Training help desperately needed!!

I just put the treat in my fist, let the dog know it's there, and hold my fist on the ground.  They lick at it, paw at it, but eventually they lie down and I immediately say "yes!" and open my hand.

Or, start the dog in a sit, and bring your fist down so the dog follows with his nose and naturally downs.

For small dogs, sit on the floor with your legs out.  Bend one leg and lure the dog so he has to basically crawl under it to get the treat, thus downing.

Thank you so much for the excellent tips! I haven't done any training in years and I am a little nervous, It is not a paid gig but I am afraid my methods may be out of date. also it is going to be filmed and i don't know how i will react under that kind of scrutiny. Wish me luck,

BTW I love your dogs! Is one of them a Malinois? And what are they playing tug-of-war with?

Try these as well.  As to malinois, there are some Belgian folk on the board.  Not too many though.  The clicker approach is really quite amazing.  http://www.clickerlessons.com/

tex123

BTW I love your dogs! Is one of them a Malinois? And what are they playing tug-of-war with?

Thank you.  No they are both German Shepherds.  They tug on stuffed toys with the stuffing removed, looks like a dead rabbit but it's a fake rabbit.

What a novel idea! I guess that would cut down on stuffing all over the yard (been there) as for the clicker training, I  have thought long and hard about it and decided it's not for me, as I don't use any force but rather enticement in the initial stage of training using the principle of "prey drive" laid out in "Natural Dog Training" by Kevin Behan, but with my own interpretation i like to call "success" training.....the dog learns to get what he wants by doing what you want and then gradually changing his definition of success through association/repetition until in the end he defines success as doing what you want instead of what he wants (if you are not confused by now, i give up) :-)

I LOVE GSDs and have owned two of them myself, but I have to say I am partial to Dobermans, I had a red Dobe bitch that was the best dog in the whole wide world (my opinion)

tex123

"success" training.....the dog learns to get what he wants by doing what you want and then gradually changing his definition of success through association/repetition until in the end he defines success as doing what you want instead of what he wants (if you are not confused by now, i give up) :-)

Clicker training definitely falls under this umbrella.

OK, i'll get one and try it out, when i get another dog ( my dog died years ago)

 Clicker training is so non-confrontational. Most dogs respond better to the clicker then verbal commands.

I am not opposed to clicker-training theoretically. It is basic Operant Conditioning and has been successfully used (Operant Conditioning) since the 1940s when i believe it was developed by B.F.Skinner ?

However, since i don't use verbal commands (only reward) and i don't teach any complicated tasks I suspect I will find the Natural method is better for my purposes. BTW I can make a perfect "click" sound by creating a vaccuum between the roof of my mouth and my toungue and then dropping the tip of my toungue suddenly so that outside air rushes in. Try it. You will always have the clicker handy.

Anyway I thank you all for the good advice and as i said, i will put into my bag-of-tricks.

Most clicker trainers don't introduce a verbal command until the dog has already figured out the behavior, that's what the clicker is for, marking the behavior and signaling the reward.  The click is a mark, not a command. 

For example, one of the classes I did once had homework of training the dog to do a simple trick with a box and we were NOT allowed to lure the behavior out of the dog.  So for my dog I threw down the box.  She looked at it and I clicked.  Then she sniffed it and I clicked.  The trick I wanted was for her to run to the box and touch it with her paw.  After she sniffed it, then nosed it, I stopped clicking for that and eventually she touched it with her paw almost on accident, but I clicked that and she began pawing at it.  So I moved farther and farther away, just waiting for her to walk back to the box and tap it with her paw.  Once she had the command learned, I started calling it "touch".

Point of reference.  The value of a clicker is its discrete, predictable and consistent sound.  The human voice can not duplicate a clicker for sound precision.  I am not saying you cant use a vocal sound as a marker, I am saying that research has consistently indicated faster learning rates with the clicker over vocals.  The consistency of the markers presentation (volume tone etc) makes the discrete discriminations that dog makes easier due to "clearer" communication.

I get the feeling you guys are clicker enthusiasts. Fine, I have already said i will try the method when I get another dog. Meanwhile, can you explain the steps involved in teaching the "sit" using a clicker...how long does it take.... and how resistant to extinction? (I can teach it in five to thirty seconds depending on the pup (one lesson) and a lightening fast reliable "sit" that is resistant to extinction in three or four lessons spread over a week.

Also can you use a clicker to teach a dog to "out"? what is the process?