Clickstart Dog Training Academy

11/14/2024

Support this wonderful rescue with some much needed supplies! 🐾

🐾💛🧸🪁🎾 Our friends at are doing a donation drive for

You can drop your donations off at their location in Lake Forest during business hours through the month of December 2024.

Some items that are high up on our list are in the Orange box (snuffle mats, kongs, west paw toppls, bully sticks, nylabones, any smart/brain toy, and Costco P*e Pads.

10/10/2024

If you’re a new puppy parent and you are:

- feeling overwhelmed by all of the competing priorities of puppy raising

- exhausted from early morning wake ups and midnight potty breaks

- frustrated with puppy teeth holes in your furniture, clothing, and body parts

- looking for a safe, fun, and comprehensive way to kickstart your pup’s socialization and training

Then check out our brand new Clickstart Puppy Academy! This program is designed to help pups 2-4 months old grow up into confident companions for life. Your puppy will learn, play, explore, and rest under the supervision of our expert trainers.

Our Puppy Academy runs from 9:00am-1:00pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can book a single day to try it out, or take advantage of our discounted packages for more consistent training.

Each Academy day includes:

Positive Reinforcement based training:
* Foundation Cues (sit, down, stay, come, leave it, leash walking, etc.)
* Common puppy woes troubleshooting (puppy biting, potty training, chewing, etc.)
Socialization
* Play opportunities with other puppies
* Meeting new people
* Exposure to novel objects, sounds, places, and more.
Nap and rest time
* Taking breaks from play
* Independence training
* Confinement training

Raising a puppy is tough. Let us do the heavy lifting! Visit our website to enroll in Clickstart’s Puppy Academy today!

Photos courtesy of .photographs

10/08/2024

Bea is looking for her forever family. She’s a wonderfully smart 2 year old mix of about 45 lbs. Bea is currently in a loving foster home who’s helping her thrive and preparing her for future family.

She would be a fantastic adventure companion. She’s excellent in the car and she’s a dream on leash. She’s very food motivated and loves training, even out in the big distracting world.

Even though she loves to come along, she can also be home alone. Her foster family has left her up to 5 hours with free rein of the house. No destruction, no crying, no stress.

Bea loves to hunt and will dive into the bushes in her backyard. She has even been successful in a couple of her pursuits. She does not love intruders on the premises and will bark at gardeners, pool maintenance and delivery people - however she now has a very effective “thank you” cue which shortens the duration of barking. A good management plan also does the trick!

Bea is the biggest snuggle bug once you’re in her club. She’ll crawl onto your lap and stay there for a full half an hour or more if you let her. She rests her chin in your lap for scratches. She leans against you and gives kisses. She’s truly the sweetest girl.

To get into her club, we’ve established a blend walk routine that works wonders. In just 10 minutes or less she’ll know you’re a safe guest and she’ll be asking for scratches and cuddles before you know it.

We don’t know what she’s been through before her time at the shelter. But we do know she can be wary of strangers in her home - so the right introduction is key to a good friendship.

Bea is the perfect pup for someone who loves adventures and cuddles. Someone who will stay dedicated to her training and ensure that she’s always set up to succeed. Someone who’s looking for a best friend.

She deserves the world. Is that you? 🌎

Bea comes with two private training sessions with Cassie of

If interested, please start by sending us a message.

10/04/2024

One use of Leslie McDevitt’s 1-2-3 Pattern Game is to help build a new expectation when walking out the front door together.

Some dogs expect to see a trigger right outside the front door (because it’s happened before). They’ll pull, scan, and are quick to react if something is there.

We can use the 1-2-3 pattern game to help build a new, predictable, and safe expectation when walking out the front door.

Watch Pismo’s head glance around his surroundings real quick but then come back to the pattern game! It’s so simple but so effective. The more you practice, the stronger the pattern will get.

For more help with this game check out Leslie McDevitt’s Controlled Unleashed books or join one of our group classes!

10/01/2024

STIMULUS CONTROL is the new and improved impulse control.

We’re no longer focused on “controlling a dog’s impulses” with corrections. We’re focused on being good trainers and getting certain behaviors under stimulus control.

Stimulus control means that a specific cue prompts a specific behavior to happen - reliably.

In this video, the toy moving is not the cue for chase behavior. The words “get it” are.

To get here, we never corrected Trinket for getting up prematurely. Thanks to an errorless learning approach, we never had to!

We started by reinforcing Trinket for staying on the mat in the presence of very little movement of the flirt pole toy. After she hears the words “get it” we increase movement of the toy to encourage chasing. With practice, we gradually increase the amount of movement before the words “get it”. If we’re doing our jobs well as trainers, we will splice criteria so well for each rep that we won’t see any confusion or errors in understanding from Trinket!

If we focus on stimulus control, there really isn’t a need for impulse control anymore 🙌

What do you think? 💭

10/01/2024

When you train a Reliable Recall, what kind of body language do you want to see from your dog?

Optimistic, enthusiastic?
• Fast responses
• Low latency
• Loose body language
• No signs of FAS (fear, anxiety, stress)

Or pessimistic, hesitant, fearful?
• Slow/slinky movements
• Ears pinned back
• Head held low
• Stress pant
• Yawning and/or lip licking

Other than caring about dogs’ wellbeing, why does this matter? Because body language is a predictor of their responses in the future. How your dog feels about the cue will affect their reliability and ultimately their safety in the long run.
We want behaviors to get faster and more enthusiastic over time! Not slower and less.

Next time you ask your dog for a recall (however you train), film it! Slow it down and watch their body language in the footage. Be honest with yourself about what you see.

Even something like a pat on the head after they come to you could be considered a punisher to your dog. If you see them backing away, licking their lips, etc they might be saying “I actually don’t like that in this context and if that’s what I get for coming when called then I might hesitate next time.”

In order to see optimistic and enthusiastic recalls, we recommend using exclusively positive reinforcement. And remember to ensure your reinforcers are *actually* reinforcing to your learner!

Happy training! 💫

09/27/2024

Here Pismo is working on the his verbal cue for settling and rocking it!

What’s so impressive?
• We only have to say the cue once
• No hand signals or other prompts needed
• Significant distance from the mat
• Fluent behavior of targeting/laying on the mat

But what’s MOST impressive?

The JOY that Pismo shows while training.
• Bouncy body language
• Wagging tail
• Enthusiastic, fast responses
• Low latency after the cue is given

Even while we’re working toward beautiful, fluent, fast, clean behavior, we’re always watching most closely for joy and enthusiasm.

Here are some signs that your dog might NOT be enjoying training or a certain exercise:
• Yawning or lip licking
• Holding ears back
• Stress pant
• High latency
• Slow, cautious movements
• Displacement sniffing
• Bailing on the session
• Ignoring you
• Appeasement jumping

If we see these behaviors, it’s time to take a break and reassess our training plan or approach to a certain exercise.

Happy training! 💫

09/27/2024

Reduce stress on your walks with this simple activity.

Simone Mueller, author of Hunting Together and creator of Predation Substitute Training (a humane solution to prey-driven behaviors), recommends enjoying “Islands of Relaxation” or “Calmness Islands” regularly on walks with your dog.

A little over halfway through your walk, pick a nice, quiet, and shady spot to pull over with your dog. Offer them some water. Set out a blanket if that’s helpful. And just watch the world go by together.

You may notice the following behaviors from your dog:
* Air Scenting
* Slower breathing rate
* Sighs or deep breaths
* Rolling onto their hip
* Curling their paw
* Resting their chin
* Laying on their side
* Softening of their eyes
* Shake offs
* Seeking proximity to or affection from you
* More easily dismissing distractions

These are all behaviors you may want to reinforce (with a treat or familiar, calm praise) when you see them, so that they’ll occur more often in the future.

Notice how the rest of your walk feels after this moment of rest and calm. Is your dog’s body language different? Their movements? Their behaviors? Notice how you feel as well. More at ease? At peace? Connected to your pup?

It’s important to know your dog’s thresholds when it comes to picking a spot. Make sure you’re far enough away from certain triggers so that dismissing them is easy. Make sure your dog’s needs are met so that thinking about rest is easy. If this isn’t relaxing or enjoyable for you and your dog something needs to be adjusted.

What do you think? Want to try a Calmness Island with you dog? ⬇️

09/24/2024

Watch me teach my dog to stick her nose in a muzzle in less than 60 seconds!

Things I did not do:
• Lure her into the muzzle with treats
• Cue her chin rest behavior
• Move the muzzle toward her

Things I did do:
• Set the scene for her to be likely to offer her chin rest behavior (we’ve worked on that behavior many times sitting on the floor like this)
• Clicked for any behavior she offers that leads me closer to the goal behavior (of her sticking her nose into the muzzle and holding it there)
• Treated outside of the muzzle after each click (to reset her for the next rep. Clean loops ftw!)

Remember, being comfortable wearing a Muzzle is a good skill for any dog of any age or temperament!

Check out our Muzzle Magic ecourse (link in bio) if you’re wondering where to start with buying, sizing, and conditioning your dog to wear a muzzle comfortably.

09/24/2024

When you have to use a magnifying glass and squint real hard to figure which of these two dogs has any reactivity. 🧐

Reactivity training should look and feel relaxing. It’s not about the drama. It’s not about seeing the reactivity and then punishing it. That’s intentionally setting your dog up to fail.

Our reactivity videos look boring and therefore don’t draw the same attention as flashy Before & After videos that some trainers show.

But we do successfully work through reactivity. And aggression. Effectively. Humanely. Every day.

Every family who contacts us to work through reactivity or aggression start with our Reactive Rover Recovery online group class. This 6-week LIVE class on Zoom is interactive (meaning you can ask questions during the presentation and work with your dog on camera for live feedback) and sets you and your dog up to see success (rather than frustration) right away.

After graduating from Reactive Rover Recovery many families move on to in-person private coaching, group classes, field trips, or our other supportive services depending on their goals and progress thus far.

Work with a trainer who will see the whole picture. Who will help your dog feel better, first and foremost. Who will provide you with the skills you need to navigate your reactive dog’s world safely. Who will help you build confidence in advocating for your dog’s needs and boundaries. And who will provide you will safe opportunities to keep learning and growing with your dog.

We’re so proud of the team shown here, as we are of every Reactive Rover Recovery graduate. They GET IT. ❤️‍🩹

09/21/2024

Trainers used to recommend:
• Messing with your puppy while they eat
• Taking their bone away and then giving it back
• Only hand feeding their meals
• Making dogs work for their chews and bones
• Punishing growls or other forms of resource guarding

But now we know better. All of the above can actually CAUSE resource guarding.

So what do we do instead to prevent it?

Treat and retreat.

While your puppy has something special, simply:
• Approach
• Toss a high value treat
• Walk away

Watch for changes in body language that imply a positive conditioned emotional response:
• Head goes up when you approach
• Chew gets dropped
• Tail wags

These behaviors make taking objects away when necessary much easier in the future!

⚠️ Disclaimer: if your puppy or dog already resource guards please work with a trusted professional. This one protocol is not a whole training plan.

07/08/2024

https://clickstart.as.me/schedule.php?appointmentType=category%3APuppy+Prep+

05/13/2024

Did you know, dogs can smell up to 100,000 times better than humans? The proportion of their brain devoted to processing olfactory information is 40 times bigger than ours!

You have likely noticed that your dog enjoys sniffing, tracking, or scavenging. One of the best enrichment activities you can provide is one that satisfies their strongest sense.

If you want to watch your dog get to know their nose and strengthen their ability to identify and search for odor, then a Nose Work class is the place to do so!

Facts about our Nose Work classes:

• Mara from is our experienced instructor

• Classes take place on our campus in Lake Forest

• We offer 4 levels of class designed to get you ready for NACSW trials and your first Odor Recognition Test.

• Nose Work is reactive dog friendly! As long as your dog can wait their turn comfortably in the car and can be comfortable in the presence of the instructor, then they’re welcome and encouraged to join!

• We cap classes at 4-5 dogs so that your pup gets plenty of search time. You’ll also have the opportunity to watch other student’s searches to make the most of every minute of class.

• You’ll receive wrap up emails with instructions and recommendations for how to continue your Nose Work practice at home.

Not only will your dog learn how to trust their sense of smell, but they’ll learn how to work independently and how to focus on a single task at hand and ignore distractions. They’ll grow in confidence as they are tasked with new challenges. You’ll learn how to read your dog’s body language and bond with your dog by entering their world.

It’s an amazing sport that allows your dog to be in the driver seat while you sit back, impressed and in awe of your their super power.

If you’re interested in more information,
comment NOSEWORK for a link to our waitlist! 📧

📸 : .photographs