Karen Pryor Clickertraining - Skills for Every Day

How to Stop Unwanted Barking

Melissa Alexander — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 02:00:00 -0500

When you deal with barking, it's important to look at the whole situation. Barking is sometimes a symptom of another problem—for example, fear, boredom, or stress. If you fix the problem, the symptom will likely go away. However, if you simply treat the symptom, the problem will just manifest itself in a different way-one which may be worse! Treat the problem not the symptom.

Training Your Dog to Sit

Melissa Alexander — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Q: I'm trying to teach my dog to sit, but she's not really getting it quite right. What should I be doing?

Housetraining Your Puppy

Peggy Tillman — Mon, 01 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Your goal is to teach your puppy the right place to eliminate. Here's how to potty train your puppy with clicker training.

Training "Leave It"

Emma Parsons — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Q: I have a rescue Border collie/lab mix. He is about 5 months old, and an absolute delight. He picks up things very easily and constantly needs a job. We have been working on clicker training and we both really like it, but I have a couple of "positive training" questions. First. How do I train "leave it"? Second. How do I train him not to chew the house up? Third. How do I maintain the bond that I have developed, but have him listen to other people?

Clicking with Birds

Melinda Johnson — Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0600

Join this great online list and find out how to clicker train your parrot or other bird. Here's a message from Melinda Johnson, the author of our book on clicking birds, Clicker Training for Birds. Yes! Clicker training works for birds too. Birds were among the first animals ever to be trained by B.F. Skinner and his assistants.

Teaching Your Dog to Love the Water

KPCT — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:11:00 -0500

The majority of gundogs are natural swimmers and love nothing better than doing it for pure pleasure. There is a skill to it, and experience alongside confidence is also required. Some dogs find the paddling action difficult to master at first, causing them to lift out the water at the front end whilst the rear end sinks—lots of splashing but no movement. This is one of those skills where practice does make perfect.

Teaching "Off" with Positive Reinforcement

Joan Orr — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:10:00 -0500

Self control is one of the most critical skills a dog needs to learn, and it is a skill that is required multiple times a day. Dogs are expected to refrain from picking up something forbidden when it appears within reach. Some examples that come to mind include: dropped medication, chicken bones, the hamster, dead birds, Granny's hearing aid, Susie's favorite stuffed toy, the last remaining baby soother...

All Ears! How to Train Your Puppy to Listen

Aidan Bindoff — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:09:00 -0500

Do you find yourself repeating instructions to your dog or puppy? You can learn how to train a puppy or dog to listen to you the first time, and every time.

How to Teach Give: A Winning Recipe

Leah Roberts — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:10:00 -0500

By the time most dogs get to my classes, their owners have already taught them that when they get hold of something special, it's going to be taken away. Most of the time, the owners get upset, yell, and force the object out of their mouths. So, when dogs find that deliciously smelly dead squirrel in the yard, they are more likely to hide the squirrel under the couch than allow their owners to catch them with it.

Dog Trainers: Tools for Dog Bite Prevention Week 2008

Joan Orr — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:09:00 -0500

Dog Bite Prevention week is May 19-25, 2008. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the American Veterinary Medical Association, most dog bite victims are children, and most bites are by the family pet or another dog known to the child.

How to Tame Your Kitten, Clicker-Style

Joan Orr — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:00:00 -0500

From tiny tigers to diminutive panthers, all with entertaining antics and adorable little faces, kittens are one of the great joys of life. But young cats are not just charming; they can be formidable as well.

How to Train a "Crazy" Dog!

Laura VanArendonk Baugh — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:00:00 -0500

I like crazy dogs.

I like over-the-top dogs, dogs that come bounding in biting at their leashes (or anything else they can cram into their mouths). I like rambunctious, nutty, go-getters that exhaust their owners. Those are my favorite dogs to train.

Aggressive Dogs: Nature or Nurture?

Aidan Bindoff — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:00:00 -0600

"Aggressive dogs aren't born, they're raised that way."

How many times have you heard this statement? Have you ever wondered how much truth there is to it?

Can Cats and Dogs be Friends?

Joan Orr — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 05:00:00 -0600

"They fight like cats and dogs."

This saying reflects the commonly-held belief that dogs and cats just can't get along because they are natural enemies. People who share their homes with both species, or who have read The Incredible Journey, know that this is not true. Dogs and cats can form fast friendships. It is life experiences with members of the other species, and not an inborn animosity, that determines how cats and dogs feel about each other.

Like to Write? Enter Our Training Recipe Contest!

KPCT — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 04:00:00 -0600

Do you feel as comfortable with a pen as you do with a clicker? If you like to write, enter our training recipe contest. The winning article will be published here at clickertraining.com (including author byline and bio blurb with a link to your own website or other self-promotion). It's a great chance for you to show your stuff. The winner will also receive a $25 gift certificate to the clickertraining.com store.

What Makes a Reward Rewarding?

Kay Laurence — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:00:00 -0600

"Reward your dog." We've heard this many, many times in many formats. It takes a lot of experience to get the best from a reward—where the reward delivers everything the dog needs in order to offer the behavior again and again, with passion.

Managing Your Dog's Separation Anxiety

Aidan Bindoff — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Dogs are pack animals. With human owners as the "pack," domesticated dogs naturally prefer the companionship of their humans. It's one thing to have your dog follow you around the house amiably, however; it's quite another to learn that your dog howls relentlessly when you're at work or defecates in the house to show his displeasure at your absence. When your dog's behavior in your absence seems extreme, he might be experiencing separation anxiety.

How to Train Your Puppy to Ring a Bell to Potty

Aidan Bindoff — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:10:22 -0500

After you have housetrained your puppy, you might find it useful to train her to ring a bell when she wants to go out to potty. Believe it or not, this is not a difficult trick to train if you follow the instructions below. Your puppy will learn to ring the bell only when she genuinely needs to go to the toilet.

How to Keep Your Pet Safe

Joan Orr — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:10:02 -0500

Does your pet aspire to work in the areas of gardening, electrical work, stuffed animal surgery, or even hazardous waste disposal? Given the opportunity, many pets engage in activities that are downright dangerous. As their owners, it is our responsibility to maintain the safety of these zany, ambitious pets.

How to Teach Your Dog Left and Right

Aidan Bindoff — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

This is a fun exercise that is handier than it seems at first. You'll set up two targets at a distance, and teach your dog to go to either target—left or right—on cue. Later, you will set up similar exercises to bring more general meaning to the cues "left" or "right."

A dog that understands "left" and "right" has a terrific skill for many competition venues including agility, herding, mushing, water dog, and retrieving. This understanding would also be handy walking on trails—and service dog owners could think of a dozen or more applications for "left" and "right."