Clicking with Your Dog: Step-by-Step in Pictures (Karen Pryor Clicker Books)

I Only Wish I’d Written It!
The ideal training guide for everyone; especially those who don’t have time or interest to sit down and pour through long blocks of text, or highly technical writing. Tillman’s clear, concise, easy-to-follow illustrations make comprehension a snap, for every type of learner. This is the book my students find the easiest to follow, and it’s absolutely marvelous for children. Feedback from dog training students I mentor worldwide consistently note that the book’s presentation style makes it impossible to put down. Because each chapter can be read individually, those who like to “skip around” instead of reading from beginning to end will still find it simple to follow the step-by-step directions.The pictures are clutter-free, elegant and simple, helping the reader focus easily on the behavior being shown. One example of its effectiveness is how accessible it is for those with learning disabilities. My husband, severely dyslexic, cannot read blocks of text without great difficulty.Yet, I was able to randomly open the book, give him a clicker and treats, and watch him “shape” the behavior just by following the illustrations. He didn’t need to read any of the accompanying text (which is concise, without a wasted word) in order to get the behavior from the dog.Students with Attention Deficit Disorder find Tillman’s book to be a guide written just for them: it moves so quickly, is so simple and easy to follow, that there is no time to get bored, no time for the mind to wander. ADHD students who have never been able to make it through other fine training guides seem to relish Tillman’s book from beginning to end. It’s just plum FUN.Tillman’s message all the way through the book is that training a dog should not be stressful for the dog or the human, but a dance of joy, fun every step of the way.Of all the books I have recommended over the years, this is the book I am wildly enthusiastic about, as it opens up the science of shaping behavior to the casual pet owner as well as the serious performance enthusiast.Void of techical terminology that sometimes confuses those just learning how to clicker train, Tillman present science in a way anyone can understand–have a darned good time, to boot!Tillman not only addresses teaching all the basic behaviors for “good manners,” but shows how to solve behavior problems without resorting to force, coercion and pain.How effective do I think Tillman’s information is? With the information presented in this book, I was able to turn around a fear-agressive dog who went on to win the National Service Dog of the Year award, as well as become a certified therapy dog.When traditional correction-based training only made his problem behaviors worse, it was following the guidelines Tillman offers that saved this dog’s life and helped him become such a phenomenal service dog, therapy dog, school demo dog and marvelous, loving companion.And, he was the first toy breed service dog to help carry the 2002 Winter Olympic Torch!Buy the book. Give it away to friends who have dogs with problem behaviors. Buy it for yourself, your kids, for people who are frustrated in their attempts to change unwanted behaviors into wanted responses. It works. Oh, does it work!

Well Worth it!! Solved few of my dog’s problem behaviours too!!
I really can’t stress enough how impressed I am with this book. It actually came recommended by my veterinarian, so my expectations were high.. but I was surprised by how well it worked! Our dog pulls on the leash when we take him out for walks (we bought a gentle leader harness and he still pulls!), jumps on people, and our dog barks. Barks. Barks. Barks. I followed the tips from this book, and in two weeks I have seen SOOO much improvement. I mean, we still have a little way to go (he’s not 100% but he’s so close!), but I’ve been training this dog for months and to suddenly see so much improvement in the last two weeks is just so promising to me.Plus, there are hundreds of just tips and training gems, and even just tips to keep a happy and healthy dog.. stuff I wasn’t expecting to find in just a training book, there is just SOOO much information packed into this book. They condense everything down so you read exactly what you need to know, and I’m someone who really studies the training of dogs and dog health, I’m not new to this field at all.I give it 4 stars. Please don’t give your dog raisins, might just be an illustration flaw.But aside that, I really have to say, this is one of the BEST training books I have.

I appreciate this work because it made our lives much, much easier. The idea is to communicate and be understood. Great work. Tank you

Best clicker manual I have seen.You still need a bit of clicker knowledge becasue it is a light version so not all info is given. Having said that the addition of instructions and PICTURES helps to make this book more accessible than others you can buy and I have KP’s training book, the Animal Mind book but they don’t do what this does.

I really enjoy reading this book so far! The instructions are very easy to follow, and they give multiple methods to many of the clicker tricks that are taught.The simplicity of this book is what really makes it worth it. I was able to read it in about 2-3 hours, and I now feel comfortable going back to specific tricks that I recall and want to use with my dog.