What is Clicker Training?

Have you ever wondered if there was a kinder, friendlier way to train your dog using scientifically proven methods?

Then look no further than Clicker Training!

Clicker Training is not just another fad in dog training. It is the practical application of Operant Conditioning, a scientific method of behavior modification for training just about any animal - including your pet dog.

Clicker Trainers use an affordable little plastic noise maker (called a clicker) to "mark" good behaviour and reward it with food, play, or anything else the dog will work for.

The beauty of the clicker is in its precision. In dog training, timing is everything and clicker trainers really have the edge here. When we click, the dog learns that whatever he was doing right then when we clicked is what is being rewarded.

As we get some practise clicker training, we learn how to "shape" behaviors out of other behaviors. It's not as hard as it sounds, and it is really great fun!

Clicker Trainers generally don't growl at their dogs, hurt them, or rely on training collars. They learn how to get the behaviour they DO want instead of the behavior they DON'T want. It's a much less stressful way to train and indeed, to live!

Aidan Bindoff is editor of http://www.PositivePetzine.com, a free ezine for people training their own dogs using reward-based training methods.

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