What is Clicker Training? First off...a clicker is very much like the little hand held children's toy that "clicks". <g> Not much to it...or...You can use something else for your clicker, even clicking a ball point pen or popping the center of a baby food lid works. To explain the basics of clicker training simply... the point is to click right at the moment the dog is doing the correct action. It works better than words because it allows you to react faster and be more precise in your timing. It is based on the operant training that is used with dolphins. Clicking can be quite fun. Especially with Havs who do lots of silly antics that can be turned into cued behaviors. Havanese seem to excel at this type of training which makes it even more fun for both of you. You begin by clicking and then giving a treat. Continue doing this until the dog looks at the clicker instead of the treat. Now the dog is associating the clicker with the reward. Use small pieces of treats for this so you don't fill their tummies up before you are finished. <g> When your dog is accustomed to getting a treat every time he hears the clicker, you can begin clicking when he does something fun, like chasing their tail or walking on their back legs. Then remember to give a treat right away!! It is best to only condition one behavior at a time in the beginning to keep both of you from getting confused. Sooner than you think, your dog will chase his tail and then stop to look at you for a treat. LOL. That is when you can begin putting a word or hand signal to the behavior. Now you may begin "capturing" other behaviors. When Summer first arrived, I tried clicker training her. It was my first time using a clicker but not training a dog. I taught her to shake hands, either foot and high five either foot...all four in about half an hour with commands. Too fun!!!! This is definitely the most fun I have ever had training a dog!! Now I did find with Summer she got over-excited...so I have replaced the abruptness of the clicker with the word "yes" drawn out. Some dogs are initially scared of the sound. You can muffle the noise in the beginning by placing it in your pocket when clicking...or covering it with a piece of fabric....or maybe just searching for a clicker that is a little quieter. The point of clicker training is to have FUN!!! If your dog does something wrong, don't say "NO". You probably want to save that for more important things like if he decides to run across the street. You want him to enjoy EVERYTHING about clicker training!! For a gentle correction, I use the phrase "try again." It is nice and polite and also helps to remind ME that mistakes are ok. You can of course take clicker training past "tricks" into serious training. There are great websites, books, and videos. Karen Pryor has a wonderful site to help get you started at: Karen Pryor's clickertraining.com Have FUN!!!