The concept of clicker training is that the clicker effectively tells the dog when he has done something good! It is not used when a dog is naughty, not used to grab a dogs attention or as praise marker.
The clicker is a tool and used correctly it helps to communicate with your dog exactly what behaviour is desired. Think of the clicker as a camera - you want to take a picture of the action that you want - not the end result.
For example to capture the sit, click as the dogs bum hits the floor, not after his bum is on the ground.

The click means:-
1. You did something I like
2. The behaviour is over (the click ends the behaviour). If the dog jumps up from the sit immediately after you click that’s ok. You can begin to add time to the sit by holding back on clicking when he understands what sit means
3. A reward is coming. Always reward the dog after the click. Even if you accidently did it or clicked at the wrong time – that’s your fault and not the dogs.

Ways not to use the clicker:-
1. Don’t use it as an attention getting device or to cue your dog to come because it does work! But once the dog understands the real meaning of the clicker you will be reinforcing undesired behaviour such as ignoring you or barking at passersby.
2. Don’t use it as a praise marker. Always reward when you click.
3. Don’t use the clicker as a keep going signal. The click always ends the behaviour.

Here are some simple tips to get you started:-

1.    Push and release the springy end of the clicker, making a two-toned click. Then treat. Keep the treats small. Use a delicious treat at first: for a dog or cat, little cubes of roast chicken, not a lump of kibble.

2.    Click DURING the desired behaviour, not after it is completed. The timing of the click is crucial. Don't be dismayed if your pet stops the behaviour when it hears the click. The click ends the behaviour. Give the treat after that; the timing of the treat is not important.

3.    Click when your dog or other pet does something you like. Begin with something easy that the pet is likely to do on its own. (Ideas: sit; come toward you; touch your hand with its nose; lift a foot; touch and follow a target object such as a pencil or a spoon.)

4.    Click once (in-out.) If you want to express special enthusiasm, increase the number of treats, not the number of clicks.

5.    Keep practice sessions short. Much more is learned in three sessions of five minutes each than in an hour of boring repetition. You can get dramatic results, and teach your pet many new things, by fitting a few clicks a day here and there in your normal routine.

6.    Fix bad behaviour by clicking good behaviour. Click the puppy for relieving itself in the proper spot. Click for paws on the ground, not on the visitors. Instead of scolding for making noise, click for silence. Cure leash-pulling by clicking and treating those moments when the leash happens to go slack.

7.    Click for voluntary (or accidental) movements toward your goal. You may coax or lure the animal into a movement or position, but don't push, pull, or hold it. Let the animal discover how to do the behaviour on its own. If you need a leash for safety's sake, loop it over your shoulder or tie it to your belt.

8.    Don't wait for the "whole picture" or the perfect behaviour. Click and treat for small movements in the right direction. You want the dog to sit, and it starts to crouch: - click. You want it to come when called, and it takes a few steps your way: - click.

9.    Keep raising your goal. As soon as you have a good response, when a dog for example, is voluntarily lying down, coming toward you, or sitting repeatedly, start asking for more. Wait a few beats, until the dog stays down a little longer, comes a little further, and sits a little faster. Then click. This is called "shaping" behaviour.

10. When your animal has learned to do something for clicks, it will begin showing you the behaviour spontaneously, trying to get you to click. Now is the time to begin offering a cue, such as a word or a hand signal. Start clicking for that behaviour if it happens during or after the cue. Start ignoring that behaviour when the cue wasn't given.

11. Don't order the animal around, clicker training is not command based. If your pet does not respond to a cue it is not disobeying, it just hasn't learned the cue completely. Find more ways to cue it and click it for the desired behaviour. Try working in a quieter, less distracting place for a while. If you have more than one pet, separate them for training, and let them take turns.

12. Carry a clicker and "catch" cute behaviours like cocking the head, or holding up one paw. You can click for many different behaviours, whenever you happen to notice them, without confusing your pet.

13. If you get mad, put the clicker away. Don't mix scolding, lead-jerking, and correction training with clicker training. You will lose the animal's confidence in the clicker and perhaps in you.

14. If you are not making progress with a particular behaviour, you are probably clicking too late. Accurate timing is important. Get someone else to watch you, and perhaps to click for you, a few times.

15. Above all, have fun. Clicker training is a wonderful way to enrich your relationship with your dog.