Can you start clicker training on a grown dog?

symui

New Member
My shnauzer is already 1.5 yrs old and has been trained on basic commands (sit, stay, down) without the use of a clicker. I see that all the classroom lessons are based on the use of clicker training. The question is whether it'll be easier for me to start introducing a clicker to my grown dog or is it easier for me to try training the other commands without a clicker? Could I know your thoughts? Thanks.
 

ruffmuttk9z

New Member
YES YES YES YES YES! Any age of dog can begin working with a clicker. Simply get a handful of treats and click & treat, click & treat, click & treat several times (20 or so). This helps to associate the treat with the impending reward so that the dog learns to anticipate the click. A clicker is simply a tool to mark the exact moment that a behavior that you WANT occurs. IE: If your dog knows 'sit' already, simply add the click a half second before his butt hits the ground. This is his marker, or in other words, the same thing as telling a dog 'good dog' or the like. However, it's much quicker and the sound is always consistent. One huge benefit to clickers is that they have no emotions! As much as we'd like to think our voices don't change even when we're frustrated or upset, THEY DO and dogs can hear this difference and they adjust their behavior accordingly. Some dogs shut down. Others become anxious or nervous. I could go on and on about the benefits of using a clicker but there are TONS of good websites and books out there that could do the subject far more justice than I ever could. Karen Pryor has a good website/book/DVD combo if you are interested: Clickertraining.com
 

snooks

Experienced Member
absolutely. i started my 6 yr old dog in agility and he was a pro in no time. he did his most complicated stuff after he was 8.
 

szecsuani

Experienced Member
Of course you can!
My dog was aprox. 2 years old when I started traning her with a clicker, and she got really into it! :)
 

storm22

Experienced Member
yep you can start a dogs clicker life at any age, i started when storm was 2years but after learning with him i started teaching my older dogs ( ones now coming on 17years) with a clicker
 
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