Stand up and make sure your dog knows you have a few treats in your hand. Hold a
treat above the dog's head and just wait. As the puppy/dog head goes up the
bottom goes down.
Clicker training is a method of training based on rewarding a wanted behaviour. The handler will use the clicker and the tasty treats and every time the dog carries out a desirable behaviour, the handler will click and then give a treat. The dog soon associates the click with a food reward and will then try and work out what it was that he did to get that click and reward. This gives your dog plenty of mental stimulation as he thinks about what he has done and what he has to do to get his click and reward.
Clicker training is a very effective and humane method of training and can be used on many animals, not just dogs.
You need a clicker and some tasty treats. Good ones are thin slices of hot dogs, small squares of sandwich meats or tiny pieces of cheese. Treats should be about half the size of your fingernail, as you don't want to fill the puppy or dog up too quickly.
First of all establish that your dog is not worried by the sound of the clicker by perhaps putting it in a pocket and clicking and feeding the dog a treat. Do this once or twice and then bring the clicker out and do a couple more clicks and treats. If the dog is quite happy at this stage then you are ready to go.
If the dog is worried or frightened by the sound you may need to get a quieter clicker to start with like an Eye-clicker is a good one, you may need to muffle the sound further until the dog gets the idea that the click is a good thing.
This is a good behaviour to start with.
Hold your hand out to the puppy or dog, right in front of its nose. The dog will almost certainly sniff at your hand and as the nose touches your hand, Click and give the dog a treat.
Repeat this quickly, several times daily and then put your hand a little further away from the dogs nose to see if the dog will move a little to touch your hand.
Do several short sessions, and you should soon find the dog making an effort to touch your hand and you can gradually hold your hand further away.
Once the dog is reliably touching you can introduce the "Cue" by saying "Touch" just as the dog is reaching to touch your hand. Repeat this maybe 20-30 times. Test your progress by holding your hand a little further away from the dog and saying the "Cue" word "Touch", if the dog has learned the "Cue" "Touch" he/she should look for the hand and touch it "Bingo"!!
You can gradually ask the dog to move further to touch your hand and then you can move your hand so the dog has to follow it anywhere at anytime and anyplace. You can extend the hand touch to start teaching heelwork or a recall.
Stand up and make sure your dog knows you have a few treats in your hand. Hold a
treat above the dog's head and just wait. As the puppy/dog head goes up the
bottom goes down.
Click as the bottom hits the floor and drop the treat onto the floor so the dog has to get up to get the treat.
Wait until the dog sits again and repeat. Once the dog is reliably coming back to sit in front of you every time you can add the "Cue" word "Sit" then start increasing the duration of the behaviour, instead of clicking as soon as the bottom hits the floor, delay the click just for a second. You can gradually extend the time, until you click to get the stay.
This exercise is a good one to teach in front of the television.
Sit down with your clicker and some tasty treats and ignore the dog. If nothing is going on the dog will probably soon settle into a down. As soon as the pup or dog does this click and throw a treat so the dog has to get up to get it. Go back to ignoring the dog even though he/she is now probably staring at you trying to make you click again.
Most dogs give up eventually and lie down and when they do click again and throw a treat.
You should soon have a dog that eats the treat and immediately drops into a down again.
At this point start adding the "Cue" "Down".
Get a really tasty treat in your hand and show the dog what you have but don't
let him have it.
Encourage the dog to try to get the treat. The dog will probably nose your hand to try to get the treat but don't allow him/her to get it.
Most dogs will eventually use a paw to try to get the treat so as soon as the dog does, Click and let the dog have the treat.
Repeat again a few times and then hold out your hand.
"Bingo" Click and treat.
Practice until the dog is reliably using his/her paw. You can then add the "Cue" which can be called "Shake"
Keep sessions short 5 minutes twice a day is plenty to start with.
Work on different exercises in different sessions.
Use tasty titbits. If the dog doesn't like them he won't work for them!!
Start off in a quite non-distracting environment while the dog is learning the behaviours.
Don't talk to the dog, let he/she work out what you want him to do.
HAVE FUN.
Clicker training for dogs (Karen Pryor)
Click to calm (Emma Parsons)
Click for joy (Melissa Alexander)
Clicking with your dog (Peggy Tilman)
Clicker training for obedience(Morgan Spector)
Dog tricks(Mary Ray and Justine Harding)
The other end of the leash (Patricia McConnell)
The culture clash (Jean Donaldson)
Dogs are from neptune (Jean Donaldson)
Bring light to shadow (Pam Dennison)