Clicker Training Library — Latest Items

Clicker training, the science-based system of teaching behavior with positive reinforcers and a marker signal, is becoming immensely popular, world-wide, with some dog owners and trainers, while still being rejected by others. It seems so alien, so different from traditional training, that many are very reluctant to try this new system on their already well-trained dogs. Why not leave your dogs out of the picture for the time being, and explore the clicker experience for yourself, with an animal you don't really need or expect reliable performance from: Your cat.

When I first took the plunge into freestyle, I already had a vision of a routine I wanted to do with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Ennio Morricone's awesome soundtrack from the movie of the same name. I envisioned telling an entertaining story about struggling for the Confederate gold. Thank goodness I chose something a bit easier for the first freestyle routine my dog, Listo, and I would do together, and then had the time to really think about my vision for Good, Bad, Ugly.

Contrary to popular belief, kids and dogs are not always “a match made in heaven.” Young children are among the most frequent canine bite victims, primarily because they do many things (usually inadvertently) that dogs do not like. Luckily, there are a number of efforts a parent can make to ensure that the family dog and the children in the household are not only able to tolerate each other, but thrive together as a training team.