How do zookeepers get a lion to politely open up and say ahhh for a tooth exam? With the help of a tiny tool called a clicker. A clicker can be used to teach a dolphin to jump out of the water, a chicken to go in her cage, and an elephant to kneel and let blood be drawn, without the need for any physical coercion or social dominance schemes.

Despite these amazing feats, a clicker is a remarkably simple tool to use. Based on a major principle of training, that animals tend to repeat behaviors that produce desirable results, a clicker lets the animal know exactly which behavior earned the good consequence with its distinctive "click" sound. When used in dog training, it is like telling your dog very clearly "you get this cookie because you sat". You can certainly do the same thing with your voice, but we humans have a tendency to talk a lot. That means that the sound of talking isn't that distinctive to dogs, and we often use too many words to be precise with timing. Imagine the difference between a sharp "click" and "oh good dog, nice sit".

You can use a clicker to train your dog in no time at all. The first step, teach your dog that "click" equals something good. Just click the clicker and quickly give your dog a treat. Don't spend a lot of time trying to get her to notice the treat, after several repetitions, she'll figure it out. So click and treat away. Pretty soon, you'll notice your dog perk up as soon as she hears the click. Perfect! That means she is building an association between the clicks and the treats. When your dog is eagerly anticipating a treat with each click, you are ready to use your clicker for training.

To start training, choose a simple exercise to help you and your dog get used to training with a clicker. Teaching your dog to touch your hand with his nose is a great for warming up. Just decisively stick your hand out to your side. Your dog might think this is interesting enough to come and investigate. If he comes and sniffs your hand, and especially if he touches your hand, "click" and treat. If he ignores you, try wiggling your fingers a bit, or try again a bit later. Just "click" the best thing he does, the idea is to get him interested in this game you are playing. Repeat this exercise frequently. You will notice that your dog get quicker and more enthusiastic about nosing around your hand, until finally he comes barreling to your outstretched hand each time. Call it "Bull's-eye" and viola! There's your first clicker training trick.

For books on clicker training, Click Here. For clickers and other training tools, Click Here. (No pun intended.) ;)

For treats that are small and tasty and perfect for training, Click Here.