STARTS SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 · SIX-WEEK ONLINE COURSE · ARIANNA TOMASSOLI · AUDITOR / SELF-STUDY · US$139
A click is one moment. Learning happens across the whole repetition.
Clicker training is often introduced as “click the behavior, then give food.” That description leaves out the arrangement that made the response possible, what the marker predicts, how and where the consequence is delivered, what the learner does next, and how the next opportunity begins.
ABC of Clicker Training gives beginners a clear foundation in those relations and gives experienced caregivers a more exact way to examine their mechanics. You will connect reinforcement, shaping, cues, criteria, latency, and stimulus control through practical behaviors taught with dogs.
- See the full loop
Observe the setup, response, marker, delivery, consequence, reset, and next opportunity. - Build trainer mechanics
Practise timing, body position, reinforcement delivery, and criteria as skills of their own. - Connect principle to behavior
Use targets, positions, mat work, duration, tricks, equipment, and cues to make the concepts concrete.
The clicker does not perform the analysis for you.
A marker can identify a response and predict what follows, but neither the sound nor the food has a guaranteed function by identity. The trainer still needs to observe whether behavior changes, whether the delivery location prepares a useful next repetition, whether an accidental cue entered the package, and whether the criterion asked for one achievable change.
This course slows the sequence down. Arianna introduces the science in accessible language, then returns to it through practical teaching examples. The point is not to accumulate a list of tricks. It is to understand why a plan worked, what the learner may be responding to, and where to look when the next repetition is less clear.
The complete learning loop
- Prepare the opportunity. Arrange the space, equipment, reinforcement, and your own movement before inviting a response.
- Observe the response. Decide which approximation meets the current criterion and which detail you are marking.
- Mark and deliver. Use the marker consistently, then examine the timing, type, location, and mechanics of delivery.
- Watch the reset. Notice what the learner does after the consequence and how that affects readiness for another repetition.
- Adjust one variable. Change the criterion, prompt, cue arrangement, or teaching approach when the evidence calls for a different plan.
Watch a plan change when the first route does not work
Six sections from first principles to cleaner decisions
1 · Why clicker training works
Begin with course orientation, the reasons for using marker-based teaching, the underlying science, and a clear view of what happens before the practical behaviors.
2 · First repetitions
Examine early work with the clicker, luring, eye contact, a base position, and the learning cycle that connects one repetition to the next.
3 · Positions, targets, and the mat
Apply the foundations to sit, a nose target, and mat training while keeping criteria, prompts, and reinforcement delivery visible.
4 · More behaviors, more trainer choices
Continue with paw targeting, a fold-back down, duration work, and the practical decisions that appear when the learner does not follow the route you predicted.
5 · Teaching routes and stimulus control
Use the Spin case, collar and harness work, and stimulus-control questions to examine how a response comes under the influence of the intended cue.
6 · Applications and the trainer’s behavior
Extend the system to additional behaviors, examine clicker applications and small details, and finish by turning the analytic lens toward the trainer’s own repertoire.
Practical work throughout the course
You will practise with observable behaviors rather than abstract examples alone. The course uses positions, nose and paw targets, mat work, duration, spinning, equipment, and other behaviors to show how teaching method, criteria, cues, and reinforcement interact.
Keep one full repetition visible when you review your work: the setup, the learner’s response, the marker, what followed, the reset, and the next start. That complete record tells you far more than an isolated clip of the final behavior.
Who this course is for
ABC of Clicker Training is designed for dog caregivers beginning marker-based training, students who want the science connected to practice, and trainers who want to inspect the mechanics inside familiar exercises. No advanced behavior-analysis background is required.
The course focuses on teaching skills with dogs through reinforcement-based procedures. It does not replace individualized veterinary or behavior support when health, pain, safety, or significant behavior change is part of the case.
Your instructor: Arianna Tomassoli
Arianna holds a Diploma of Canine Behavior Science and Technology and a degree in Developmental Psychology, and works as a Behavior Technician. Her path into clicker training began with a direct practical question: if cooperation can be taught without coercion, why would coercion be the default?
She brings applied behavior analysis into approachable dog-training examples and keeps the human learner in view. The result is a foundation course that teaches not only what to do with the clicker, but what to notice across the entire learning loop.
September Auditor edition
Questions before you join
Is this suitable for a complete beginner?
Yes. The course begins with the purpose and science of marker-based teaching, then applies the concepts through practical dog-training behaviors.
Is the course only about timing the click?
No. Timing is one trainer skill. You will also examine antecedents, criteria, teaching methods, delivery patterns, cues, stimulus control, latency, reset, and the next repetition.
Can I see the teaching style before buying?
Yes. The Spin lesson is available as a free written and video example from the course.
How long can I use the materials?
Course access lasts one year, so the six sections can be studied in sequence without treating every “Week” label as a deadline.
Do more than mark the moment. Read the whole repetition.
Build a clear foundation in reinforcement, shaping, cues, criteria, trainer mechanics, and clean learning loops.
