We took a clicker training class, and I found the clicker was not the best method of training for me. The idea with the clicker is to train them that the sound of the click is something good, and they will get food if they hear the click. I had a problem clicking at the exact moment of the proper response. For example, if you are training to sit, the click has to happen as soon as their butt hits the ground. I was always holding the clicker upside-down or I'd get excited and say Yes, instead of the click, and the click took too long coming for proper reinforcement, so I stopped using the clicker and substituted the word "yes" instead. I also used the word uh-uh, and it just means what he's doing won't earn him a treat. It's different than the word no, which means, "Stop that behavior." Dogs have to be hungry to train, and the hungrier they are the more they will listen. If you feed normal meals, and then try to train with treats, you have to up the food value too much, they might work for one or two treats, but then want something even yummier, or the get bored, so I train Joey with all of his breakfast and half his evening meal. I didn't do this during the trick training class, and Joey gained a pound in six weeks, it was a pound that he didn't need, and took some time to get it off, but it has made him much more interested in his regular food.
I found that Joey learns hand signals so much faster than verbal commands, and I have to be very aware of subtle movements my hand makes, because he associates these with a different trick rather than my words. If I use long words, like rollover, I try to do it sing-songy link so it's distinctive. My advice is to learn the hand signals yourself first, so you will be consistent. You can make up your own, or use the ones many trainers use.
Here's a good link that describes some simple tricks and how to teach them. Remember, training should always be fun, we worked on one or new two tricks a week in two short daily sessions, always ending with something he knew, so he could leave with positive feeling. Try not to link all the tricks together and reward after each trick in early training, otherwise some dogs, when told to sit, will sit, roller over, crawl, play dead, and give you a high five. Later, you can teach medleys!
Dog Tricks! Shake, Crawl, Beg, Kiss, Roll Over, Bow, and more!