How Clicker Training Really Works—and Why Timing Matters

If you’ve ever picked up a dog training clicker and wondered how to use it to train your dog, you’re not alone. Clickers can be purchased for just a few dollars. While obtaining a clicker is easy, learning to use it correctly takes practice. The clicker itself is not a magic device, but if you use it correctly, it can be a helpful dog training tool.

What a Clicker Actually Teaches Your Dog

​Before you start using the clicker, which is a small device that makes a click sound when pressed, you should understand how to use it. The clicker serves as a bridge between your dog's behavior and the food reward.
​
Let’s say you're training your dog to go to their bed on cue. The first step in a clicker training session is to define the end goal then break it into the smallest possible steps. This will help you determine which movements you want to click as your dog presents them. The finished behavior might be: you tell your dog “place,” and your dog moves away from you, walks to their bed, lies down, and stays until you use the release word to let them move off of it.

Get our free mobile app

Breaking Behaviors Into Small, Trainable Steps

That's a lot to ask for in one session. In a clicker training session, your dog would offer behaviors to try to earn the click. You might first click when your dog looks at the bed. Then you would click, a step toward it, step on it, and so on. Dogs who have been clicker-trained will continue to offer behaviors during these sessions to determine what works.
​
The sound of the clicker on its own is meaningless. The reason it matters to your dog is because each click is followed by a food reward. Every time you click, you should feed your dog following it. Keep your hands still as you click, and then after the clicker makes the sound, deliver the treat. Don’t deliver the treat as you click; otherwise, your dog won't listen to the click but will focus on your movement. It’s important to keep the clicker in a relaxed and neutral position. You don’t have to point it at your dog.
​
Instead of the clicker, you could also use a marker word in the same way, such as the word “yes.” When your dog hears the word “yes,” it means they are correct, and you owe a treat.
​
If you decide to use a clicker with your dog, you don't have to use it for everything. You can pick it up when you need it to teach something new, or use it for some skills and not for others. You also don't have to take it everywhere. The clicker works well for new skills, but once your dog understands a skill and can do it on cue, you will naturally phase it out. Another thing to know about clicker training is that it’s not just for dogs. Cats, birds, rabbits, and many other animals can be clicker trained.

Common Clicker Training Mistakes to Avoid

There are a few common mistakes to watch out for when using a clicker. It might be tempting to use the clicker to grab your dog’s attention, but that’s not the purpose. When your dog hears the click, it should mean the behavior at that moment is one you want your dog to repeat. So if you click to get a distracted dog to look at you, you're actually telling the dog that being distracted is correct. Instead, click when the dog looks at you, then give the treat.

You also don't want to click without delivering a food reward. The clicker is a marker that means “you got it right.” It tells your dog you owe him the treat within a few seconds. If you start clicking without following through with the treat, it will lose its meaning. Timing is critical in clicker training. Practice clicking the moment your dog does what you are looking for. You might make mistakes in the beginning, but it gets easier with practice.
​
Experienced trainers can teach students to use clicker training to teach their dogs to walk politely on a leash, retrieve, and perform a variety of tricks. For sound-sensitive dogs, it’s a good idea to use a verbal marker, such as the word "yes," instead. For clicker-trained dogs, you can still switch between markers (verbal and clicker) depending on what you’re working on or whether or not you have your clicker with you.
​
While clicker training is not for everyone, it may be worth trying. Like all training, keep sessions short and positive for your dog. Training your dog new tricks is a great way to bond and improve communication, especially if you have a new dog at home. Whether you use the clicker or another communication method during training, it’s important to be as precise and clear as possible.

Melissa "MJ" Viera is the owner of MJ's Pet Training Academy in Acushnet.