Teaching Your Dog What the Click Means

When your dog first hears the clicker, it means nothing. So the first job is to make the click a signal that says, "Good job—treat is coming!" This is called loading or charging the clicker.

Here's how to do it:

• Choose a quiet spot with few distractions

• Have 10–15 small treats ready—treats your dog really likes

• Press the clicker once, then immediately give one treat

• Repeat several times: click, then treat

• Pause for a minute, then try a random click—if your dog looks at you or acts interested, you know the clicker has meaning now

Do a few short sessions throughout the day. You don't want to overwhelm your dog. The goal is that when you click, your dog looks for a treat—that means the clicker is loaded.

Once your dog starts to expect a treat after the click, you're ready to move on to using it in