The Four Basics of Clicker Training

1. Offered Behaviour
Offered behaviour is just waiting for your dog to perform the action of his own accord (e.g. lie down). Once he performs the action, click and treat – then wait for the behaviour to happen again.

Your dog will soon work out that the click and treat is in his control – he can make the click and treat happen just by repeating what he has been rewarded for.

Let’s look at an example of offered behaviour :

Exercise – The “Watch”

This is an excellent starting exercise and an illustration of OFFERED behaviour.

Wait for the dog to look at you – when he does, click and treat;

Do this for a few repetitions ;

Your dog should soon realise “if I look at you, I get a click and a treat” and his response will get faster and faster!

2. Luring

Sometimes your dog needs some help and you can do this through a technique called luring.

Luring is when we present some encouragement to the dog but remember, the clicker method is hands off – we are looking to guide him.

Luring falls into some of the training behaviours you will have already used, for example – if you want your dog to come to you from a distance, you may wave his favourite toy at him.

Lets look at an example of luring and how the clicker fits in:

Exercise – The Down

This is an example of LURED behaviour.

Place your dog into a sit;

Place a treat to his nose and slowly draw it down his chest;

It will be a natural reaction for his shoulders to go down or he may go into a down – click and treat any of these behaviours;

If he only lowers his shoulders, click and treat for a few repetitions then stop;

Your dog should then go that little further and lower his shoulders more or go into the down – click and treat.

3. Shaping
Shaping is the cornerstone of clicker training – you can use either offered or luring to shape the end result.

By clicking and treating each stage of an exercise, you don’t need to wait for the end result and this is “shaping”.

This is where we are getting the dog to use his brain to work out what is required. This is fun for the dog and exercises his brain – we don’t want a bored dog, we want an enthusiastic one!

Let’s look at an example of behaviour shaping. There are many exercises that use shaping but heelwork tends to be the best illustrator :

Exercise – Heelwork

This is an example of a SHAPED behaviour.

Start with your dog off the lead;

If your dog walks within a certain radius of you (e.g. 1 metre), click and treat;

After a few repetitions, stop clicking and treating;

Click and treat if your dog comes within ½ a metre;

After a few repetitions, stop clicking and treating;

Walk to the side of your dog and if he goes to your left (doesn’t matter about the distance), click and treat;

After a few repetitions, stop clicking and treating;

Click and treat if your dog comes closer but on your left;

After a few repetitions, stop clicking and treating.

We are teaching the dog “shaped” behaviour – we are starting off with very loose criteria and slowly raising the odds.

4. Targeting

Clicker training can also incorporate “Targeting” and this involves the dog following a target (usually a target stick).

This is useful for teaching heelwork, contact points, pick ups, etc.

Targeting falls into the “Luring” method as we are pointing the dog in the right direction.

It is especially useful for teaching close heelwork, target points etc.

What we are aiming to do is to teach the dog there is something to focus his attention on. You can use anything for a target stick – your hand, your foot, a piece of cane. I use my old riding crop as it’s the only use it has! Lets look at teaching the dog how to use a target stick.

Exercise – Targeting

This is how to teach your dog to use a target stick.

Offer the target stick just in front of the dogs nose;

He should be curious and sniff it – click and treat!

He will soon pick up on this so stop clicking and treating;

Move the target stick away a very short distance, your dog should follow it – click and treat!

Continue this for a few repetitions until he follows the stick then move onto different directions (over his head, onto the floor, left, right etc).

Each time your dog follows the stick, click and treat!

When you are happy with this, start to vary the click and treat – he should show more determination and start to bump the stick with his nose. Click and treat!

When you are completely happy he is following the target stick – introduce a command (e.g. Touch)

**NOTE** If your dog has a tendency to bite or mouth the target stick, time the click and treat just before his mouth gets to it!

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