Clicker training is an effective and enjoyable way of training your dog. It has many benefits over more conventional training techniques such as using check chains or other compulsive methods.

1. Because clicker training allows you to pinpoint the exact behavior you want to reward, you are better able to communicate with your dog regarding what you are asking him to do. This means that he is likely to learn faster.

2. Because you are not punishing your dog in any way, or checking him with a collar, your dog won’t become nervous during training times. This is very good for your relationship with him.

3. If you get the timing of the click wrong, the worst you are doing is giving your dog a free reward. If you get it wrong using a check chain, your dog becomes confused because he doesn’t understand why he has been corrected.

4. You can fit a short clicker training session in anytime, and it will still have results. In fact, dogs learn best in small bites, so regular 5 or 10 minute sessions with a clicker are often more effective than an hour long training class. This is ideal for our time poor lifestyle.

5. Because clicker training is all positive, you can start training a dog of any age. There’s no reason to wait until he is big enough to cope with a check chain. Puppies as young as 6 weeks can easily be taught basic obedience, and they love it.

6. Clicker training can be done by children, as soon as they are old enough to master the timing of the click. Children are very proud that they can teach their dog to do things, and it enhances their relationship with their pet. It can also encourage added responsibility; they are more willing to do dog related chores if they can see that they too help their dog to bond to them.

7. Because clicker training is all hands-off, it is easier to train your dog at a distance. This is ideal for sports such as agility where there are advantages to your dog learning to work away from you.

In Summary – For our dogs, clicker training is the ideal way to teach them – it accurately communicates our wants, it rewards them for doing the right thing, and it’s fun!!