[animalhands]

so i was planning on using clicker training for my puppy. then yesterday i was given the sirius puppy training dvd by a friend. is there one method that i should use rather than the other? can i use both? i have no previous training experience.
thanks

[Curbside Prophet]

You may use both the lure reward method (sirus) and the clicker. As both are based on learning theory. The difference is simply in preference. I prefer to use lures when I can but some difficult behaviors lend themselves nicely to using a clicker.

[animalhands]

so its either one or the other i take it.

[Curbside Prophet]

No, it can be both. For example, say you are teaching sit. You can lure the dog into a sit and use the clicker to mark the behavior. Ian Dunbar's method will mark the behavior with a verbal marker like "perfect!" Or "yes!" But the theory behind the marker is the same in both cases.

Some dogs are not easily lured to sit, however, though they are few, and using the clicker to capture the behavior may be a better method. Capturing and the clicker is simply waiting for the dog to volunteer the behavior on his own. It can take a bit longer at first, but the dog learns the behavior basically the same.

IMO using food lures is preferred by the puppy, and if both owner and pup have fun during the training experience, well, that's half the battle.

[animalhands]

sounds good. thanks for the advice. i'm pretty anxious about this endeavor, again, thanks alot for the advice.

[Curbside Prophet]

I don't know if any Sirus puppy classes are in your area but I highly recommend them.

But, if you're relying on the Sirus videos, one word of caution. I don't know that Ian did a good job at demonstrating how to phase the food lures out. So keep that in the back of your mind when your dog starts offering behaviors well and this can be a quick process. His book How To Teach A New Dog Old Tricks does a better job at explaining how to phase the treats out and reward the behavior with life rewards.

[animalhands]

that seems to be a rather important piece. i'll look up that book. thanks