Jake recently turned two years old. Since he isn't only my first Berner but my first dog, we attended puppy kindergarten when he was 3 1/2 months old, followed by private obedience lessons. He was too young for a group class that started before the summer and I didn't want to wait an extra three months for the next group (he would've been 8 months old by that time). Even though I was told to purchase a training collar, our instructor assured me that they use "positive" training methods ... petting and verbal praise for obedience.
By the time Jake was 10 months, we had "graduated" to a pinch collar simply because, if he decided to plant himself to investigate a bush, a stop sign, etc, I just couldn't get him in motion again with the training collar. Despite the fact that I know I did not give frequent and firm corrections (I had no desire to hurt him to demand obedience), Jake received his diplomas for on- and off-leash obedience in January 2001. Jake is 100% reliable in the house (I've given up on his recurring toilet paper fetish) and in the backyard and is pretty good with moderate distractions outside "our territory". Even though over-all I am quite happy with Jake's obedience, there is room for improvement. With all the rave reviews that clicker training has received on the List, I made an impulse buy on the weekend and picked up a clicker. My question is: now what? Do we go back to basics, clicking and rewarding (with treats) the sits, etc so that he starts to associate the click with the treat? Or should I just use the clicker for new tricks? Or should I just wait and use it from Day 1 with my next Berner? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated! Maureen Barry Montreal, Quebec __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/
