A clicker is a basically a tool used by dog owners to help train their dogs. It looks like a small box with a metal strip on it that makes a “clicking” noise when pushed down. Clicker training basically applies the age-old reward-and-punishment concept, albeit making it a tad easier by eventually teaching your dog to respond to the clicking noises and not the treats.
Not quite sure you get it? Okay, let’s paint a picture. Imagine that you are trying to teach your dog to stay. You let it follow you around a bit and then you turn around, put your hand up and say “stay” firmly while pressing the clicker. The dog wags his tail and keeps in stride when you start walking. You turn around once again, do the same hand signal, say “stay” while pressing the clicker and (gently!) force your dog into a sitting/resting position. You give it a treat.
Eventually, with enough repetition (and patience), your dog will begin to associate the command with the click and the treat. Soon, it will be responding to the sound of the clicker alone. Then later on, with some luck, you’ll even get your dog to respond to your command itself – without the use of clickers or treats.
So, to answer the question about what clicker training dogs is all about, it is basically dog psychology at its simplest and finest.
How about the success rate in training dogs using a clicker? Well, clicker training dogs is said to be efficient in teaching even the rowdiest pups around, so you are pretty much guaranteed to succeed.
Feel free to check out this resource if you need more information on training your dog.
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