Tatelina Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I need help... I can't figure out if I'm doing the clicker training correctly. I've watched countless vids on YouTube, and I get the concept of clicker training (C+T)....but I don't think I can even charge the clicker properly... :D I thought we made progress today with our 3rd short 10min session with Dori...and I started with teaching touch with a target, but after 5mins she started mouthing the target and trying to eat it. But she obviously wasn't amazed at this concept of 'i do this, and I hear a click and I get food' because she would only repeatedly go to the target (at the end of a stick) every few times.. Does that make sense? Anyway. I'm just looking for someone who wouldn't mind if I drove out to their area and met up in a dog park for 15ish mins with my dog and my clicker, just so they can tell me what I'm doing wrong. Any clicker pros in the Strathfield, NSW area willing to help a well meaning lostie? :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatelina Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Btw...read dog park as any spot where I'm allowed to be with a dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sezy Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 She could be just offering different behavours. Only c&t when she does what you are after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Your session is too long Keep it short and upbeat and end when on a high note. Only a couple of minutes max. What are you using as a target? Have you done hand touches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) Yep - session too long - 5 minutes of stick targetting is more than plenty! Mouthing might be the dog getting bored. Barkly mouths too if I go to long. "Alright, alright, I've touched it already. Sheesh, this is boring" The first time the dog targets perfectly - end the session! Edited April 2, 2009 by Luke W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatelina Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) OOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh.......... Fail 1. Session too long. Fail 2. Let Dori get bored (she ended up touching the target about 30 times...but I thought it had to be a solid move before adding a word cue....) Gotcha! What are you using as a target? Have you done hand touches? My target stick is a hand made one - a long 45cm thin pole with a clicker masking taped on one end, and a big bundle of masking tape to make a 3cm ball on the other end. HAHAHA! Yes. Very povo. :D Haven't done hand touches because I thought I would skip that. I read someone here say that their dogs constantly touched their hands when they had tea thus making them spill it. Edited April 2, 2009 by Tatelina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) OOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh..........Fail 1. Session too long. Fail 2. Let Dori get bored (she ended up touching the target about 30 times...but I thought it had to be a solid move before adding a word cue....) Gotcha! What are you using as a target? Have you done hand touches? My target stick is a hand made one - a long 45cm thin pole with a clicker masking taped on one end, and a big bundle of masking tape to make a 3cm ball on the other end. HAHAHA! Yes. Very povo. :D Haven't done hand touches because I thought I would skip that. I read someone here say that their dogs constantly touched their hands when they had tea thus making them spill it. Re Fail 2 - Take your time...There's no need to try to add the cue in the first session - get the behavior really solid - over as many short sharp sessions as it takes - then add the cue. If you are going to try for many repetitions, you need to be able to do them really fast and reward really quickly. 30 touches, 30 clicks and 30 rewards in 30 seconds! Then call it quits! Barkly is pretty good at targetting - he will target my hand, a stick, a CD on the ground, a post-it note, I can direct him to target multiple CDs layed on the ground or post-it notes stuck on the wall. Targetting is great fun - for me and him. Stay upbeat - keep the reward rate really high in the early days. Edited April 2, 2009 by Luke W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraNik Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I agree with the others... For new behaviours I spend a MAX of 5 minutes, but come back to it multiple times during the day. If they're not getting it then, I leave it for a week or two and then try again. Make sure your criteria is really low to begin with - don't make it too hard. For example, if you're trying to get the dog to target a post-it note, but they won't even acknowledge its presence, click for a look towards the post it... Then a quick touch with their nose... Then a longer touch... etc (over several sessions) If you're still not sure, I live near Strathfield and I'm happy to help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Agree with Luke - get the behaviour solid first, don't try to add the cue the first session. It takes patience and time :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatelina Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Egh. Ok. Thanks guys! I must have thought the clicker was my magic conversation tool that would keep making dogs happy to do stuff for food...but obviously they have short attention spans. :D hehehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatelina Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 If you're still not sure, I live near Strathfield and I'm happy to help you out. Thanks for the offer!! I'll see how I go... might take you up on it. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Don't worry, mine are gutses and still have a short attention span Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now