Clicking (2)

As promised, you will get now the second lesson :-)

You have your clicker, treats, jackpot and your dog?
First of all, try without your dog.
Do you have a gummiball? Or another little ball?
Take it and let it fall on the ground. In the moment, the ball hits the ground, click.
You might need a while, but then you got it. If you could do it, that you click in that moment, you are well prepaired.
Now you can start with your dog.
Sit there relax, the dog should sit in front of you and take attention to you.
Have your clicker in one hand, and put the treats near you. Do not have all of them in your hand.

Click - take up a treat and give it to your dog. This should happen within 2 seconds.
Why within 2 seconds?
Because a dog can only find a relation to what he did within this time.
Click - take a treat and give it to your dog.

This you do five or six times. That is enough. Repeat that after 15 minutes.
After some hours do it again.
Not more than five clicks. Not more than two times a day.
Your dog must not do anything for it.
This you do, to train your dog, that after every click he gets a treat.
Your dog learn while you click, but he learn more, after you did it. When he rests, that is the time his brain repeats everything.
Did you ever think about a problem, maybe maths, and you could not find an answer?
Then you went to bed, and in the night or the next morning you know it?
Dogs do that all the time.
So do that for three or four days. Thats enough for every dog to get it.
After that days you can start, that the dog has to do something for it.
After three days you can wait a little, till you make the next click.
Your dog already knows, that he gets some clicks, so he might wonder, why no second or third click is coming.
So he will do something. It is up to you, what this might be.
Best is, to wait, till he looks in your eyes. Than click.
Remember the ball? The very moment he looks in your eyes -CLICK.
Not before, not after. Just in that moment.
And immediatly give him his treat.
So he knows ---> Look in the eye = click = treat.
After a while this changes to: Look in the eye = Good boy

The last click (not more than five) could be the jackpot, if he did really well.

Also think about two comandos: One for starting the training and one for ending.
For example: We have "Lets go clicking" for the start and a clap in the hand
and "Finish for now" and wipe my right hand over my left hand.

It is always good to give comandos with words and hand moves. It is easier for the dog.
Remember the last post: Dogs have a very strong body language.
And if your dog maybe gets deaf one day, you still have your hands to communicate with him and he already knows what you mean, even he can't hear you anymore.

So have fun in trying that lesson out.