1. Watch for a behavior the dog does naturally, that you would like to have as a cued behavior. 2. The split-second the dog does the behavior, click and give a reward (usually a very tiny food treat, to get lots of repetitions in a short amount of time, and because the reward must be of high value to the dog). This is called capturing the behavior. 3. Repeat until the dog offers the behavior – doing whatever you were capturing, clearly looking at you in expectation of a reward. 4. Overlap the click with the word or motion that will be your cue. Reward each repetition.
5. Stop clicking, just react with the cue. Reward each repetition. 6. Back up the timing of the cue, until it is, in fact, the thing that tells the dog to do that behavior. Still reward. 7. As with any training style, practice in lots of settings, then with distractions, and gradually fade the use of a high-value reward until the behavior is ha