Clicker Training

[Law]

I decided I wanted to try clicker training with Trixie. We just attempted our first conditioning session but Trix is absolutely terrified of the sound! She was trying to crawl away and wouldn't accept any treats. Trix never turns down food but she was actually turning her head to avoid it. She has always been afraid of loud noises eg. thunderstorms, people thudding around and talking loudly but I didn't think the clicker would be a problem.

Any suggestions or is clicker training just never going to happen for us

[DeltaCharlie]

Either get a clicker with a soft click or wrap the one you have in a towel. That will muffle the noise until she gets used to the noise and realises it means food is coming.

[Kavik]

What type of clicker are you using? A box clicker is the loudest. i-clicks are softer. Or you can use one of those pens with the clicky lids.

Or you can use a word instead, most common one for marking behaviours is "Yes!"

[DeltaCharlie]

Pop up seal lids from jam jars etc work well too. Might be a duller sound than a click.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Condition a bridge word instead. 'Yes' or 'Good' anything short really.

[sidoney]

Couple of ideas.

Layers of tape (e.g. insulation tape) over the metal part of a box clicker makes it much more quiet. The only time I use an unmuffled box clicker is outdoors at a distance when the noise needs to carry.

Click from a distance and throw the treat to the dog.

Use a pop top jar lid at first.

You need to counter condition the reaction to the noise. Quiet noise and distance will help.

[ShellyBeggs]

I have had great success in conditioning my kelpie who was so petrified of the clicker he used to run down the other end of the house and hide under the bed.

now he loves his clicker so much.........

rather than retype my experience here is a quote from a previous thread.

I went through this not long ago with my kelpie......he used to freak out and try and run away or freeze up and shut down. I thought I would share how I went with him.....because I thought he would be scared forever and he turned around in about 5 weeks......

I was prepared not to use a clicker with him, however if anyone else near by was using a clicker he would freeze up and switch off. Not very useful if I ever get to obedience trial stage and other people maybe using them outside the ring or where ever. And I didn't want him freaking out at any time over a simple noise.

And besides i love a challenge........

So I got an i-click, its a much nicer click and would wander around the house with the i-click in one pocket and cheese in the other......using a very high value treat was the key, it has to be something the dog loves and will really do anything to get. Cheese was the answer for me.

I held the clicker tightly in my pocket (it muffled it so it was a lot quieter) and would click it and throw the dog cheese, landing it right in front of him, never handed it to him....wtihout making a fuss of it, without looking at him or paying him attention. I did not tell him he was good if he ate the cheese because it was up to him to realise it was no different than the kettle boiling or the microwave binging...it was a part of life. This was just something that happened randomly in different rooms about the house, at different times....close together of 1/2 hour apart. I didn't care if he was close to me or not .......as long as he was close enough he could just hear it. He never got this high value treat any other time except with a click..... At first he would take a few steps back away from the noise or move to the other side fo the room .....if he chose to ignore the treat I just carried on doing dishes or what ever......I left the treat as his choice....its there and its up to him to eat it or not.

Guaranteed it didn't stay there for long....especially if he was a little hungry!!!

Gradually I took the clicker out of my pocket but still held it tightly. And I would sit on the couch watching tv, and get him nice and relaxed next to me. And I would click and give him cheese (without looking at him) just radomly throughout the show......he fliched a few times and ignored the treat.....but I paid no attention, didn't tell him he was good for taking the treat or didn't tell him off if he moved away. It was his choice.

It took a few weeks and he stopped worrying about the click so much....the click had been happening at different times in different rooms and it never hurt him, never caused anything to happen.....so he started to realise he was safe......and the click ment cheese was on its way....and yummo who can resist cheese.

Then I started noticing that when he heard the click he would flick an ear with interest and wait for the treat.........the treat was winning over his fear of the noise.

I eventually worked up to clicking and handing him the treat while doing the tv exercise......and we did this for a few weeks.....until he associated the click and treat was from me. Once he was comfy with the click and treat from my hand, I started using it to teach him new things.

I have now been teaching him a few basic exercises with the click and treat.......touch my hand, touch a pointer and an in front exercise. He gets excited now when I pick up the clicker because he knows there is cheese to earn.

So although not every dog can be clicker trained, I guess some of them can be desensitised to it......lets face it most dogs get desensitized to noises around the house.......they aren't scared of the kettle or the microwave or washing machine.....because its a part of life. There is no reason the click noise is any different to these noises or the phone ringing......it can be a part of life too!

And in my case this worked.....I was prepared to give it up on advice from people....but now it was worth the time and effort to help him realise it wasn't going to hurt him, that it actually ment something yummy was coming.

[whatevah]

Another idea is to get someone else to click the clicker from a fair distance away, and gradually get that person to come closer. As soon as they click you treat. I would do about 5 repetitions at each distance and do it gradually. My dog has done competition obedience and he never worrys about what people are doing outside the ring, as his attention in on me. He also doesn't run to everyone who clicks a clicker either.

[Law]

I have had great success in conditioning my kelpie who was so petrified of the clicker he used to run down the other end of the house and hide under the bed.

now he loves his clicker so much.........

rather than retype my experience here is a quote from a previous thread.

I went through this not long ago with my kelpie......he used to freak out and try and run away or freeze up and shut down. I thought I would share how I went with him.....because I thought he would be scared forever and he turned around in about 5 weeks......

I was prepared not to use a clicker with him, however if anyone else near by was using a clicker he would freeze up and switch off. Not very useful if I ever get to obedience trial stage and other people maybe using them outside the ring or where ever. And I didn't want him freaking out at any time over a simple noise.

And besides i love a challenge........

So I got an i-click, its a much nicer click and would wander around the house with the i-click in one pocket and cheese in the other......using a very high value treat was the key, it has to be something the dog loves and will really do anything to get. Cheese was the answer for me.

I held the clicker tightly in my pocket (it muffled it so it was a lot quieter) and would click it and throw the dog cheese, landing it right in front of him, never handed it to him....wtihout making a fuss of it, without looking at him or paying him attention. I did not tell him he was good if he ate the cheese because it was up to him to realise it was no different than the kettle boiling or the microwave binging...it was a part of life. This was just something that happened randomly in different rooms about the house, at different times....close together of 1/2 hour apart. I didn't care if he was close to me or not .......as long as he was close enough he could just hear it. He never got this high value treat any other time except with a click..... At first he would take a few steps back away from the noise or move to the other side fo the room .....if he chose to ignore the treat I just carried on doing dishes or what ever......I left the treat as his choice....its there and its up to him to eat it or not.

Guaranteed it didn't stay there for long....especially if he was a little hungry!!!

Gradually I took the clicker out of my pocket but still held it tightly. And I would sit on the couch watching tv, and get him nice and relaxed next to me. And I would click and give him cheese (without looking at him) just radomly throughout the show......he fliched a few times and ignored the treat.....but I paid no attention, didn't tell him he was good for taking the treat or didn't tell him off if he moved away. It was his choice.

It took a few weeks and he stopped worrying about the click so much....the click had been happening at different times in different rooms and it never hurt him, never caused anything to happen.....so he started to realise he was safe......and the click ment cheese was on its way....and yummo who can resist cheese.

Then I started noticing that when he heard the click he would flick an ear with interest and wait for the treat.........the treat was winning over his fear of the noise.

I eventually worked up to clicking and handing him the treat while doing the tv exercise......and we did this for a few weeks.....until he associated the click and treat was from me. Once he was comfy with the click and treat from my hand, I started using it to teach him new things.

I have now been teaching him a few basic exercises with the click and treat.......touch my hand, touch a pointer and an in front exercise. He gets excited now when I pick up the clicker because he knows there is cheese to earn.

So although not every dog can be clicker trained, I guess some of them can be desensitised to it......lets face it most dogs get desensitized to noises around the house.......they aren't scared of the kettle or the microwave or washing machine.....because its a part of life. There is no reason the click noise is any different to these noises or the phone ringing......it can be a part of life too!

And in my case this worked.....I was prepared to give it up on advice from people....but now it was worth the time and effort to help him realise it wasn't going to hurt him, that it actually ment something yummy was coming.

Thank you for that. Your little story has given me hope!

[Guest Steph & Bam]

Hi Law, I had the same issue with Bam. I wound up getting the i-click and using roast chicken at first and raw steak... Dog still eats better than me

I did something very similar to ShellyBeggs, only mine took a matter of about 2-3 weeks

If you can't get an i-click or a clicker with adjustable volume (K-mart for about $4.00 :D) then definately wrap it up or hold it tightly in your hand. Make sure the treat you give is ONLY given with the clicker though (IME far more effective )

Oh, and keep us updated ok?

[bridgie_cat]

I found a pen lid impossible to use

pop up tops off those glass juice bottles... similar to the jam lid but a nice size to hold - but either way

interesting thing I saw on a mary ray? dvd - she threw food on the ground and clicked each bit as the pup ate it... perhaps with this type of thing focus would be on the extra good treats and the click would not be as bit an issue? but certainly a softer click would be good...

(note - it may be worth eliminating this fear anyways since you will probably end up at school or trials where other people are using box clickers and in this case you dont want her freaking out or being overly distracted from what you are doing etc )

Bridget