The Power of Positive Dog Training

Instructions
Clicker in hand, say your dog’s name one time. If he looks at you, click! and feed him a treat. If he doesn’t look at you, don’t say his name again. Make a kissy noise (a very technical dog-training tool) or some other sound to get his attention. The instant he looks, click! and treat.
Even if your dog is looking at you already, you can say his name, click! and treat. You are just associating his name with good stuff, teaching him that his name is a very good thing—when he hears it and makes eye contact with you, he gets a reward. Repeat this game a dozen times, then test his response by waiting until he looks away. Say his name. His head should snap back toward you for a click! and treat. If it doesn’t, keep playing the game.

Have the clicker in one hand—either behind your back, wrapped in a scarf, or deep in a pocket. Some dogs are startled by the sharp sound of the clicker at first. Muffle the sound until you see how your dog reacts to it. Click! the clicker and pop a treat into your dog’s mouth. He may look at the ground—some dogs think the click! is the sound of something dropping on the floor. If he doesn’t appear frightened by the sound, repeat the click! and treat several times. Then bring the clicker out from behind your back or from your pocket or scarf and continue with clicks and treats.
Every click! gets a treat. You will know that your dog is “getting it” when his eyes light up at the sound of the clicker—he knows a treat is coming! This can take anywhere from a half-dozen to a couple of dozen repetitions. You won’t be asking your dog to do anything to earn these clicks and treats—they are freebies. You do want to be sure, however, that he isn’t doing a behavior you don’t want to reinforce, such as jumping up. If he does jump, wait until he has all four on the floor, then click! and treat.

The secret of the clicker (or any other reward marker) is in the timing. The click! must happen the instant the dog does (or is doing) the behavior you want to reinforce. The offering of the treat is a separate step. Queenie sits. You immediately click! and pause—then move the treat forward and offer it to her. Novice clicker trainers tend to want to click! and treat at the same time, or even start to offer the treat before they click. When this happens, the dog is more interested in the approaching treat and doesn’t hear or think about the click!
Have someone watch you while you train or, better yet, have that person videotape you so that you can watch yourself in action. If there is a distinct pause between the sound of the clicker and the offering of the treat, you’ve got it. If Queenie is already getting up before you click!, or the click! and the treat are happening together (or if you are clicking before fur meets floor), then you need to work on your timing.