Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement; you reward the good or “right” behaviours and ignore the undesirable or unwanted behaviours. It's easy to learn and a great way to spend time with your dog.

The clicker works by making a “click” noise when pressed. This noise indicates to your dog that they have done a behaviour that was asked for or desired. The click remains a consistent sound to your dog, where as you may confuse them by saying different things, “good dog”, “well done” and so on, the click remains the same and your dog will understand this sound as meaning they have done something fabulous and a reward is about to come.

A click should always be followed by a yummy treat to motivate your dog to repeat the behaviour – dogs learn by repeating an action, this helps them to transfer behaviours into their long term memory.

“Loading” means teaching your dog to understand the click sound with a reward. The best way to do this is to press the clicker and then give your dog a treat (or their favourite tennis ball). The aim is to click the clicker when your dog Is facing away from you or distracted and they turn to you expecting a reward. You may need to “load” the clicker for a few sessions until your dog reliably turns to look at you when they hear the click. Once your dog has “got it”; the world of dog training is yours to discover! Please ask your local centre about clicker training sessions and workshops.