Ben’s Doggone Dog Blog

BEN: What’s the best way to get a pooch to behave? Reward him! (or her). Rewarding good behavior works better than punishing bad behavior (at least with dogs). Think about it. No one likes to be yelled at, and that includes canines! Dogs are a lot happier if their owner isn’t yelling “STOP BARKING!” My dog Yoda barks a lot. So what I do is this: If he stops barking when I ask him to, I make a little tiny clicking sound with a clicker (like a castanet) and give him a treat and say, “Good doggie.” This encourages him to behave.

COMMENT:
The clicking method doesn’t work in big cities. Where I live that tiny clicker would get drowned out by sirens and music blaring from cars. Also, giving dogs a lot of treats will make them gain too much weight.

Which is the counterargument?

The clicking method works only with small dogs.
The clicking method does not work in noisy places.
The clicking method hurts dogs’ ears.
The clicking method does not work with treats.