Dog Community

Well, I went shopping...

Posted : 7/29/2008 6:21:26 PM

I went to the pet store today and I bought some treats, a clicker, a leash, and a bristle brush.

So, tonight begins the clicker training! I've never done it before, I've always had great success training my dogs the conventional way, but since I would really like to start agility with one of my girls, I think it will make the training process faster and more effective, as it will help clairfy the desirable behavior. I'm also hoping to use it with the babies to help with their general obedience.

Speaking of, today I really looked into CGC and Rally and they both look like something I'd enjoy doing! The CGC looks fairly basic, but I'll probably need classes for Rally. Any ideas or suggestions for any of the above? =) Just thought I'd share my excitement to get started with all this!

Thalie

Posted : 7/30/2008 10:59:27 AM

Good luck with the clicker and the training. I have only dabbled in it but am pleased by the overall results.

You can find a list of links related to clicker training that was put together by other people right here : http://forum.dog.com/forums/p/28726/378504.aspx#378504 . One I really like for its clarity is www.clickerlessons.com .

I just finished reading "The Power of Positive Dog Training" by Pat Miller and found a nice read and straightforward. There are plenty of other good books on Clicker Training.

Before starting any kind of physically challenging sports (agility, rally) that can be hard on articulations, it would perhaps be good to have your dogs have a vet checkup visit. From what I've read, a lot of jumping is not recommended for young Labs but you could still work on all the other agility obstacles with them. Other people know much more than I do and will probably be around.

Jewlieee

Posted : 7/30/2008 12:20:27 PM

You'll be amazed at how well clicker training really works. Dogs pick it up so fast. It's cool to watch them make the connection between the click and the action they performed to earn the click and treat. I think that training young puppies is especially helpful with a clicker because there's no mistaking the click/reward.

Let us know how your progress goes. I felt like a total clutz when I first started using a clicker but eventually you get it down.

spiritdogs

Posted : 8/1/2008 7:00:11 PM

We have a clicker links thread on this forum:-)) Check some of them out. If you want to see some basic clicker training in action, the videos at www.clickertrainusa.com are good.