The Importance of Training
It’s more than just having a dog that obeys you.
I started clicker training my first Aussie 18 years ago, and found it to be the best way to connect with my puppy, and it carried over into their adulthood. What I eventually found, is that it was an important communication tool to use with my dog. The sound of the clicker coupled with a treat was me telling my dog, “That was what I wanted!” My dog learned “If I do this thing, I will get a treat”.
I do not punish my dogs, ever. If they are doing something I don’t like, it is either because I haven’t been able to communicate what I want from them, or they aren’t able to “hear” me (in a high stress situation, for example), or I have put them in a situation they aren’t ready for.
In clicker training, the clicker becomes the marker that tells your puppy that a treat is coming. By clicking as soon as your puppy does a particular behavior, they will come to realize “Oh, I do this, I hear a click, then I get food”. Some people use a word (“Yes!” “Good!” “Right!”), but I always preferred a clicker because it is completely distinct. They hear my voice all the time, it isn’t distinct enough.
During a training session, I wait util the puppy gives me the behavior I want to see. In the video from a previous litter, I wait until the puppy moves off of my lap, then click and treat. Gradually, I raise the criteria to get that click and treat. You’ll see, first I just want the puppy to NOT jump on me. Then I wait until he sits. Next, I put duration on it, and wait a little longer before clicking and treating.
There is a video that I would like everyone to look into. It is from Puppy Culture, and it is called Attention is the Mother of All Behaviors. https://shoppuppyculture.com/products/demand-to-win-puppies-attention-is-the-mother-of-all-behaviors-vod. This video is a very important first step in working with your puppy. It is currently $21.95 for video on demand lifetime access. Much of what I talk about is also in the Madcap University course “With Open Arms and a Level Head”.
The key to training your puppy is to make sure you’re being reasons able in what you are asking your puppy to do. Break it down to the most absolute basic of steps, go as far back as you need.
Story time-when Juni was 8 weeks old, I started working with her individually, as the rest of the litter had gone to their new homes. She was my keeper, my show puppy. I started out in my kitchen, with her morning food in a bowl. I wanted to teach her “heel”, to keep her walking next to me and to not pull on a leash.
First, I had to get her to focus her attention on me. That took a day of training. Next, I had to get her to understand where I wanted her to be when we walked together. For several days, I tried walking and then clicking and treating when she would finally be next to me. It was frustrating, because every time I would start to walk, she would run away. I actually had to break it down so far, to the point of just getting her to stand next to me, in a heel position. I really was worried that I wouldn’t be able to train this.
And then, this thing happened. On the 3rd morning, she just got it. We were starting our training session, she stood next to me, looked at me like “Right here? This is where I go?”. And then we moved on. This process I learned from Puppy Culture, and the Madcap University course mentioned above.
What I learned from that training session with Juni, is that my puppy WANTED to learn. She really did, she wanted direction, she wanted to understand what I wanted from her. And you will see it in your puppy as well. The first time you try to train a behavior, do not expect to see immediate results. After a training session, which should be no more than 5-10 minutes at their age, let them go play. Don’t feel defeated if they didn’t pick it up right away. Your puppy will sleep, and their brains will reorganize their experiences. They will retain it.
Remember, they are still in the critical socialization period until 12-14 weeks. These are the weeks that your puppy will learn the most, with the least amount of work from you. Train them 2-3 times a day for 5-10 minutes each time. Don’t expect perfection the first or second time. Celebrate the small incremental steps toward your ultimate goal.