I'm just back from two very full days with my 2 1/2-year-old goddaughter. I didn't take a clicker along but next time I see her -- probably a few months from now -- maybe I will. Nor was I specifically trying to train her.
But what I did notice was that my recent emphasis on doing more clicker training with my two dogs paid off in the way I observed what this child was doing -- how she was interacting with me and others -- and in how I was with her.
For example, instead of only telling her NO when she was too rough with her 6-month-old sister, I made a point of praising her when she was gentle... though there were a couple of times she got a bit rough, in both cases I was able to distract her. Parenting 101, sure, but in this case I came to it via the dogs!
Also, I was just more attentive to her thinking processes. How was she analyzing things? Much as I would reflect on what my dog was thinking during a training session.
Fun. And oh for the energy of a small child again!
