It's a fun way to train, for both dog and handler, and a great way to build strong lines of communication and exercise the canine mind!

Click HERE for a video demonstrating clicker training. 

Great book on the hows and whys of clicker training by clicker training pioneer Karen Pryor:...."Reaching the Animal Mind".

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What is a Clicker?

The clicker is a sound device, an acoustic arrow, used to mark precise behaviors and exact positions. You could use any novel sound that has no previously learned association. Why does the click sound work so well? Because it is crisp and consistent - it is always the same.  

Why "Click"? 

Dogs love praise, but although praise is a good reinforcer, it is not a good marker signal. First of all, we talk all day long; a marker signal must stand out.  Any spoken word just tends to get lost in the clutter. Second, most words take too long. Say "Good dog!" for coming when called, and the dog can be going away again before you finish saying it. Yes, you will still use verbal cues ("sit!") and will still deliver verbal praise ("Good dog!") as you deliver the reward. The clicker simply communicates with precision exactly what the dog did to EARN the praise and reward.

A recent study reported 50% faster acquisition of new behavior using a clicker vs. a verbal marker like "Yes!"  As your dog learns which behaviors earn clicks, you will find he will start to repeat those behaviors, "offering" them to you. The clicker helps to obtain results quickly because it teaches your dog how to think for itself as it tells your pet what it did RIGHT! Discovery is part of the reinforcement.