep track of how many repetitions were correct and how many had errors.

  If 80 percent or more were correct, you can increase criteria.

  If your dog makes errors on more than 20 percent of your repetitions, reevaluate and find a way to make the exercise easier for your dog. For example, if you’re working on a Stay and your dog gets up after 10 seconds, try again, but for 5 seconds.

  Once you increase your criteria, don’t go backward unless they’re in a new environment or around distractions. If you allow your dog to get away with anything below their current level, they will choose not to offer the behavior.

  If I Want to Add Multiple Behaviors Together, Do I Click After Each Behavior?

  Train each behavior in a chain individually before you string them together. When you put the behaviors together, at first, click and treat after each behavior. Once your dog is performing all the behaviors consistently, cue all behaviors and then click only at the end of the entire chain.

  PART II

  Let’s Start Training:

  50 Step-by-Step Exercises

  Building a strong foundation is the most meaningful and useful training you and your dog will do together. Your foundation will establish your way of learning and communicating with each other. Teaching your dog basic behaviors will help you both feel confident and connected as you navigate life together.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Basic Cues

  TIME TO GRAB your treats and get training! By nature, your dog offers thousands of behaviors each day—and many of them are worth reinforcing and putting on cue (such as sitting and lying down). Think of the cues in this chapter as the ABCs of dog training: They’ll be used as building blocks when working on more advanced behaviors.