How to Train Your Dog with a CLICKER.

Effectively teach your dog with a clicker. Dog training made easy!

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I also like to teach a marker that signals negative reinforcement. This is very useful when teaching the stay command or if you wanted to teach your dog to not jump on the furniture. This helps your dog to learn what they can and can’t do without receiving a form of positive punishment. The type of negative reinforcement that it predicts is leash pressure. In this video, I'll use the word “Wrong”.

This part of the training only requires that we teach our dog the terminal marker. The exercise goes as follows:

• Get your dog’s attention.

• Once your dog is looking at you, you use your clicker.

• Deliver the reward. Note: the marker sound must come before you move to deliver the reward. If you click while you’re giving the dog the reward, your dog will never become conditioned to the sound.

• Wait until your dog eats the first reward and looks back at you. Again, use your clicker, followed by moving away from your dog, encouraging your dog to come and get the second reward.

When doing this exercise, I prefer to go back and forth between handing the pup the reward and making the dog come and get the reward. I also recommend switching your supply hand and your distribution hand. You will continue to do sessions of this exercise until your dog is conditioned to the clicker. When done correctly most dogs will become conditioned within a day or two.

Ivan Pavlov knew his dogs were conditioned to a marker because they’d salivate. The way I test a dog to see if it’s conditioned is I will say or click the marker (the sound that predicts the reward), and instead of giving the reward, I watch them for any changes of behavior. These are the four most common:

• Opening their mouths
• Salivating
• Licking their lips
• Moving their paws

On the other hand, if all they give you is a blank stare—you’ll know they’re not conditioned.

Now that your dog is conditioned to each marker, you may be wondering how long you have to deliver the primary reinforcer before you lose the connection. Well, you have as much time as the dog is paying attention. This could be any length of time until the dog is distracted (if a rabbit runs by and catches your dog’s attention, you’ve lost it). This means you don’t have to rush the delivery of the reward.

Next, when using a marker make sure your dog is doing a behavior that you like. Don’t make the common mistake of using the marker to get your dog’s attention. Meaning, your dog is not paying attention to you, so you use the marker to get your dog to look at you. Even though your dog looks at you after you say the marker, the dog was actually being rewarded for looking away from you.

Lastly, if you use your marker, you must pay your dog with the primary. A marker only has value because it ALWAYS predicts the primary reinforcer.

[sammobleyscottsdalerealtor]

I have been trying to understand the clicker process and until now wasn’t able to find an instruction that made sense to me. This is exactly what I was looking for.

[cancerianintent]

Are a tremendous help! I broke down crying but you saved me my sanity and money by not putting her in puppy school! THANK YOU!

[sukhsahota]

Nate, dont ever stop these vids.... learnt soooo much.... thank you!

[szilviabeylik]

Been teaching my pup without a clicker, she is now 7 months and knows 8 commands (sit, lay, stay, come, leave it, heel, shake, spin). She’s learned those without a clicker but I just got one to take her one step further. Went on a search to make sure I’ve been using it correctly. I more or less have, but did learn more from you in this vid, so thank you! I hope she won’t be too confused now with the clicker and a bit of a different technique, like correcting immediately and using heel and center etc. as come. Thanks for the great presentation!
Little bit off topic, what do you think about those pre-recorded communication buttons they step on and supposedly communicate through?

[susanhughes]

It’s great seeing you work with different puppies. Love your techniques 👍🏻

[jenniferreesdavies]

This is a great explanation. I've found my cat prefers to eat when we use a clicker rather than going to his food directly so I take that as evidence that he enjoys training (I'm running out of things to teach though)
I particularly like how you show how to hold and use the lead in such a helpful way.
Plus I like how you mix it up, I feel this is important with a bright dog (or child) as nothing worse than sitting in class going over and over. Enough to make anyone's exam results (grades) tumble

[winterwooyo]

Thank you so much for these kinds of videos ☺️ Really love that you've demonstrated with lots of dogs who weren't familiar or know the commands yet. It really helps me (and probably other people) to understand it better and visualize it more on how I'll apply your techniques to my puppy who will be coming home on March 28 hehe

I am kind of nervous though because I might suddenly forget everything that you've taught once she arrives ☹️ hahaha I'm also hella overwhelmed and confused on the order and what commands I should prioritize in teaching her first before teaching her other/fun tricks. I've watched and read others say "sit, down" and stand" should be t first and another will say "leave it, sit, down, stay, come." Would really appreciate it if you could share what commands that you believe are the absolute MOST important and in what order they should be taught before teaching her to do other behaviours that are "not" as essential ☺️ Again, thank you for all of the informative and detailed videos.

[joannaquanttumphysics]

How do you train a dog if they aren't food motivated at all? Fearful also

[andrewpender-smith]

I am impressed. The puppy is coming on very well.

[TheRealJuniForlife]

I’m training my English bulldog and I’m trying a clicker currently I’m teaching Him it’s a positive thing

[Enki]

This video is so good, YouTube might as well delete all the other videos on this topic

[dylancloud]

It's insane how much sense your videos make! Love it!

[AndersAckerman]

The pup is so cute!! Also, helpful bcuz I just got a dog!

[jacquelinegolden]

I find a clicker adds yet another step that you often don’t have when truly needed. I do like the idea of the way to explain the stay efforts this is one I will try

[DearGulley]

You can't tell me this isn't a talent. Yes it can be learned, but I really believe some people are just naturally good at stuff like this.

[angelakhan-glears]

Very nice video of how clicker training works.

[declansargent]

This was super interesting and helpful :), Awesome Video with a lovely cute doggy :) stay safe everyone take care and hugs :)

[jennifergriffin]

Just found this video, thank you. I'm sure it will help me with my pup.. Where the pup kept getting off the platform when you wanted him to stay, you would take him back to the platform and then treat him. Surely that would then teach him if he jumps off (when you want him to stay), he's going to get a treat when you put him back on.. So gain for him, but not for you, as he isn't staying put! Do you have a video where he finally gets it and stays in position whilst you walk away and then awaits a 'come' command or you return to him and treat him for doing as you wanted him to do? Thanks

[dmr]

What type of treats do you feed the puppy? Can you share the product name and brand? The dog will be treat dependent or at one point, no more treats are need it?

[billb]

Hey Nate I really like the fact that you're using the voice commands as well as explaining to someone like me who has a hard time understanding and has to watch this video four and five times so actually let it finally sank in that everytime I was using the clicker that I just recently got within the last week I was doing it incorrectly I guess you can say and then when I would take the dog for a walk he's afraid of going down the steps because we're on the second floor and he fell twice down the steps any tips thanks