Thoughts? A dog trainer we used in the past said he wasn't a fan. Any thoughts on this?

Is there a common training method that you guys like to use?

I'm still on the fence about it. Our trainer is a big big big big big advocate for clicker training. I've noticed Bear seems to get cues faster with the clicker (ie drop it, go to the mat, nose-to-hand).

The biggest grrrr I have with it is my hands are too full most of the time with the clicker and the treats, etc. sometimes I click for nothing or forget to click, etc. overall I would encourage you to try it for a month consistently and see how you feel about it.


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I'm a big fan. Am using it with great success with my GR pup. Learnt the basic sit & down within two days using clicker & treats. Learnt stay within the first week, & very quickly learnt Leave it & touch, & to offer his paw. As soon as he sees me pick up the clicker, he immediately goes into a sit or down position, waiting for training ....he knows good things are coming his way & its a real time of bonding. Clicker training is easy. My trainer doesn't use the clicker, but she says its great. And once the puppy has mastered. A command, you no longer have to click & treat for it. You just use praise. My husband was very against using this method. He said it was ridiculous to be carrying a clicker & treats everywhere, but he has seen how quickly Loki is being trained & is impressed.

Thanks for the info. Few questions:

1. What advantage does the clicker have over simply praising the dog, saying "Good dog!" and giving him a treat when he does the behavior correctly?

2. If you use the clicker how do you correct bad behavior? How does the dog know that 'No" means no?

I've always used clicker training and I love it. I can teach my dogs anything very quickly with the clicker. I understand what Brave said about your hands being full and not clicking on time, we all went through that in the beginning but it really does become second nature. I don't even have to think about clicking now, it's just kind of automatic.
Give it a try, I think you'll like it.

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Our trainer uses a modified version of clicker training. Instead of a clicker it is the word "yes". I believe, her reasoning is you always have your voice, and do not have to remember a clicker or have a free hand. It has worked vert well with my puppies. Our trainer bases her training on the 3rd way dog training method.

Chris Bach's THE THIRD WAY

I started all my dogs on clicker... and then moved to simply using the word "yes" it is fast and easy to say... it marks the behavior so I no longer need the clicker... that having been said my dogs understand that when i take the clicker out they are learning something new... vs. just practicing what they already know. My dogs that are competing for their CDX right now have all been "clicker" trained to an extent...

that having been said I do not have any problem with a FIRM NO or EHHH EHHH to let them know when they are doing something wrong... the most important thing about training in my mind is that so many people are quick to tell their dogs what they can't do but then forget to tell them what they can do...

i don't subscribe to any one ideology when it comes to training... clicker is great for puppies and then once they mature I reach into my bag of tricks and come up with what is best for that istuation at that time with that dog

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Shalva and the Milbrose Retrievers and Irish Wolfhound
Milbrose Retrievers and Irish Wolfhounds

My understanding is, that you can click quicker and more accurately mark what the dog did right. When starting clicker training, you condition the dog to understand that when they hear the click they can expect "something"good, usually a treat in the beginning.

We don't use tradition clicker training, we use the word yes, if the dog does not do what you are asking for you ignore the behaviour and do not treat. i usually walk the puppy around in a circle and try again, if successful, click (say yes) and treat. If the puppy does not get it after 2 or 3 tries, I break the skill down into smaller parts.

I am trying to train my 3 month old golden, Riley. I ran into a lady today and she showed me how well the clicker works. After digging in her purse for a while she came up with it and it did work, however the commands didn't work without it. Ill follow this post more before I run out and get one.

I love the clicker too. My pup has learned so much because of the clicker. At first it is a little weird but you do get used to it. Check out Kiko pup on YouTube she has amazing videos that taught me so much


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