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Originally Posted by jokema  I know we got our Riley to early, but it's to late now to give her back. Anyway, she is now 8 weeks old and I was wondering when is a good time to actually try clicker training on her? There are two other dogs, not Yorkies, in the house and she has been doing a great job of going outside and using the potty. Is eight weeks to young for clicker training? I want to put her in puppy training, but I am waiting until all her shots are complete. Any advise? Thanks |
It is really never too early to start with clicker training. I have heard of breeders who clicker train before the pups leave. That way, the pups can all do a trick by the time they leave.
I have been clicker training Cash for two years now and I started clicker training June the day after I got her. Instead of just clicking and treating to condition her to the clicker, I would say her name and click if she looked at me. By the time that she was 9 weeks old, she had an excellent recall.
She also graduated from her first obedience class before she was 4 months old.
The classes are expensive to begin with, but once you have been trained to use the clicker, you can use it with any new dog that you get. Mainly, I enrolled June in a class for the socialization.
By five months, she can sit and lie down, she has an excellent recall and she knows out. We are working on standing on her hind legs as well as begging.
I am an avid fan of clicker training and the ease with which you can train with a clicker. The behavioural effect of starting to train early means that they are more obedient when they are familiar with the concept of doing what you want to get what they want.
Good luck.