Clicker Class

Interested in learning more about clicker training? Call us at 815-885-2170 to find out more information.

A clicker is a clear and concise acoustic marker as opposed to a verbal "yes." I think I have a clear and concise "yes," but it didn't start that way. I also have heard "yesses" that really were not what they claimed to be. I'm sure you have heard a "yes-lie" before: "Did you put everything away where it belongs?" "Did you clean your room?" "Did you brush your teeth?" Give these a moment's thought. Just how long is a moment? Yet another reason to click... for a concise marker. I always say "nano second!" All of this means you will need to practice clicking for little pieces of behaviors you would like to have your dog do, without ever saying a word. The definition of clicker training can sound very complicated with sophisticated vocabulary: "clicker training is classical conditioning paired with operant conditioning using a primary and secondary reinforcer." That said, how about this: "when you click, for whatever reason, your dog knows he gets a treat." Your dog doesn't know why he gets a treat; you may not clearly know why you are doing this... yet... but the more you click and treat, the more you will see that your dog will hang around you. Actually, you will both be paying more attention to each other. You will be watching your dog to see what behaviors you want to click for and he will try and figure out how to get you to click, because he gets a food treat. The more you click the more he wants to do. This becomes a great way to build a positive relationship with your dog.

K-9 Nose Work

Check out a search from our nose work class!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click here for detailed information about nose work

What is nose work training exactly? It is a great way to have fun with your dog using their greatest strength: the nose! Even sight hounds have a sense of smell far greater than that of humans’.

It’s no wonder that the nose is placed on the very tip of the dog’s body. The nose on a dog alerts them to food or danger. This amazing ability is a pure survival instinct that can’t be denied or disguised. When a dog picks up a scent, we know it!

The fun of nose work is watching your dog, free to explore without any leashes or an abundance of human expectations and commands. Each is free to just sniff. To a dog this is like heaven on earth.

I have always been amazed with dogs’ noses! Why, if they have the ability to smell odors so much greater that of a human, do they have to get so close and put their noses into places repulsive to humans? I’m well aware of what information dogs find by sniffing the rear ends of other dogs. Urine is pee-mail to them just as email is to us. Maybe it is no different than our desire to get closer to a person wearing a fragrance we find pleasurable. And yet I have seen a dog go out of his way to retrieve a ball that has landed near poo, as if he were saying “Oh, ick!”

If your dog has a nose, this class is for him!