I go back a long way with clicker training, well...with knowing about it! Actually doing it came much later, with a stubborn Basenji.
When Don't Shoot the Dog! first came out, my husband and I were running a llama ranch. I got intrigued by the possibilities and re-read the book several times. But I didn't actually go out in my pastures with a clicker. Since then, other people have done so and shared their information widely. Llamas are so quick, I'm sure they catch on amazingly well!
By the time I started clicker training, we were living in a city with a newly-acquired Basenji puppy, Sunbeam. She was plenty smart all right, but instead of the "What can I do for you now?" attitude of my other dog (an Australian Shepherd), Sunbeam's theme song seemed to be the reverse.
She learned to sit in no time flat with a clicker and treats. Was it really just three or four repetitions? Since that was about 15 years ago, it's possible that the story has taken on mythic proportions by now. But clickers became a regular part of our training routines.
A couple of years later, a friend of mine had a new puppy. I talked up clicker training and offered to show her some basics. I hadn't actually used clicker training much for over two years.
Digging around in a box of dog supplies, I found an old clicker and clicked it...
Immediately I heard a thundering overhead as both Sunbeam and the Aussie charged downstairs from my office, dashed to the bathroom door, and sat side by side, looking eagerly at me!
