The joy of raising a family dog should be a great family experience. One of the benefits of clicker training is that, with clear instruction and supervision, young family members can easily grasp what to do and can participate. This involvement and investment creates strong and healthy bonds with the family dog, and teaches children how to understand and communicate with their furry family member in a way that is kind, respectful, safe, and fun!

Teaching dogs to “drop it”—to release an object that they have—is an often-overlooked skill. However, it is probably one of the most important behaviors that you can teach your dog. As an example, your dog may grab food that could be harmful, such as grapes or chocolate, or run off with one of your new shoes. If your dog knows the drop it cue and behavior, you can prevent a destructive, and potentially fatal, outcome.

A reliable recall, or come when called, behavior is one of the most important foundation behaviors. Mastered, it lets your dog enjoy freedom and off-leash time and help keeps him/her safe. In some instances, the recall behavior could even save your dog’s life–like when your dog is chasing a squirrel toward a busy road and you need him to return to you quickly!

Teaching your dog to stay, an essential foundation behavior, is an investment that will be valuable in a variety of situations, such as preventing your dog from dashing out the front door or out of the car. In this video, Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Certified Training Partner (CTP) Sarah Walsh is teaching her dog Wrigley to stay in the down position.

One of the first steps of training any behavior is to teach your dog to focus his/her attention on you. After all, a dog that is not looking at you is likely not listening to you, either! In this video, KPA CTP Tara Oster is teaching her client’s dog Bingo to offer eye contact. Tara begins shaping the behavior by waiting for Bingo to offer eye contact and rewarding her as soon as she does. Once Bingo offers eye contact reliably, Tara will add a cue.