Canis Clicker Training – the 4 Secrets to Becoming a Supertrainer Review
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Website: Canis Clicker Training – the 4 Secrets to Becoming a Supertrainer
Overview of Canis Clicker Training – The 4 Secrets to Becoming a Supertrainer
I must admit on seeing the comic style cover of the Canis Clicker Training Book I thought it was going to be a little lightweight, however I was very pleased to find I was very wrong. The authors of Canis Clicker Training. The 4 Secrets to becoming a Supertrainer are two Norwegian dog trainers Morten Egtvedt and Cecilie Koeste who first wrote the book in Norwegian in 2001. Up till now it has sold 45000 copies before being recently transated into English. The dog trainers were inspired by Karen Pryor a dolphin trainer who publicised the use of the clicker training as a positive training method.
The book explains that dogs are motivated by “what’s in it for them” – with negative methods of training (leash popping, shouting, physical punishment) the dog does what it is told in fear of punishement. With positive methods the dog will try its best to do the thing that it thinks will get it the treat/toy etc – and so ultimately should be more eager to be trained and try new things. The clicker is used as a postive dog training method to reward the behaviour we want from the dog.
Canis Clicker Training Methods – Step by step
The book takes you step by step through what you can do with clicker training. I thought how they explained “Shaping” using the clicker was a fascinating idea – you basically wait for the dog to do something and build on it. For example if you wanted to teach the dog to spin you would wait for it to turn its head then click and treat. When the dog has done this successful two or three times you wouldn’t click until it turns round a little more, then you would click and treat. You are basically letting the dog work out what you want from it. Another method of “capturing” behaviour is basically clicking when the dog is already doing something you want. Targeting a stick or your hand and how this can be used to train many behaviours are also explained thoroughly.
Click here for the Canis Clicker Training Book Website
Canis Clicker Training Practice Techniques for the Owner
As well as things to practice with your dog the 4 Secrets to being a Supertrainer book also gives you ideas on how to improve your clicker accuracy (without your dog present).
Clicker Training Fun for Dog and Owner
As well as being informative the book also is written with humour – something I think you need when training your dog. The clicker training exercises sound like they will be fun for both dog and owner. Some of the things you will learn are:
- Targeting a stick – which can be used to teach a variety of things
- loose leash walking
- Eye contact
- Polite greetings
- Crate training
- Retrieving
- Switching the lights off
- Shutting drawers
- Riding in a wheelbarrow
- Go to a mat when there is someone at the door
- Doing the laundry (I hope this one works
) - The spin
- Getting the newspaper out of the mailbox
- Choosing the right object
- Getting a Soda out of the fridge
Bonuses with Canis Clicker Training
Bonus video 1: Teaching the Retrieve
Bonus video 2: Get the Mail From the Mailbox
Bonus video 3: Teaching heel position with a puppy
Bonus video 4: Getting a soda from the refrigerator
Bonus video 5: Teach your dog to wrap itself in a blanket
Summary
The Canis Clicker Training – 4 Secrets to becoming a supertrainer is an excellent book for anyone wanting to explore the possibilities that dog clicker training offers. It could help improve your dogs behaviour and enthusiasm and also let you impress your friends with some unusual dog tricks. I would highly recommend it.
Click here for the Canis Clicker Training Book Website
Tags: Becoming a Supertrainer, Becoming a Supertrainer Review, Canis Clicker Training, Canis Clicker Training Review