We’ve been working for the last few weeks on improving Levi’s down.
He’s a service dog in-training and his behavior is held to a little higher standard because he needs to work in extreme circumstances. His behavior needs to be good at the mall, at a concert, in a doctor’s office, at the park, and yes, at the grocery store, too.
After identifying the parts of his “down” that needed improvement, we developed a simple, straightforward training plan.
You’ve watched the training plan unfold over the last several articles and I’m proud to present our final product. The problems weren’t overwhelming, but they do often give dog owners a headache.
Too often, the dog is accused of ignoring his owner, being stubborn, or just not listening.
Hopefully you’ve seen that none of those things are true, and that the answer lies in some good, clean, clicker training.
Is the clicker the best way in your opinion? I use “yes” right now, but sometimes I have a hard time saying it in an even tone.
Yes, the clicker is the most effective way to mark the good behavior. You can use a word, but it doesn’t sound the same each time. Research has shown that learning occurs more rapidly when using a clicker rather than a word. I will, though, use a nonsense word (high pitched “yip!”) when I’m in public with the service dogs and am someplace where the clicker would be a nuisance (movie theater, library, etc.).