Clicker training is a fun, humane way to train your dog or cat! It is based on decades of scientific research into the way mammals (including humans!) learn. First achieving popularity in marine parks, the military and among those training animals for film and advertising, it is highly effective and is rapidly becoming the training method of choice among modern trainers in all venues.

Unlike older training methods where a naive dog is repeatedly "corrected" for any mistakes, clicker trainers "mark" desired behaviors with a sound (click) and follow up with a reward (properly called a "reinforcer") - usually a small treat. There are no "corrections" during the learning process - the animal learns to associate the behavior with pleasant consequences and will readily offer it when asked. The end result is better understanding of the task and more willingness to cooperate with the trainer.

Complex behaviors are developed by a process called "shaping". When shaping, the trainer begins by reinforcing small increments of the behavior. The behavior is developed by asking for and reinforcing increasing degrees of difficulty.

An easy way to understand shaping is to think about the way a baby learns to speak. At first, any sounds baby makes are met with smiles, praise and attention. Then one day, amidst all the other sounds, baby pronounces his first syllable. Now his parents will start paying less attention to the random sounds and praising the syllables. The same with his first word, first phrase, first sentence ... until eventually he has learned to fluently speak his language! And never once was that baby punished for his imprecise, first attempts at speech - instead he was praised for every step in the right direction and little-by-little the incorrect sounds were ignored as his language skills developed.

The positive, non-confrontational nature of clicker training makes it ideal for training all species of animals, including cats, birds, horses and small pets such as gerbils and ferrets. It is also used by modern animal behavior specialists in rehabilitating dogs and other animals who are fearful or aggressive.