Playing the clicker game

In order to begin teaching Bello some of the basic tasks of a service dog (SD) we first need to establish how we are going to train. For this we implement “the clicker game”. Since I don’t use a clicker during basic obedience he doesn’t know what the clicker is for. In order for him to understand what the clicker means we first begin by having our clicker, a bag of Bello’s favorite training treats, and him sitting in front of me.  Bello and I like playing the clicker game on our front steps in the evening hours especially now that Spring temps are beginning and evenings are a time we can sit and enjoy the flowers beginning to break through the ground, the new trees I planted last year budding and the sound of the birds in the evening. Monkey (our cat) often joins us and chases the evening bugs while we play.

•     Hold the clicker in one hand and the treats in the other.
•     Give Bello his cue for the clicker game: “Do you want to play a game?”
•        Click the clicker then put a treat in Bello’s mouth. This helps Bello to understand that when he hears the clicker he receives a treat.
•        Repeat 10 times during each session. Bello and I practiced about 5 times a day throughout our work day during work breaks.  
•      When clicker game is over I signal Bello that we are done by saying “All done”.

Once Bello had the “clicker game” down we moved on to Achtung/attention. Many people use the word focus or watch but I have always tried to stick with words I use naturally in my life. 

As you go throughout your normal routine you can pick up the clicker and make the click and reward him when he responds. 

• .       Hold the clicker in one hand and the treats in the other hand.
•       Give Bello the cue for attention and click when he makes eye contact.
•     Treat the eye contact
•      Repeat 10 times during each session. Bello and I practice this about 5 times a day throughout our work day during work breaks.
•       When done signal Bello that we are done by saying “All Done”

 As Bello and I go throughout our day I randomly pick up the clicker and say Achtung and when he makes eye contact with me I reward him. Also the next step is that I also reward him any time through out the day when he makes eye contact with me on his own (his job is to focus on me).

Remember many of these commands we also used in his basic obedience course and now by reviewing them we are just cementing that he understands each one of them in the preparation to be adding on to everything he has already learned. Many of these will later be a building block to performing a tasks to help mitigate my needs.