rodders seems to be scared of the clicker!
ive tried 3 different ones ( all diff kinda noises)

wot can i do to help him not be scared of it if i cant stop him being scared how can i train him without using the clicker?

Mav has a clicker word. "gooDD" that is his click word, you can ;load it just like you load the clicker, we also have a intermediate word, which is "lovely" which means thats fabuolus keep going!

I use 'yes' as a clicker word in competition for contacts (or I will be) but there is a clicker on the market that has a volume control on it or you could put in your pocket or in a sock to muffle the sound a little.

I tend to use the clicker whilst training at home because it is more precise than my saying a clicker word.

In the past i have used a clicker in a handerchief, or instead of a clicker the top of a ball point pen, and also the top of a jam jar lid.
Its just a noise.

waggingd

i use 'yes' as a click word when my clicker isnt to hand.

Sleet used to flinch slightly in the face when I clicked. I hid it behind my back which helped. She soon realised that it meant food was coming and got used to it. She doesn't care at all now.

With Wren, and this might be useful for you, I used a different sound that I make myself so that there was no confusion between the two dogs. I make a higher pitched soft "boo" type sound for Wren and she took to that like a duck to water. I was careful to choose something she wouldn't normally hear. Words are risky for this reason...they might hear you say those words a lot when speaking to other people, on the phone etc....
The boo sounds a little stupid but Wren gets it good and proper and thats all that counts.