Clicker Training

What kind of treats should I bring to class?

May 11, 2012

Choosing which kind of and how many treats, or food rewards, to bring to a dog training class is one of the most important factors in your training success during class time. Choosing the right treat can mean the difference between a “Wow!” training session and one where you struggle to hold your dog’s attention [...]

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Is your dog afraid of the clicker?

September 28, 2011

It’s not unusual for some dogs to have “clicker aversion,” especially with box clickers, as they make a loud, sharp sound. Start with the clicker behind your back, or in a pocket, to muffle the sound at first. If you’re trying to clicker train your dog and he or she seems to be worried about [...]

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Use ‘Hide Your Eyes’ for better control of your dog in public

April 7, 2011

The point of the above exercise is to teach our dogs to face away from distractions on cue. In the above example, I’m teaching Marty McFly to “hide his eyes” between my knees. Once he has learned the behavior, I can request this anytime a potential distraction comes along, to keep his focus on me. [...]

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Teach your dog to Shake Hands

July 30, 2010

This is a great trick to teach your canine companion; what better way for him to greet a new human friend than with the shake of a paw? Shaking hands is a relatively easy trick to train, but as with everything else it may take a little patience. There are a few ways to train [...]

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Teach your dog to Roll Over

July 26, 2010

This trick is great fun for most dogs, but it can be a little scary for some pups to show their belly. Go slow, and if your dog isn’t having fun, you can always try something else. Step One: Step Two: With a treat in one hand and a clicker (if you so choose) in [...]

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The 15-minute feeding schedule

April 7, 2009

What is the 15-minute feeding schedule?

It’s the simplest way to alter the way your dog interacts with you, with the least effort on your part.

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How old should my puppy be before I start training?

April 12, 2008

“How old does my puppy have to be before I can begin training?” This is a question I am asked often. The puppy in this video is 10 weeks old; but you don’t even have to wait that long! “Training” starts the day you bring your new dog or puppy home to live with you [...]

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Disc Doggin’!

March 22, 2008

This is my friend Tracy Custer (foster mom to my cattle dog Gimli — Tracy has a littermate), practicing with a few of her 11 (yes, 11) amazing rescued disc dogs. Most of the moves you see here are used in freestyle competition, which involves the handler throwing to the dog, who catches and performs [...]

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Want a smarter dog? Try target training

March 9, 2008

An easy way to add to your dog’s repertoire of tricks or commands is to teach her how to target objects. Targeting (or “target training”) means your dog pays attention to, and then performs an action based on, a particular stimulus (usually an object such as your hand, or a target stick). A dog putting [...]

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