Clicker Training for Obedience: Shaping Top Performance-Positively

You'll learn how you can use positive reinforcers, instead of force and punishment, to build reliable performance at every level of training.

If you just want a hassle-free, truly enjoyable companion dog, this book will show you how, even if you've never trained before. And if you have visions of going all the way to top scores and Obedience championships - with a happy, eager, positively trained canine partner - go for it!

Here's your travel guide for a wonderful journey.

My oldest male, who earned his CD during my pre clicker training period, after much hard, frustrating work, learned "go out, sit" in 3 short, fun, easy lessons. And, he learned to love to retrieve his dumb bell, finding what others call the "forced retrieve" to be one of his favorite games. And, that is the key. Having fun while learning.

The dog who has fun learning a behavior will carry that behavior over into daily life, and, for me and my dogs, Clicker Training for Obedience is helping us achieve just that. It helped me create a training program that is fun for us all.

The presentation of each segment for training a behavior is such that a trainer new to training can follow along and achieve success.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in having a happy, well trained dog. Not just for competition, but for daily life as well.


Even my dog loves this book   January 9, 2000
51 out of 53 found this review helpful

I'm one of those obsessive types. Before I got my dog I read tons of books about raising and training them. I only wish I had found this one first. Every other book I read focused on what I was doing and how I was doing it. Morgan Spector makes you understand that the key is in the dog -- which when you think about makes sense. Even though I have no intention of competing with her, I know that the most important things are being accomplished with the help of this book. Most obviously, she has been invited to visit my parents because her manners have improved so dramatically thanks to this book and its techniques. Don't hesitate -- if you aren't comfortable yelling at your dog, Morgan Spector is for you. By the way, you can theoretically clicker train anything, so this book can help you with recalcitrant cats, children, and husbands too.


Very detailed explanations & very useful ...   June 1, 2001
Yeoh Siok Kee (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
51 out of 51 found this review helpful

This book ought to be read together with Ms. K.Pryor's `Don't Shoot the Dog' ... Ms.Pryor's explains the theory and how 'clicker' training had its beginnings ... Mr. Spector explains how 'clicker' training is done ...

Having read most of the clicker books sold by Amazon and now into my first year of training my Beagle & Labrador ... I think this is probably the best so far ... Certainly this book contains the most detailed explanations & instructions as to how 'clicker' should be carried out. Mr. Spector even goes so far as to explain why he uses certain words and expressions in his book ...

To derive the best benefit, this book has to be read carefully (and its a substantial book) ...

The book opens with an introduction to operant and positive reinforcement training methods, and makes a comparison between these 'newer' training styles and the more traditional training methods.

Drawing from his own experience, Mr. Spector then suggests the various stages of training for the dog ... Unlike many other authors/trainers, he begins with teaching the dog to 'target' rather than the usual 'sit, stay & heel' ... innovative to say the least ... and it works. The book covers just about everything a dog & owner needs to learn, including off-leash and distance training.

The strength in this book lies in the clear and detailed explanations for each training stage and training method ... It allowed me to consider what Mr. Spector was saying, to consider his reasons & rational of his advice; and this in turn helped me understand Mr. Spector's methods more fully ... All of which makes for more effective training of my dog ...

Although this book is very much designed for taking a dog through Obedience trials, there is much here that will benefit every dog owner ... even one who only wishes his doggie would stop jumping on his guests ...

Wish there were few more illustrations or photographs though ...


This is the BEST training guide I have ever used.   October 19, 1999
41 out of 44 found this review helpful

While I have read all the great reviews, this book still managed to exceed my high expectations. "Clicker Training for Obedience" provides clear, concise instructions. If you are even remotely interested in clicker training, you MUST buy this book. I have seen not only great success with my dog, but also a dog that looks forward to training. I cannot say enough good things about the "Clicker Training for Obedience".


Not for beginners!!!   November 8, 2001
25 out of 30 found this review helpful

This book was way too technical for me. All I wanted was book that gave me the basics of clicker training and a how to guide for very simple tasks. This is definitely not for the beginner or nonprofessional.