Product Description

It is such a joy to work with a dog who proactively engages in behaviors while you build a relationship that will surprise you with its depth and versatility. Clicker training has proven to be the most effective means of developing a "Thinking Dog," one who offers behaviors in anticipation of a reward rather than a dog who has been trained only to wait for his owner's commands. One of the biggest obstacles the new clicker trainer faces, however, is his or her own history of training and habits of working with a dog. But you can make the transition once you understand how dogs learn and the mechanisms of operant conditioning. Learn from author Gail Fisher's crossover experiences as well as those of hundreds of students she has helped make the change over the past thirteen years.

You will learn:

1. How dog training has evolved over the past 100 years, the strengths and weaknesses of various training styles, and to what extent you can integrate your previous methods with clicker training.
2. The particular challenges you will face as you crossover from whatever style of training you have used in the past (compulsion, luring, etc.) to clicker training.
3. The detailed nuts and bolts of clicker training -- from getting a behavior started, to methods of rewarding, to reducing the need to click and treat over time while still getting the results you want.
4. How to work with dogs trained with force or harsh methods and change them into behavior-offering dynamos.

What Experienced trainers are saying about this book

"The Thinking Dog offers a wonderfully thoughtful guide to clicker training. Written with the more traditional trainer in mind, Gail Fisher's long experience and hard-won wisdom shine through in her logical approach. Clear explanations, practical exercises, and lovely real life examples (including photos) make for a refreshing treatment of clicker training. I highly recommended this book to all thinking trainers who share with Fisher her "delight in watching a dog's mind turn on." The Thinking Dog is my new favorite clicker training book!"

- Suzanne Clothier, author of "Bones Would Rain from the Sky"

"Gail Fisher's grasp of all subject matter pertaining to clicker training shines through in this book! It is obvious that she is a "been there-done that" crossover clicker trainer, understands the needs of someone who wants to make the switch, and can hold the trainer's hand throughout the process. The Thinking Dog is a great refresher course for the experienced clicker trainer too."

- Corally Burmaster, founder and editor of The Clicker Journal

"This is a must have book for anyone involved in dog training. Gail is a pioneer in the field of positive dog training and her own techniques have evolved over time as she has learned more about how dogs think and learn. This book provides a solid foundation for clicker training including answers to all the most challenging questions and patch around the most common obstacles."

- Robin K. Bennett, author of "All About Dog Daycare", co-author of "Off Leash Dog Play"

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
• PART I: Putting it in Perspective: Past and Present
  • 1. Crossing Over
  • 2. Learning and Training Fundamentals
  • 3. Clicker Training Basics
  • 4. Pitfalls and Payoffs to Crossing Over
• PART II: Crossing Over...Just Do It!
  • 5. Build Your Clicker Skills
  • 6. Getting Behaviors
  • 7. The Joy of Shaping
  • 8. Building Behavior
  • 9. Building Reliability, Precision, and Speed
• PART III: Brass Tracks
  • 10. Punishment, Corrections, and the Crossover Trainer
  • 11. Engaging Your Dog
  • 12. Putting It All Together
• Afterword
• Appendix A. Cornerstones and Charts
• Appendix B. Developing your skills
• Appendix C. They're all tricks to your dog
• Appendix D. Earn Life: A program of polite living for thinking dogs
• Sources and Resources
• Bibliography
• Index

About the Author

Gail Tamases Fisher has been training dogs professionally for over 30 years. She is the owner and founder of All Dogs Gym, one of the largest training centers in the country. Gail is the co-author of Training Your Dog and Teaching Dog Obedience Classes. She lives in Manchester, New Hampshire with her dogs, Cannon and Kochi, and two cats.