Charging the Clicker

In order for the clicker to have a meaning, we need to “charge” it. This means that we need to tell the dog that this metallic clicking sound means that a treat is coming. We do this by associating each click with a piece of food.

  1. Prepare in advance a clicker and some highly reinforcing treats.
  2. Regardless of your dog’s behavior, click your clicker and treat immediately after.
  3. Repeat about 20 times.
  4. Now, wait for the dog to look in another direction and then click your clicker. If the dog looks up at you to get the treat, he/she is starting to learn the association.
  5. Repeat these steps twice a day for several days. Work for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time.
  6. You can start the training immediately and you don’t have to wait for your dog to learn the association completely.
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