Customer Reviews

Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Certainly Ms. Pryor knows her technique and provides good step-by-step basic instructions about using clicker training with dogs. She covers the do's and don'ts and provides essential advice with some examples.

However, I thought that the portion of the book that dealt specifically with training dogs was somewhat scant and would have rather seen more about problem solving and working with crossover dogs---e.g., dogs that have had other types of training before ever hearing a clicker---and much, much less of the history about the pioneering clicker training done with dolphins.

Hence, I thought the book quite expensive for the amount of practical information it contained.

Karen Pryor, the author of this book, is the woman who introduced clicker training into the dog training's world. As a dolphin trainer, she was convinced that the animal friendly method she used for training dolphins would work for dogs as well. And how right she was! Clicker training is now used by countless training schools and individual dog owners all over the world.

"Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs" explains what clicker training is, why you should use it and especially HOW to use it. Clicker training is not about the clicker or about food! It is about reinforcement and correct timing, in such a way that information is communicated between trainer and dog. Together you and the dog will learn a new way of interacting. Learn from this book how training can be FUN, both for you and your dog!

P.S.: no, clicker training is NOT about trick training (although you can use it to learn your dog funny tricks)! Learn from this book how to communicate with your dog using a clicker, and teach him to sit, lay down, heel, stay, NOT to jump up, NOT to pull etc. Enjoy!

This book was somewhat helpful in the clicker training process, however the DVD "Clicker Puppy" was so much more helpful. If you have no idea what clicker training is, or how to approach it, this may be a good beginner book for you. Wouldn't recommend for those who already have an idea of what clicker training is.

This book is 52 pages. That's it, precisely 52. Wasn't part of the description, btw. So, I probably would have bought another book if I had realized how short it was (I was trying to decide between a couple anyway, and the page total would have tipped me in another direction). All that said, it's not a bad book. No doggie miracles, yet but these things take time. The book does a good job of defining what clicker training "is" and "is not" as well as answering common questions. Do, of course, realizes that doing these things takes up page space...meaning less of those 52 pages are for instructing you on clicker training; really only section two does that (it's a four section book). The step-by-step instructions are approximately 20 pages. (Of course the other text is relevant to how you carry out those instructions.) It's nice, handleable introduction. We'll see how my dog does; good luck with yours!

This book is very, very basic. If you've never heard or read anything about clicker training, it gives you a good overview of what it's about ad how to do it. The author explains how to shape basic behaviors and gives ideas for what you can shape your dogs to perform other behaviors.

If you've done any training with your dog, especially any clicker training, skip this book. It's too basic for you.

While this would be a decent book for someone that has done zero reading into clicker training, I found it provided very little over what I had already learned on the web and through a week of hands on with my new puppy. Way too much was devoted to how clicker training works with dolphins and pretty much any other animal, this is clicker training FOR DOGS. In summary, very basic even for a novice like myself.

Structure also seemed very off. While you don't use a verbal command in clicker training until the animal is offering the behavior reliably, the book doesn't include this in the steps for sit/stay and down examples, referring you to later in the book and other books the author wrote for more detail as to when to introduce the verbal command.

There are many methods of training and using positive methods for my training classes myself Karen Pryor's book on Clicker training is a great insight into training dogs on a whole other level. I have used some of her methods myself in my classes after reading this book.

It is not just a good read for trainers but also great for pet owners. She explains training with a clicker starting at the basics and gradually increasing to more advanced training with step by step illustrations. This is a must read for any dog owner or trainer eager to up their training skills.

I'm new to clicker training but with the help of Karen's book, my dog seems to be responding to it. In fact today she got off her run and if it weren't for the clicker training, I would have had difficulty getting her back. I am looking forward to working my dog more with it.

An encouraging read for somebody keen to pursue this kind of training, but nothing very earth shattering in terms of the information contained within. A short book, more like an expanded info-leaflet, but a handy aid if you can pick it up cheaply.

This is a good book if you don't want a lot of detail, but are looking for a step by step training guide for a few basic commands. A good book for first time dog owners, but the more experienced dog owner would probably get more out of Karen Pryor's other book, "Reaching the Animal Mind"