My Training Philosophy
I believe in the use of clickers and reward-based training as a fun, positive way to teach our dogs what we’d like them to do. This training philosophy is based on proven scientific methods of applied behavioral science.
The Science, In a Nut Shell 
It's simple, really. Dogs do what works, and they stop doing what doesn't. We shamelessly take advantage of this tenet of learning theory by rewarding the behaviors we like in our dogs so they offer those good behaviors over and over again.
But, Why Doesn't My Dog Just Do What I Want To Please Me?
Many people think that dogs are born wanting to please their people. I think people mistake our dogs' desire for social connection and attention for an eagerness to please. The truth is, most dogs don't willingly do anything for free. And, why should they? Would you work at your job if you didn't get paid?
I am a proponent of reward-based training because it works. Most dogs will work for food, especially high-value food treats. And, there is absolutely no shame in using food. Just think of it as their paycheck. And, if you have a dog who will work for toys and games, you have a leg-up on the competition because you won’t have to rely on food alone as a motivator.
Clicker Training is a Powerful Communication Tool
Have you ever been to a marine mammal show where the dolphins and orcas leap out of the water when their handlers give them a signal? It's hard to get a pinch collar on an orca and even harder to give it a correction (not to mention extremely foolhardy), so sea mammal trainers had to come up with a smarter way to train these animals. They use marker training. It's a whistle with a promise of fish with dolphins and orcas; with dogs, we use a clicker and a reward.
The clicker is a p
owerful tool that helps us communicate to our dogs exactly the moment they do a behavior correctly. Timing is everything in clicker training. Think of the clicker as a tiny camera taking a picture of your dog the exact moment she does the right behavior. If she doesn’t do it, no big deal—just no click and no treat. However, when she does do the behavior correctly, you click and give her a reward. A reward is anything your dog will work for, but we usually use food treats or playing with a toy.
Some dogs can be fearful of the clicker, so you can also use a verbal marker, like the word, "Yes," to mark the moment your dog does the right behavior. You will follow the "Yes" marker with a reward just as if it was a click.
Do I Have to Use the Clicker Forever?
Using a marker like the clicker increases our precision in training, so your dog realizes the instant she does the correct behavior. This is so useful, especially when training our dogs because some of their behaviors last a split-second. However, we will not be permanently dependent on the clicker. We use the clicker to teach new our dog brand-new behaviors or to fine-tune behaviors that have gotten sloppy. Essentially, once your dogs “knows” a behavior, you don’t need the clicker anymore.
Do I Have to Reward My Dog With Food Forever?
Do you have to? No. Can you? Sure, why not? There's nothing wrong with rewarding your dog for good behavior for the rest of his life. However, most opponents of food-based training worry that their dogs won't do behaviors if they don't have food in their hands. If that's the case, you didn't appropriately fade out the food in your training. Once your dog "gets" a particular behavior, you don't want to have the food in your hands as a "bribe." Instead, you will ask for a behavior; when your dog does it, you'll click and pull out a treat or go get a treat.
When dogs thoroughly know a behavior, they should then be put on an intermittent reward schedule so they never know when a reward is coming. Essentially, you become a slot machine. Sometimes you dole out a food reward, and sometimes you don’t (this actually makes the behavior stronger).
Why Should I Train My Dog with Positive, Reward-Based Training?
And, when you or your dog does make a mistake, the worst that can happen is they get a free treat!