[ashleigh]

so my puppy is now 10 weeks old and im starting to train him im using voice training at the minute which he has now learnt to sit, however im thinking about introducing the clicker but unsure weather it work or how it works, iv read up that i click the clicker as soon as he sits for example and then reward him but do i tell him the command or not say anything? im unsure weather to use this method or just stick to me commanding him to sit stay lie down with out the clicker :S.
any one used a clicker and how did they start etc.

 

[doggiedad]

if i were going to clicker train my dog i would find a trainer
that uses that method.

 

[pyratemom]

If you can't find a clicker trainer. This is what I did to start out.

First - Eye attention - have the dog in front of you and without making any noise or command wait until the pup looks you in the eye - click and treat - be quick or you might miss the key beginning look. The more you do this the more your dog will look to you for commands. I'd say start by doing this at least 5-10 times a day.

For a sit - you can use a treat to lure the sit (up and over the top of the dogs head), then click as soon as the dog sits, and treat. Some people prefer not to lure and just wait until the dog sits. Always wait for the action until you give it a name. Don't just keep saying Sit, Sit, Sit - to the dog this is a foreign language and it has no idea what that word means until you associate an action - that is how the clicker shows the dog what action you are looking for. Also fade the lure away as he learns the command and you will notice the dog also had gotten the hand command as well by this time.

Downs can be taught by luring (bringing the treat from eye level to between the dog's front legs) as well. When the dog hits the down, click and treat. Again don't give it a name until the action happens. Same here with the lure - fade it away gradually and also again the dog will learn the hand command for down.

All commands should be taught and practiced in many locations so the dog realizes the command means the same thing no matter where you are.

Clickers can also be used to show the dog the correct heel position. You have to be pretty quick and agile to hold the leash, clicker and treats at the same time and still click on time. A late click doesn't do any good. It takes practice but if you are determined you can do it.

 

[ashleigh]

If you can't find a clicker trainer. This is what I did to start out.

First - Eye attention - have the dog in front of you and without making any noise or command wait until the pup looks you in the eye - click and treat - be quick or you might miss the key beginning look. The more you do this the more your dog will look to you for commands. I'd say start by doing this at least 5-10 times a day.

For a sit - you can use a treat to lure the sit (up and over the top of the dogs head), then click as soon as the dog sits, and treat. Some people prefer not to lure and just wait until the dog sits. Always wait for the action until you give it a name. Don't just keep saying Sit, Sit, Sit - to the dog this is a foreign language and it has no idea what that word means until you associate an action - that is how the clicker shows the dog what action you are looking for. Also fade the lure away as he learns the command and you will notice the dog also had gotten the hand command as well by this time.

Downs can be taught by luring (bringing the treat from eye level to between the dog's front legs) as well. When the dog hits the down, click and treat. Again don't give it a name until the action happens. Same here with the lure - fade it away gradually and also again the dog will learn the hand command for down.

All commands should be taught and practiced in many locations so the dog realizes the command means the same thing no matter where you are.

Clickers can also be used to show the dog the correct heel position. You have to be pretty quick and agile to hold the leash, clicker and treats at the same time and still click on time. A late click doesn't do any good. It takes practice but if you are determined you can do it.

this is great advice thank you.
Thankfully i have a clicker at home as i intended to use it with my cavalier king charles spaniel which tbh i didnt even use as she listened to me really well so didnt use it and know i have a GSD as its going to be a big dog i want to train him really really well iv had GSD in the past.
so yes iv just taught him to sit with clicker i can now tell him this and he does it without clicker and treat iv tried teaching lie down but he instead trys t eat my finger when left on the floor i tend to let him sit and then do the lie down position.
he also has just learnt the "come" command im also going to train him to " come and sit" in front of me instead of try jumping up he dont jump up only when i use the come command he feels the need to jump lol so instead im wanting him to come and sit straight away, i taught this my first dog she does it great so hoping i can use the same method if i can remember .
thank you so much for the advice its great im reading alot online, and if needs be i know a lady who trained both my parents GSD when i lived at home and she did a fab job so if i do struggle ill go to her but hoping to do this on my own, lead work i have done yet he has his second jabs on saturday so will buy a lead tomorrow and practice in the garden i will try the clicker for this as iv not done this before my other dog heels for a few minutes then trys to pull so can try this with both . my other dog is only 1 so she can still be taught

 

[Okin]

I think a key part of clicker training is that the dog will automatically look for a treat after it hears the click. You will be tempted to click to get the dogs attention but don't. Only click to mark a good behavior. My trainer said to click when the action you want is complete. So if you want them to sit while you are first starting you may want to click as soon as they hit the floor, but a little later you may want them to sit for longer and you can click when you feel they are sitting the way you want. Also with stays I click when the stay is over. I'm sure later you can click without a treat but when you are first training them on it you should always treat after each click.

 

[pyratemom]

this is great advice thank you.
Thankfully i have a clicker at home as i intended to use it with my cavalier king charles spaniel which tbh i didnt even use as she listened to me really well so didnt use it and know i have a GSD as its going to be a big dog i want to train him really really well iv had GSD in the past.
so yes iv just taught him to sit with clicker i can now tell him this and he does it without clicker and treat iv tried teaching lie down but he instead trys t eat my finger when left on the floor i tend to let him sit and then do the lie down position.
he also has just learnt the "come" command im also going to train him to " come and sit" in front of me instead of try jumping up he dont jump up only when i use the come command he feels the need to jump lol so instead im wanting him to come and sit straight away, i taught this my first dog she does it great so hoping i can use the same method if i can remember .
thank you so much for the advice its great im reading alot online, and if needs be i know a lady who trained both my parents GSD when i lived at home and she did a fab job so if i do struggle ill go to her but hoping to do this on my own, lead work i have done yet he has his second jabs on saturday so will buy a lead tomorrow and practice in the garden i will try the clicker for this as iv not done this before my other dog heels for a few minutes then trys to pull so can try this with both . my other dog is only 1 so she can still be taught

To avoid him trying to eat your fingers, keep the treat in a closed fist when coming through the front legs. When he downs, then give him the treat immediately (after clicking of course). Try to teach him to down without sitting first as this is going to be necessary if you are going to trial him at all. Using the treat from a stand and going between the front legs from eye level in a swooping motion at first avoids the sit position. You can gradually fade the big swoop but in the beginning this is what gets them to the down without a sit.

For the heel, if the dog lunges ahead, become a tree. When the dog returns to the correct position, click and continue. You can also reverse directions if the dog lunges in the heel position. Everytime the dog forges ahead, turn around and go the other way.