Customer Reviews

Clicking with Your Dog: Step-by-Step in Pictures

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

When I wrote the first review on this book in May 2001, I had been using this book for a month or so and was suitably impressed. I was also just beginning to invest in clicker training.

9 months on (many books later), and having trained (or at least partially trained ... *grin*) 3 dogs, I'm no longer as convinced that newer operant training methods have as distinct an advantage over classical/traditional methods, as some writers would have us believe. We are discovering that all training methods (including the clicker method) have their respective strengths & weaknesses. What many writers don't say is that much depends on the dog itself or that combination training methods work well too.

But that being said ... the clicker is still the most effective way I have discovered of informing my dogs when an action is approved ... its quick, extremely simple & precise ... one click and the dog knows that it has done right ... no buts, no ifs - that's it!

Depending on time, mood and disposition, voice commands can vary in tone and quality - the clicker is consistency paramount.

When used properly, the clicker is one heck of a communication tool ... and this book's value is that it teaches a beginner very quickly how and when to sound the clicker ...

This is a book consisting primarily of drawn illustrations ... very few words ...

And they say a picture is worth a thousand words - therein lies the secret and effectiveness of this book ... the illustrations are as precise and clear to the reader as the sound of the clicker is to the doggie ... The pictures convey in quite a remarkable manner - a clarity of timing to the reader that might otherwise have been lost had words been used ...

The reader will find all basic commands such as sit, heel, stay & come dealt with in the book, including aspects of (a) how to 'shape', namely, to lead a dog progressively towards a behaviour that is acceptable to the trainer; and (b) targetting, which is teaching our doggie friend how to nose or touch anything we indicate ... teaching a dog to target, allows us to then teach the dog more complicated commands, such as closing doors and turning switches on and off ...

This book is great investment for anyone wishing to start clicker training ... If the reader wishes to progress beyond basic training, or wishes to learn more about how and why a clicker works, then the reader may have to get other books ...

But as start-off manual - this book is one of the best!

Length:: 4:00 Mins

I have a "joint custody" arrangement with a neighbor for her Toy Yorkie. I make a reference in my video to the book that inspired me to get this one, but I gave the name incorrectly. When I read "Reaching the Animal Mind" by Karen Pryor I decided that clicker training was the approach that we should take with Bella and my neighbor agreed.

Bella wanted to play-bite way too often, so we taught her how to play-bite on command and then gave her the command for "don't bite". It has worked in real life. The same with barking and some other puppy issues.

This is not a quick-fix (although they do learn the tricks in an amazingly short time frame) but instead it is a template for teaching your dog some alternative behaviors. Bella knows quite a few additional "tricks" but here I show some of her favorites. I hope that this video is helpful.

Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals

Clicking with Your Dog is the absolute BEST dog training book I've ever seen. That tells a lot because I think I have the majority of dog training books published in the last 10 years, and have had my hands on the rest (usually those who don't say anything new at all, are the only ones that do not end up on my shelf).

Step-by-step instructions do not describe this book at all. The directions are clearly written and suitable for those from about 5th grade on up to the most educated college professor. It is the illustrations though that make this book. Anyone can literally take this book and a dog, and figure out how to teach each behavior with no problem. It is better than a video tape (while those are good), since the illustrations freeze the position the dog, trainer, and other objects in time.

In other words, each behavior is not only described in words, but the individual components of the behavior are broken down. There are seven illustrations alone for teaching the sit.

I really cannot praise this book high enough -- if you want to train a dog, but have no conveniently located classes, or if you want to try clicker training, but can't find someone to teach you, this is the book for you.

It took me five minutes of looking through "Clicking with Your Dog" to realize it's the book we've been dreaming of for our clients. Moments later we'd already ordered 100 copies.

This book gets the average American started on the right foot with clicker training. It doesn't bog down the people who "just want to know how to do it" yet directs those of us who can't get enough to further information. It provides excellent guidance to children who are beginning to train and communicate with their dogs. I can only hope 4-H training groups will make it their manual.

The majority of owners who come to see us for assistance with their pet's behavior problems leave with a clicker in their hand. Now they'll be leaving with a clicker in one hand and "Clicking with Your Dog" in the other hand.

The ideal training guide for everyone; especially those who don't have time or interest to sit down and pour through long blocks of text, or highly technical writing.

Tillman's clear, concise, easy-to-follow illustrations make comprehension a snap, for every type of learner. This is the book my students find the easiest to follow, and it's absolutely marvelous for children.

Feedback from dog training students I mentor worldwide consistently note that the book's presentation style makes it impossible to put down. Because each chapter can be read individually, those who like to "skip around" instead of reading from beginning to end will still find it simple to follow the step-by-step directions.

The pictures are clutter-free, elegant and simple, helping the reader focus easily on the behavior being shown. One example of its effectiveness is how accessible it is for those with learning disabilities. My husband, severely dyslexic, cannot read blocks of text without great difficulty.

Yet, I was able to randomly open the book, give him a clicker and treats, and watch him "shape" the behavior just by following the illustrations. He didn't need to read any of the accompanying text (which is concise, without a wasted word) in order to get the behavior from the dog.

Students with Attention Deficit Disorder find Tillman's book to be a guide written just for them: it moves so quickly, is so simple and easy to follow, that there is no time to get bored, no time for the mind to wander. ADHD students who have never been able to make it through other fine training guides seem to relish Tillman's book from beginning to end. It's just plum FUN.

Tillman's message all the way through the book is that training a dog should not be stressful for the dog or the human, but a dance of joy, fun every step of the way.

Of all the books I have recommended over the years, this is the book I am wildly enthusiastic about, as it opens up the science of shaping behavior to the casual pet owner as well as the serious performance enthusiast.

Void of techical terminology that sometimes confuses those just learning how to clicker train, Tillman present science in a way anyone can understand--have a darned good time, to boot!

Tillman not only addresses teaching all the basic behaviors for "good manners," but shows how to solve behavior problems without resorting to force, coercion and pain.

How effective do I think Tillman's information is? With the information presented in this book, I was able to turn around a fear-agressive dog who went on to win the National Service Dog of the Year award, as well as become a certified therapy dog.

When traditional correction-based training only made his problem behaviors worse, it was following the guidelines Tillman offers that saved this dog's life and helped him become such a phenomenal service dog, therapy dog, school demo dog and marvelous, loving companion.

And, he was the first toy breed service dog to help carry the 2002 Winter Olympic Torch!

Buy the book. Give it away to friends who have dogs with problem behaviors. Buy it for yourself, your kids, for people who are frustrated in their attempts to change unwanted behaviors into wanted responses. It works. Oh, does it work!

This is a good book if you wish to start clicker training with your dog ...

The primary (but very important) difference between conventional training and clicker training is the ease with which judicious use of a clicker informs the dog (without need for punishment and minimal confusion) exactly what is desired by the trainer ...

The ability to communicate approval in such a precise manner translates directly to easier & faster training ... with less stress for both owner & pet.

The key to successful clicker training is learning when to sound the clicker ... and this book teaches that most effectively.

As pointed out by the previous 2 reviewers, this book provides very clear step by step illustrations (often more clearly than words alone can do), as to when and how a clicker should be used to maximum effect.

The book covers basic commands such as sit, stay & heel, as well as more complicated exercises, like the use of a target stick ...

For those who wish to learn more about the theory behind clicker training then Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog" will make very good supplementary reading ...

We trained both our 14month old Beagle and 5month old Labardor from the age of 3 months ... the Beagle's early training was conventional; the Labrador began straight off with clicker training ... the effectiveness of clicker training became quickly apparent to us ...

Have fun reading the book and trying it out ...

I adopted two puppies at the same time and have been using this book to train them. They are now 5 months old. My husband and I can pick a lesson and we both see the correct way to teach the pups. By each of us following the same recipe, the pups are learning rapidly and aren't confused by each of us having our "own" way to train them. The pups are always happy to see the clicker come out and my husband and I are having lots of fun, as this is the first time we have dogs that actually do tricks! One of the best investments we have made since we got the puppies.

Tillman's book is clear, uncluttered, and beautifully illustrated. It's well organized and easily referenced. It has aspects of a cookbook combined with insights into the nature of the bond between humans and their companion dogs. Best of all, it turns dog-training into a pleasurable shared activity rather than a chore. If you don't have a dog but have one or two uncontrollable people in your life, I'm sure it would work with them too!

This Book is very helpfull and informative to people completely new to clicker training. With my ever failing voice i simply cannot repeat the same command with the same tone or pitch, thus i was incapable to come through to my dog, i was not credible. Clicker training with the help of this book made training fun again! This book among others also was quite encuraging! To me at least.
I must agree though with a fellow reviewer below that one thing that is missing is a show training chapter. I would also say that further reading of related books would perhaps expand my skill, but just as a tryout or for begginers this books is fine!

So far I have really enjoyed this book. I like the pictures. I think that the information in this book is great. My puppy is 4 months old and caught on to clicker training instantly with the help of this book. I am so happy that I bought it. I think that it was a great investment for me and my puppy. I do wished that it had a little more in it. I do think that each trick is precise; however, I do wish there were more tricks to teach. My puppy now knows how to sit, lay down, and come. She absolutely loves playing the games. It is fun for me and her. Fabulous tool if you would like a well behaved and well trained puppy.