Click for Joy! Questions and Answers from Clicker Trainers and Their Dogs (Karen Pryor Clicker Books) [Paperback]

Melissa C. Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003 | Series: Karen Pryor Clicker Books

Melissa C. Alexander, moderator of the online discussion forum ClickerSolutions, collects clear and accurate answers to over one hundred commonly asked questions about clicker training in one essential reference.

Click for Joy! is packed with information for experienced trainers and newcomers alike, including:

* positive, effective solutions to common problems * practical instructions to train any behavior for fluency and reliability * encouragement, advice, and success stories from clicker trainers around the world * short-term and long-term consequences of controversial training techniques * clear, easy-to-understand explanations of the science underlying clicker training * glossary of clicker training terms and concepts * easy-to-use cross-referencing and index

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Sunshine Books (MA) (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890948128
• ISBN-13: 978-1890948122
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The most helpful c/t book yet! May 26, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I am a book junkie. If it's about clicker training, I have it. This is the best of the bunch. Easy to read. Cross-referenced. Indexed -- thank God. (Finally, an indexed clicker training book!) Complete answers to every question I ever had. Where was this book six years ago when I first learned to clicker train? Save yourself a lot of fumbling -- whether you're new or experienced, get this book if you have any interest in clicker training.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource! May 19, 2003

By "marsha_mabry"

Format:Paperback

Love this book. I've clicker trained for several years. This book covers beginner through advanced material and helped me improve my training skills. It seems like all the other clicker books out there are strictly for beginners. This is the only one I've found that helped me take it to the next level. It's not a book I read just once -- I keep it with my dog stuff and refer to it whenever a question occurs to me.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A clicker training bible! May 18, 2003

By Sara

Format:Paperback

I "met" Melissa Alexander online, and I've been impressed with her ever since. This book is wonderful, and I highly recommend it. It's not step-by-step instructions, but it's the best FAQ I could imagine. It answered every question I had before I knew I had it! My favorite thing is the cross-referencing. The answers I want are so easy to find!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Training, Solid Approach, Lasting Results June 8, 2006

By Yellow

Format:Paperback

This is a top notch book for everyone learning clicker training as well as a reference for those who have been training for a long time. The methods described in this book have been scientifically proven for decades both in laboratory research and in the "real world". The author of the foreword, Bob Bailey, has been using these techniques since the 1950s with amazing success. You can't force a dolphin to go out on 12 hour military missions in the open ocean and come back at the end of the day. You can teach that kind of behavior with clicker training. And people do it all the time.

If you make it worthwhile and painless for an animal (including human!) to learn, he remembers. You can train animals trainers from other techniques consider untrainable with the methods in this book. Even the common house cat becomes an EAGER learner with clicker training. (Who is front and center when I call my animals to train? THE CAT!)

There is no need to punish if you know how to make performing desirable behavior worthwhile- and this book teaches how to do that.

Buy this book!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clicker training basics at it's best July 28, 2005

By Wolf

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this book and have given away 2 copies already. It's a fun book to use and explains easily how to train your dog while both of you are having fun and playing games.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book January 16, 2007

By Sheltie Mom

Format:Paperback

I had read a number of books on Clicker Training, all of which were helpful to varying degrees, before I read Melissa Alexander's Click for Joy! As I read Click for Joy!, I realized this would have been the very best book to read first, as it covered all my questions so completely. Of course, it was a great book to read after having read all the other books I've read for the same reason. The way the author has organized the material is very helpful for all kinds of mind sets. Someone who wants to read the book through from A to Z gets great foundation before going onto more techical information, but if you are like me, when I read about something, I tend to have all kinds of questions that I'd like to address right now. Ms. Alexander has organized each page with cross references to more information on particular subjects on that page. The language is easy to understand, as though you are having a personal visit with Melissa. She also has a chapter explaining in detail how to train a number of basic behaviors to perfection... very detailed explanations. After going through these basic behaviors, she explains how to organize your own plan for trainng other behaviors. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Clicker Training.

I have found Peggy Tilman's book, Clicking with Your Dog, Step-by-Step in Pictures, to be a great companion book to Click for Joy! because it goes into picture detail for many more behaviors beyond the basic behaviors in Melissa Alexander's book. IF a person is limited in book funds and wants to understand clicker training, these are the two books I recommend.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Goof Proof Your Clicking August 15, 2006

By Bee

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a great way to see what potential you have for correcting a mistake before you do it. I am training two pups at once. Sure enough, as soon as one of them gets it, the other does too. So, if I make a mistake they will both learn it. This book handles the individuality of each dog and lets you see ways to better your abilities by zeroing in on potential problems before they occur. I am using it with the excellent Clicking with your Dog book and think the set makes a perfect combination for the joy of clickertraining. Also, little hints like what kind of treats to use, alternates to food, etc. make this full of useful surprises. Also, the advice on how to make the behavior "perfect" lets you know how far to push each activity before moving on to the next. Great book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent training book! August 9, 2006

By Kristine Hammar

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is excellent in every way. Melissa Alexander writes in a style that is both substantial and understandable and this is one of the most user-friendly books I have ever read.

I am definitely a better clicker trainer as a result of having read this book. From now on when I recommend a book to get started with clicker training, it will be this one.