Do: Make it Fun. Clicker training is all about rewards!

Do: Have Short Training Sessions. End each session well before your dog gets fatigued, frustrated, or bored.

Do: End Each Session With Success. Make sure that the very last thing you do in the session is something that you can reward hardily.

Do: Praise, Praise, Praise. Don’t skimp on treats or verbal praise!

Don’t Click Just to Click: Only click the clicker when you’re training and the pup has done something right. The clicker is not a noisemaker! If you have kids, keep all clickers well out of reach. One clicker-happy kid can reverse all of your puppy’s training. If the pup hears many clicks but gets no reward, the clicker won’t mean anything to him anymore.

Don’t: Punish. There’s no punishment in clicker training. You may give a “time out” or a correction for negative behavior, but not during a clicker training session!

Don’t Wear Our Your Pup’s Name: Buster? Buster! BUSTER! He heard you the first time. Don’t use his name excessively or he’ll learn to tune you out.

Don’t Repeat Yourself: He did hear you the first time, I promise. Buster did not mix up “sit” with “wander away.” He will learn that you will pack up your treats and end any attention you’re giving him if he doesn’t pay attention back. Give him time to figure it out rather than repeating yourself a million times, hoping that Buster will get the message if you just say it loud enough.