Training is one of the most integral parts of dog ownership. Training is where your relationship between your puppy begins and where it should end. From day 1 until forever training should always be a part of your dogs life. Many new dog owners make the mistake of thinking that as soon as a dog learns a trick or command that they do not need to do anything further. I was once of those who believed such a thing. Just because a dog learns the trick or command doesn’t mean it will stick till the end of time. Especially for puppies in the beginning stages pups are quick to learn, but around 6-8 months puppies enter a period of adolescence in which just as human teenagers begin to rebel. In this stage many people think that all of a sudden their puppy has forgot all the training that they had been teaching since they first brought their puppy into their home, but this is not true it is merely a stage where the puppy begins to gain a sense of independence. The best way of minimizing the effects of this rebellious period is to constantly reinforce your dogs training regime. Even after your puppy has learned the command perfectly you should still take the time everyday, at least 5 minutes, to go over the set of commands that you have taught. By doing this not only do you reinforce the behavior even more, but ensure that your are the dominant pack member in control, you give orders and they should be followed. As long as you stay consistent your dog will understand that you call the shots, after all you’ve been doing so ever since they came home to you and it hasn’t changed since then.

While there are many different ways to train your dog I wish to share with you today my method of choice, Clicker Training.

Clicker training is the choice of many Hollywood trainers and is a training method that has been used to train over 140 different animal species, even humans! The way a clicker works is by marking a behavior you would like to associate with a command when your dog does it. The only tools you need for clicker training is of course a clicker and some treats. This is where Charlee Bear Treats really shine with its small size and high appeal to dogs. If you haven’t seen my post regarding Charlee Bear Treats you can check it out here.

Now I can give you a text description regarding the whole process of clicker training, but I believe the best way to really understand the process of clicker training is by watching it in action.

If you reading this hopefully you’ve watched the video. Now that you have a basic understanding of clicker training its your turn to apply it your life!

Have you taught your pup a neat trick with clicker training? Perhaps your pup just knows a neat trick on his own! Share your stories and even videos through a comment below!

While a clicker is easily found in pet supply stores, I find that a really good quality clicker helps a lot when applying clicker training. I’ve used various clickers, but only one of them has worked really well for me. The other ones were either to soft, broke to fast, or were loud and began to wear out quickly. I’ve attached a link below to my clicker of choice and a book for those who like some instructions when doing something new, I know I did. For me the clicker that came with book broke, but I think its one of those 1 out of 100 things not to sure. Have fun clicking your way to a better pup!