by Sarah Whitehead

For instructors or assistants wishing to integrate clicker training into classes. A4 spiral bound for copying.

Kind, fair and effective dog training is rapidly taking over where compulsive or corrective training was once the norm. For many instructors, using food and other primary reinforcers in class provided a wonderful opportunity to motivate dogs and owners to enjoy training that was fun and successful.

However, dog training, like so many other areas of life, can never present a black and white picture. Some methods or tools may be suitable for use with one dog, owner or class, while another needs to be thought up for a different scenario.

Clicker training is one such tool. It allows flexibility, an increase in communication between dogs and owners, improvement in timing, and a clarity of vision which other types of training just don't reach.

Good training is a science and an art! Being able to employ the practical application of the theory behind both animal and human cognition and behaviour is addictive. Clicker training encapsulates both.

The suggestions given in this booklet are intended to be just that - a model to be tried, modified and added to for those already familiar with clicker training. All the sections are intended to be used as a practical resource - to be copied, handed out or used as a basis for your own ideas, but they are not intended to be definitive! Perhaps you might even consider sending us your methods, thoughts and ideas in order that the resources for other instructors grow and grow. The tide of dog training continues to turn, and the dogs will thank you for it!