Clicker Training?
 

Has anybody out there clicker trained their yorkies?

Hi, just started clicker training classes for our 15 week yorkie.
Can't tell if it's working yet.
It's suppose to be really easy but not in our case.
Maybe can give better input after a few more classes.
All I know is these classes are exxxxxpensive.

We did and had to quit because our Kayti was afraid of the clicker!

I went to the Puppy Training class at PetSmart and they use the "clicker". It worked really well for me and I recommend it. Especially at that young age. We no longer use it as Sophie's more mature now (10 mths.) and follows verbal commands much better.

I did the clicker training and the dog picked it up really fast. It really helped reinforce when he did something right because the sound was immediate even if it took a second or two for me to get a treat to him. When I first started, I would click, then treat without asking him to do anything just so he would asssociate the sound with a treat. He picked it up in a few minutes. It also helps to have a really worthwhile treat like tiny bits of hotdog that they only get when training.

Attempted and failed. Scruffs was so scared of the clicker he stopped eating treats (including chicken, Yorkie Yummies, Zukes which he all loves). I even tried a quiet clicker.

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

We just started clicker training with Stella at Petsmart as well. She knows whenever I have the clicker in my hand, I mean business. So now we take it on walks for when she potties outside...she won't eat a treat outside because there's too much going on, but she definitely likes to get clicks...she does a little dance for me. Stella's 5 months now, but I would think you could start after some shots--it seems to me she would've been ready to start soon after we got her, around 3.5 or 4 months, after she had a good bond with us and trusted us.

Thanks for sharing. I have learned so much about Yorkies on this site. Right now I am not working, out for the summer, and I am home with her all day so I pretty much have been reading everything that I can get my hands on, while Riley is asleep.

Thanks again to all!

Rileys Mum

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.

LOL! Sorry..not laughing at you but at the situation. I had the same response with the "bell at the door" suggestion for her to ring and let us know when Sophie had to go out to do her business. Because we have 3 cats we couldn't hang a bell from the door knob....I don't need to explain that one! So we got one of the counter bells and set it on the floor by the door. It scared the living b'jesus out of Sophie. She actually sat on it by accident once and nearly shot through the ceiling. Needless to say, the bell got put away into the cabinet never to return.

Prissy was a rescue and she is still a little delayed. My breeder ended up with her when Prissy was 11 months old. It was only THEN that she was had any training. She wasn't even the slightest bit housebroken. She is pretty much 95% house trained now, but is still a lot harder to train than my other yorkie. Prissy is 110% food motivated so I thought clicker training might be a good thing.

Plus, I haven't really trained many dogs, so I thought having a professional come in would be a good idea as I am sure that I could used some training too.

Our clicker train consult session is Friday at 4:30 and I am soooooo excited!

Good luck with your clicker training session! It is a lot of fun, once you get your rhythm.

Enjoy!:thumbup:

I clicker train mine for tricks only. Look at my album "School's in Session". They love it! We click & treat, they can sit, lay down, jump through a hoola hoop, roll over, play dead, army crawl, high five, shake, wave bye-bye, limbo (stand on hind legs and jump forward several times, looks like limboing to me), leave it, give kisses, dance in circles on thier hind legs, and imitate a bear by standing up & clawing at the air. I think it entertains us more than them!LOl

my biggest problem with the clicker is that I do not have the coordination to try to train the dog with the clicker! :) but I have seen it done, and it seems really effective!