As a dog owner, you naturally know how important regular training and good education are for a relaxed life together with your dog. After all, your four-legged friend should not only listen to you but also be mentally occupied.
The use of a clicker proves to be extremely useful in this context. How clicker training with dogs works exactly and how to use it correctly is explained in the following.
Clicker training is a special method of training that uses an acoustic signal to reinforce desired behaviour in your dog.
The training device that is used is called a clicker. Inside the clicker is a strip of sheet metal. If this is bent when the clicker is pressed, it produces a clearly audible clicking sound.
The operation of a clicker is uncomplicated. In addition, thanks to its compact dimensions, this practical training tool can easily be taken along and used, for example, during walks together.
Theoretically, you can also use another tool that produces a short noise at the right volume instead of a clicker. However, you must always use the same sound for clicker training with your dog so that the four-legged friend can get used to it.
Clicker training aims to specifically reinforce the dog's desired behaviour. For this to be successful, you have to make sure that your dog associates the sound of your clicker with a treat as a reward.
The right timing is crucial. You have to give your dog his reward immediately after activating the clicker. If too much time passes between the sound and the reward, your four-legged friend will not understand the connection between the two things.
If you want to train your dog with a clicker, you must bear in mind that you can easily overwhelm your four-legged friend with many different commands and tricks at once.
To avoid this, you should always use a limited selection of exercises for clicker training. In addition, short commands that your dog can easily memorise will help you to quickly achieve the first successes in training.
Of course, fun should always come first during dog training. Only if your four-legged friend enjoys the training sessions together will he be motivated to do the work. In the beginning, you should therefore limit clicker training with your dog to practising simple tricks.
You can also break down more complex exercises into several steps and train them individually first. This makes it easier for your four-legged friend to understand and contributes decisively to preventing unnecessary frustration.
Of course, regularity is also crucial for success in clicker training. However, this does not mean that you should train with your four-legged friend for hours at a stretch every day.
Instead, keep your training sessions short and make sure that your dog is having fun during clicker training. If you notice that the animal's concentration is waning, it is advisable to stop the exercise and continue at a later time.
Even if you can hardly wait to teach your dog something new, there is a danger that if you train your dog for too long, he will lose interest and simply stop participating.
You can use clicker training to teach your dog a variety of tricks and commands. For example, you can use the clicker to teach your dog to roll over or to give a paw.
The possibilities are numerous. Target training, for example, is also very popular. This exercise involves the dog touching a certain object or even your finger with a part of its body, such as its nose.
In addition to a clicker, you also need the right treats as a reward for clicker training with your dog. If you value healthy ingredients and good digestibility, Bellfor dog snacks are just right for you. Just like our dog food, our snacks are made from balanced recipes that meet the nutritional needs of dogs in the best possible way.
Try our grain-free soft snacks, for example. The small delicacies are the ideal size to avoid interrupting training for too long. In addition to classic varieties such as lamb, Bellfor Soft Snacks are also available in a hypoallergenic version with insect protein from the larvae of Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly). This is perfect for rewarding nutritionally sensitive dogs during clicker training.
View Bellfor Soft Snacks in the shop.
Clicker training is a good way to teach your dog various tricks and commands. At the same time, regular joint training provides welcome variety in the animal's everyday life.
As long as you are careful not to overtax your four-legged friend, you will certainly have a lot of fun practising. Give it a try. We are sure that you will soon be able to enjoy your first progress with clicker training with your dog.
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