I had the first training session with a new client today and it was amazing. Their main goal is to be able to walk down the street with their dog and not have him drag them down or become reactive when he sees another dog. We just started with the clicker today and we made so much progress. In order to teach him I really stressed the importance of clear communication. If the dog pulled then the forward movement ended, when he turned around and took a step back toward me we would click and continue the walk (along with a treat when he was right by my side). As we progressed and the dog was staying closser to me i focused on maintaining a high rate of reinforcement so that the dog didnt really have the opportunity to move out of place before being rewarded again. At first it was just a step or two between clicks, but toward the end of the walk we were taking about 5 to 7 steps between clicks and he was even able to stay close and pay attention when another very rowdy dog came out of a house nearby. I was so impressed with him and it is cases like this that make me love my work.
