Does this ring a bell with anyone attending clicker training classes?

I don't know if this has been posted before but it made me chuckle ~ & I can certainly relate to this having helped at clicker training classes for years.

How to deliver treats smoothly while training.

You could go with the method I used:

 Treat bag on your right side, dog on your left. Clicker and line in
left hand. Get a handful of treats - start walking and hurry to click and treat while big puppy is still in position.

 While trying to reach around yourself to treat the puppy with the hand furthest away from her, you” must” make sure to have an appropriately strong "Doh" moment where you realise that you should have put the treat bag and treat-hand closest to the dog.

 Make sure that the Doh moment is very short, for while you are having it, your pup will jump in front of you to facilitate the treat dispensing, bouncing your hand in the process, which greatly helps in scattering the treats, most of them falling into your dog's face.

 This will make her stop on the spot to receive the unexpected bounty from above, which enables you to:
a) fall over her
b) tangle yourself in her line (focus on your legs here)
c) make an athletic effort to avoid landing on top of your dog or
d) all of the above.

 I personally chose method d). This has the added benefit
of giving your dog plenty of time to eat the handful of treats while
you lie moaning on the ground and attempt to untangle your legs from the line.

 If done correctly the athletic avoidance manoeuvre in c) will make most of the treats fall out of the treat-bag (remember to leave the bag open, if you close it you loose this quite spectacular effect).

 This extra scattering of treats will send not only your
own, but also any nearby dogs (perhaps the entire puppy-class! Or, in my case, 4 fully grown chessies (of 30-40 kg's each) into a feeding frenzy, thereby liberally decorating your clothes with paw prints and drool marks as they jump around on you to get at the treats.

 Furthermore you will experience the benefit of distraction from the pain of the bruises you got while falling over (re a) as you scramble to save as many treats as possible before they are consumed.

 The last positive effect of this method is the mood changing effect. Any spouses, children, passers-by or class attendants will greatly appreciate your efforts to lighten the mood. And your puppy will love that you are crawling around on the ground to play with her. She will show her appreciation by engaging you in play behaviour.

 If properly planned you will have grown your hair long and be wearing it in a ponytail. This helps your pup get a good grip as she initiates a play-tug-session. Note: it can be quite difficult to disentangle hair from the teeth of a half-grown puppy, particularly if you were trying to stand up at the time of grabbing, and are now - as the result of having 18 kg's of dog hanging from your head - face down on the ground.

Good luck - enjoy the journey!)

hahahahahahah classic, but so true, im sure its happend to most folk at the start of clicker training, its moments like that which make training dogs such a giggle

oh dear know the feeling , it would be nice to have an extra hand when clicker training . I hang my treat bag round my neck, the clicker is also around my neck on a long thin piece of black elastic which I can stretch to reach my hand .

Yes very sensible. I made the mistake of having the clicker in the same hand as the lead to start with ~ not a good idea as it can produce random clicks at exactly the wrong moments!

We've had some very funny moments at training classes ~ some people think the clicker is a recall tool, some use it as a canine remote control device & point it at the dog as though they can turn it on & off!! And the fumbles & mistimings & "I need 3 hands" are all too common. I think it's a great idea to practice clicker training with a partner, friend, or anybody first before you start with your dog ~ at least then you get the feel for it & can be more adept with dog training.