Puppy Clicker Training 101

This kind of training is based on the use of a small, hand-held 'noise-maker' called a clicker, which makes a sharp 'click' when you press a button, or a metal strip.

This puppy training technique is so popular because it's simple, fun and effective. And it works on dogs of all ages .... and just about any type of animal including birds, horses, even dolphins too.

You can 'shape' the behavior you want (whether it's a basic 'sit' command, or a fancy dog trick) or curb unwanted behavior in a positive, reward-oriented way... and spend some 'bonding' time with your pooch at the same time.

Clicker Training Basics

At first, you will be 'clicking and treating' for any desirable behavior you see - such as when your puppy sits down, lays down quietly, comes to you when you call his name etc.

When you're puppy clicker training, it's important that you only 'click' during the required behavior, not after it's completed.

For example if you're teaching the 'sit' command, click and treat the second your pup's butt begins to touch the floor, not when he's in a complete sit.

This is because you want to make it clear to him that the behavior he's engaging in right now, is what you're rewarding him for. Puppies learn by association and he needs to make the RIGHT association from the very beginning.

As you get more experienced with this puppy training technique, you'll be able to use a vocal cue such as "sit" or "down", and then by 'clicking and rewarding' when your puppy follows your instructions you'll beef-up those cause-and-effect associations.

You'll surprised how quickly your furchild understands this 'puppy clicker training' and how eager he is to please you.

Step-by-step guide to dog clicker training

Load the clicker by 'clicking and treating' 10 - 12 times in quick succession - not for any specific behavior though.

Just click and treat, at this point the treats are 'freebies'.

End the session after a dozen or so clicks.

Example: Teaching the 'sit' command

• For the next puppy clicker training session work on a very basic obedience command, the 'sit' is a good place to start.


• Begin by trying to catch your pup in the act of sitting down and 'capture' this behavior by 'clicking and treating' as he's in the process of sitting down.


• Remember to click and treat the second his little booty hits the floor! 3 or 4 repetitions is enough per training session to begin with, and 3 or 4 sessions a day works well.

Once you've practiced like this for a while, and you're sure little Fido understands the connection between his sitting and the click and treat, you can begin to use verbal cues.

Get his attention and then say "sit" in a firm but friendly way, as soon as his little butt begins to touch the floor, click and treat and say "good sit".

Use the same puppy clicker training process for any command you want to teach your puppy. Remember though that puppies have very short attention spans, so keep the sessions short and always end on a positive not (ie. when he's been successful).

Never use the clicker for anything except your puppy clicker training sessions, as using it as a toy or in any other situation will only confuse your little furchild.

Eventually (maybe after several weeks, or longer) you'll find your puppy is very consistent and reliable in obeying your instructions. At that point you can start to treat intermittently rather than every time he does what you want. You'll still need to click every time though!

By only treating every second, or every third time you help prevent your puppy from getting totally 'food focused' and keep him on his toes, as he never knows which time he'll get his reward!

Clicker training is really simple and your pup will 'get it' quickly. To help YOU 'get it', here's a short video that shows you how to apply the principles of this style of dog training.

This video demonstrates teaching a pup to 'leave it', but the process is the same for the majority of commands.

The versatile clicker

You can use the puppy clicker training method to teach all kinds of dog obedience commands, behavior and tricks (including agility training). You can also use it to train other animals such as cats or birds.

Training your puppy should be a fun and rewarding experience for both of you, and puppy clicker training makes this possible. It's a great way to help build a strong and trusting relationship between you and your puppy.

With puppy clicker training you can raise the happiest, healthiest, best behaved dog you could ever hope for!

If you want to learn more about puppy clicker training, and get the right equipment, there's a great source for everything you need...

Karen Pryor is one of the leading expert authorities on clicker training for puppies, dogs (and other pets too). Her website has a huge range of articles on all aspects of training, and not just basic obedience training either.

She shows you how to use clicker dog training for all sorts of things such as teaching tricks, helping with agility and other activities, how to overcome aggressive or anxious behavior in your dog and much more.

You can find all the books, DVD's, tools and tips you need to help you train your pup the clicker (or quicker!) way.

You can use this handy search tool to find all the free puppy training information available on my site. Simply type in a word or phrase such as 'puppy potty training' or 'puppy training' and the results will be returned to you in a flash!

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