We just brought home a new dalmatian pup today. So let the training begin. We discovered clicker training two years ago with our older Dalmatian and what a great dog he has turned into. So the question for you all is this - at what age can we successfully begin to clicker train? Thanks!
Congradulations on your new
Congradulations on your new puppy and your decision to clicker train. You can clicker train your young puppy now. It is certainly better to start young then to wait for bad habits to develop later.
not at all
You can start clicker training as soon as the young one can eat solids. (well, probably before, if you can think of a reward ;) )
7 weeks is not too young at all. Just remember that he is a baby, and has the attention span of one ;) Short sessions = 1-2 minutes, then a break. Never keep going until he loose interest, keep it fun, and easy.
This is one of the great things about using positive reinforcement only - there is no need to worry about whether the dog can "take it" or if it will shut down.
"Positive training: no disclaimer, you *can* try this at home" (quote: Kellie Snider on the Click-L list)