01/22/2026
Basic Class shenanigans week one and two. In week one, some of the things we teach are positive markers and how to use the clicker. And in week two, we actually practice clicker training one of the humans! ;-)
This is a super fun exercise for all of us. It gives us insight into just what our dogs are going through as we try and communicate to them what we want them to do, but they have no idea what we are asking. Because we don't speak the same language as our dogs, they have to essentially try different behaviors to find the correct one.
We pick one human volunteer, then send them out of the room while the class picks a task for them to do (could be ANYTHING). The class is then instructed to communicate to the person using ONLY their clickers and silence (like the game hot and cold we all played as kids) to get the person (our acting puppy hehe) to do the task we chose.
The volunteer is told that they have to figure out what we want them to do by getting the clicks. If they get a click, they did something RIGHT if they didn't, they need to try something else just like our puppies. There will always be a miss-click here and there which can make it more challenging to figure out exactly what the task is, but, like our puppies if the person keeps trying, they eventually complete the task. :-)
In one video you will see our student being clicker trained to go pick up the water bottle and sunglasses from the table, put the sunglasses on, then go sit in a specific chair. This is like a puppy or older dog who has never been through any training and is still learning the ropes.
The other video is David being trained to go pick up the baby (who was moving about the room) and hand him to Amanda. This simulates the dog who has had some training already and has a good idea of what the clicker (or other positive marker) means. He is much more sensitive to the clicks and silence and therefore catches on a bit quicker.
If you would like to join the dog training fun, our next Basic Class starts Monday, January 26, 2026 at 5:30pm.
Text, call, or message us with any questions. Amanda 619-905-1274 David 619-905-1277
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