I use clicker for precise training and doing tricks. For instance, my trainer wanted to teach her dog to look as though he was saying "sausages" like in the adverts. So she used what she calls free shaping - waited for him to do something resembling this (licking his lips). When he did anything remotely like the lip licking, she clicked and treated. Gradually she withheld the click until he did something more like moving his mouth up and down, then again clicked and treated - she is well on her way to "sausages". I wanted to teach Inca and Coco to hide their faces, and waited for it to happen naturally. Although Coco might do this action, I knew Inca would not. So I helped it to happen. I put a tiny strip of post it note on their noses. When they went to wipe it off, I clicked and treated. At the very beginning, I would even click and treat when they lifted their paws. Soon I could get the reaction without the post it note when I added the command "face". All I've got to do now is to try to delay the face wipe into a face cover.
If you are into obedience training, you can teach recall without the aid of the clicker, but if you want to teach "down" at a distance, you can use the clicker to break down (shape) the moves that you want. I hope this gives you some ideas. By the way a button clicker (in my opinion) is better than the traditional ones. You get a better instant click.
One other thing, you have to be very precise when you click because if you are not, you may be telling the dog that you want something else. I made this mistake when I was trying to get Inca to go backwards without me following her. I put a treat under the chair and when she backed out, to see me and get another treat, I clicked. Unfortunately, I allowed her to sit before clicking and blocked any further backwards movement.
If you are into obedience training, you can teach recall without the aid of the clicker, but if you want to teach "down" at a distance, you can use the clicker to break down (shape) the moves that you want. I hope this gives you some ideas. By the way a button clicker (in my opinion) is better than the traditional ones. You get a better instant click.
One other thing, you have to be very precise when you click because if you are not, you may be telling the dog that you want something else. I made this mistake when I was trying to get Inca to go backwards without me following her. I put a treat under the chair and when she backed out, to see me and get another treat, I clicked. Unfortunately, I allowed her to sit before clicking and blocked any further backwards movement.
Id like to enrol her on some classes but there are none in my area
