Empowerment Training – Results the Fun Way!
Clicker Training for Dogs
We believe that all training should strengthen the bond between the dog and their parent.
Rather than using fear or intimidation to train the dog we focus on using positive reinforcement, games, and fun! We use Empowerment Training and clicker training methods. This calm, positive approach is as effective, if not more so, than punishing alternatives. This dog training method builds the trust that is so important in the life of a family pet.
Empowerment Dog Training
Empowerment Training is our preferred method of dog training. Empowerment Training uses positive reinforcement to change dog behavior by addressing your dog’s emotions. Fearful dogs become confident. Angry dogs become calm. Shy dogs become relaxed.
Empowerment Dog Training works in three steps:
- We identify the powerful motivators that appeal to your dog the most. It could be food, positive attention, or a great session of play.
- We watch the dog’s body language to identify stressors – the stimuli that makes your dog act out with problem behaviors. These stressors could be people, other dogs or even certain objects in his environment.
- Results! By understanding what stresses and motivates your dog, we gradually increase control by identifying ideal behaviors; we increase bonding with games, clear communication, and use of the motivators; and finally, we replace problem behaviors with positive ones.
Clicker Training for Dogs
One of our favorite dog training approaches within Empowerment Training is Clicker Training. Clicker Training offers a fun and effective method of teaching dog behaviors that both the dog and their person will enjoy! Clicker Training is scientifically proven to speed up your dog’s learning.
How does Clicker Training for dogs work?
If the dog does what you want, (sitting, lying down, being quiet, or other behaviors) you use a clicker to click at the moment the behavior occurs. Then, you immediately reinforce the dog with a reward like a treat, a toy, or a game of tug. If the dog doesn’t do what you want, you don’t click and you don’t reward.
Clicker Training is also a wonderful way to teach your old dog new tricks! Clicker Training is a safe and effective training method for dogs at any age, from puppy training to beginner adult dogs to intermediate adult dogs.
Your dog will see Clicker Training as a fun game where the dog volunteers to perform the behaviors you want in order to earn the positive reinforcement. Best of all, the ongoing positive reinforcement builds an emotional bond between you and your dog, improves the dog’s motivation to perform desired behaviors, and reduces the likelihood of problem behaviors, like biting or lunging.
Clicker Training can be very effective for the basic obedience behaviors desired for a family pet, as well as high level skills like Dog Dock Jumping, Agility, Rally O, Disc Dog, or Competition Obedience. Click training may also be used to aid in Behavior Consulting.
I had a great experience with my trainer who took time to understand my issues and helped guide me and my dog to better methods of handling a particular type of stress. I highly recommend their positive reinforcement approach. I learned a lot of new things and my dog is doing much better with the new help.
Courteous Canine has always been a blessing to our community and to our rescues! AnimalLuvr’s Dream Rescue has nothing but amazng experiences from the guidance and help we have received with our rescue dogs (and even a cat once!) over the years.
The trainers are fantastic! They are so welcoming and patience. They are always willing to stay after class if you have any questions. They celebrate all your dogs small victories. We started bringing our dog to classes because he was very shy and needed to work on his confidence. Now he isn’t shy and can’t wait until it’s his turn to show what he can do in class!
They are professional, knowledgeable, and are interested in training your dog. They work with you and take the time to answer questions or concerns and they offer clear explanations or demonstrations of the tasks that the dog is learning to do. You have their undivided attention and you feel that they are focused on your dog. They evaluate your dog and give you feedback each visit. They email you with a review of each session, homework and what is planned for the next visit. They are reliable and can be contacted by email with a timely response. The training sessions are individualized to your dog and are kept short with rest periods as needed. This has been a positive experience and we look forward in achieving our goals. We highly recommend this facility.
I travel nearly an hour each way to get to Courteous Canine because I simply wouldn’t take my dogs anywhere else. Their positive training techniques WORK! I had my dogs in a class close to my home in Inverness, but wasn’t happy with their techniques (the instructor squirted my Labrador in the face with a spray bottle when he barked…in Courteous Canine they taught me to distract my dog by offering a toy, some treats or a fun, squeaky voice with eye contact) Class sizes are small and I love the individual attention my fur babies and I receive. If you are looking for a positive, gentle and fun way to train your dog, try Courteous Canine. The only negative comment I have is that their classes fill quickly and I have had to get on a waiting list for some classes. Other than that, I simply couldn’t be happier with Courteous Canine and their trainers.