What’s missing? “I don’t even know where to start. It just seems so huge and daunting. I don’t know how to write a training plan, what steps to

Clipping, snipping, brushing, poking… Pets have to tolerate not-so-pleasant procedures during grooming or veterinary care. But it’s hard to convince a feisty Fido that it’s great fun to

Focus on the student and the process Someone recently asked me how the term “microshaping” developed, and what, exactly, it means. I think I probably originated that term

Old view, new view The old school of thought was that playing tug with your dog would teach him to be “dominant” and should be avoided at all

Scent discrimination is one of the “advanced” obedience exercises, but it is actually one of the easiest to train. Why? You are working with the dog’s single most

The limited hold is scientific terminology—laboratory slang, really—for a good way to use the marker and reinforcer to speed up response to a cue. We’re all used to sluggish responses. Suppose you are

This letter is shared for historical reference and enjoyment. While it reflects the best practices at the time of publication, standards and recommendations may have evolved. You can read

At an annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, where over 2,000 behavioral scientists gather each year, a woman professor with whom I was acquainted told me she had

When do I fade the click? How do I fade the click? We hear those questions all the time. The smart-aleck answer is “Never.” Because we don’t “fade”

This article is shared for historical reference and enjoyment. While it reflects the best practices at the time of publication (03/01/2005), standards and recommendations may have evolved. This article

When we first start out clicker training, we tend to get very excited about the fact that we can teach the dog a new behavior in just a few clicks. Suddenly,

This letter is shared for historical reference and enjoyment. While it reflects the best practices at the time of publication, standards and recommendations may have evolved. You can