Quick Clicks: 40 Fast and Fun Behaviors to Train with a Clicker [Paperback]

Cheryl S. Smith (Author), Mandy Book (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

Quick Clicks explains the technique of clicker training without the often-confusing jargon, and provides step-by-step instructions for training a variety of fun and useful behaviors. Useful training includes Wait at the door, Walk nicely on and off leash, and Confidence-building exercises, while a chapter on Tricks provides some fun and games. Early chapters help the novice practice the technique in quick and easy bits and pieces, while the final chapter explains the formal language of operant conditioning, for further reading on the subject and provides a list of Resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is crammed full of the nitty-gritty steps you'll need to actually train your dog! --Kathy Sdao, Bright Spot Dog Training

Quick Clicks is clear, comprehensive, and wonderfully detailed. It is sure to become the guide to clicker training. Positively Marvelous! --Susan Conant, author of the Holly Winter Series of Dog Lover's Mysteries

Finally a training book that is fun! This book is destined to become a dog training best seller. --Sophia Yin, DVM

About the Author

Mandy Book has trained thousands of dogs and their handlers, socialized hundreds more shelter dogs, and delivered Bite-Free presentations to schools with her Boxer. Cheryl Smith is the author of 10 dog books, and is a frequent contributor to various dog magazines. Both are active with their own dogs; Mandy and her Boxer currently compete in agility, while Cheryl and Nestle are practicing herding, tracking and agility.

Product Details

• Paperback: 261 pages
• Publisher: Dogwise Publishing (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967479649
• ISBN-13: 978-0967479644
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #931,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Training Resource!, January 28, 2002

By 

Diane Rampelberg and Dustin II (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quick Clicks: 40 Fast and Fun Behaviors to Train with a Clicker (Paperback)

In our facility/therapy work I am constantly looking for ways to can get my dog closer to our students, because I know that closeness time and time again will pay off in independence for the child. The better I can facilitate that close relationship/position between the dog and child, the more the child seems to accomplish. This means I need to know how to get the dog to perform a behavior in the most efficient manner. In addition, it is important that the dog enjoys what he is doing. As we all know, it isn't much fun being around a person or dog who is doing something because they have too.
Enter Clicker Training! I am awed at how much fun clicker training is for both my dog and I and how quickly we can get a useful behavior for a special child. However, I have struggled. Clicker training has called for me to make a mind shift-one where I ask what do I want the dog to do rather than what don't I want him to do. I have taken classes and read books but until now haven't found a really good daily resource.
Enter Quick Clicks! This book is SUPERIOR! I highly recommend it for beginners and for those of us who are "in process" clicker training. I even think seasoned clicker trainers would find this book valuable.
The organization of the book is probably its number one value. The authors have made it easy to use and find things. One of the important lessons I've learned in clicker training is the need to break down a behavior into small little steps. This book does a wonderful job of breaking down the 40 behaviors into simple, bite-sized steps. All I have to do is follow along. This not only saves brain time but aides in that shift in thinking that needs to occur-what do I want my dog to do. Another plus is the Index of Behaviors which gives a description of the behavior and points to the Chapter where it is outlined enabling me to find a behavior quickly. Included as well is a great list of websites, supplies and recommended reading.
The 40 behaviors presented include clicker fundamentals, basic obedience, tricks, games and even some exercises that make it easier to clip toenails and visit the vet, for example. I consider all the behaviors of value and worth to us as a working facility/therapy dog team.
And, the best part-No Jargon-just clear, forthright, everyday language!
Editors of The Healing Paw
A newsletter for everyone interested in using trained dogs to enhance the therapeutic and rehabilitation process

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Busy Mom loves this book!, November 6, 2002

By 

Jeanne D. (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quick Clicks: 40 Fast and Fun Behaviors to Train with a Clicker (Paperback)

This book is a great resource for both beginners and experienced trainers. It's well organized, easy to read, and loaded with fun and useful information. I've used it as a reference guide to review specific behaviors and flipped through it looking for new things to try, just for fun. I've even been able to make my (4 year old) daughter an active part of the training, strengthening the bond between her and the pup. Most important from a mother's standpoint, though, is that the training we're doing models many of the qualities I want to instill in my daughter: patience, kindness, problem-solving, respect for animals, using your imagination, trying new things, not giving up if something doesn't work immediately. It has been a confidence builder for both of them. Quick Clicks is the best training tool I've come across - for dogs and humans!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Misnomer?, July 29, 2005

By 

Judith L. Nichols "ebbyal" (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Quick Clicks: 40 Fast and Fun Behaviors to Train with a Clicker (Paperback)

This is a great book for the serious clicker trainer, or for somebody who is serious about becoming a clicker trainer. Each behavior is broken down into tiny increments, so there's no chance of lumping (from my own experience, the downfall of novice clickers). The instructions are easy to follow, fun to carry out, and provide a basis for creative clicking for the reader.

The book was recommended to me because my "granddog" has a spinal injury and has to be crated for several weeks. I wanted to find some "quiet" exercises to keep him occupied and mentally stimulated during that time. My daughter has never used clicker-training with any of her three dogs; so I wanted something that would produce fast results without requiring much movement on the part of the dog.

I was somewhat disappointed when the book arrived and I gave it a quick look-through. There's nothing "quick" about any of the behaviors described in the book. I'm sure that some clicker-savvy dogs can be lured or shaped to perform the activities more quickly than a newcomer to clicker training. But following each step for each behavior requires a lot of time and patience. As with every lesson taught with a clicker, the only way to be "quick" is to take as much time as necessary to master each step before moving on.

I won't give this book to my daughter right away. I think she'd be frustrated by trying to follow each step while her stir-crazy pup begs for something safe to occupy him. I'll give her something that explains more about behaviors that can be captured rather than taught.

While I don't think that the title of the book truly indicates the contents, I believe that the results of the training, as described in "Quick Clicks," will be near-perfect. I wish I had read this book before I started clicker training my dog. Maybe I would have learned right off the bat how to break down what I'm teaching into tiny steps that the dog can readily achieve. Maybe I would have realized that "quick" means slow and thoughtful.

There's another reason why I don't want to give "Quick Clicks" to my daughter at this time: I want to use it first to go back and re-teach the behaviors to my own dog.