Clicker Training: What It Is and Why It Works

A clicker is a timing tool. It marks the exact instant the animal did the right thing, which is information the animal can act on.

Charge it first

Click, then treat, twenty times, asking nothing. The click has to reliably predict food before it means anything.

The click ends the behaviour and buys you time to deliver the reward. Late clicks teach the wrong thing — this is where most people go wrong.

Capture behaviours the dog already offers, such as sitting. Shape complex ones by clicking successive approximations.

A sharp 'yes' works if you are consistent. The clicker is simply more precise and never varies with your mood.

A clicker is a timing tool. It marks the exact instant the animal did the right thing, which is information the animal can act on.

Click, then treat, twenty times, asking nothing. The click has to reliably predict food before it means anything.

The click ends the behaviour and buys you time to deliver the reward. Late clicks teach the wrong thing — this is where most people go wrong.

Capture behaviours the dog already offers, such as sitting. Shape complex ones by clicking successive approximations.

A sharp 'yes' works if you are consistent. The clicker is simply more precise and never varies with your mood.