The Box Trick - Help Training A Newbie Clicker Trained Dog

[Kavik]

Shaping can be VERY frustrating! Especially at the beginning when they are just figuring it out.

[pipsqueak]

Try 12 months down the track with a dog who still doesn't offer behaviours!!! She was always positioned or lured so never learnt to think for herself. And yes, she definitely knows what the clicker means. I have to start with the tiniest of movements and build from there. Sometimes with her, it is just easier to lure, as it saves us both the frustration.

[Kavik]

They can learn it at any age though. Zoe had been lured or positioned only, and it wasn't until she was older (can't remember how old - 5 or 6 maybe?) that I taught her to shape properly with a clicker.

[Tatelina]

Hehe...guess I'm lucky then.

I was just expecting/hoping that my girls would pick it up faster.

[IncrediJack]

Hi,

I had great fun/success with the box trick. I think it works best when your dog is learning clicker (early stages) but not for one of the very first exercises. Dog has to understand what the click means first. Touch is a great one to start off with. Then I moved to a mat and then a box. You may find the same exercise but with a mat instead of a box is much easier.

Good Luck.

[ozjen]

Ok...what am I doing wrong if I get to the point where my dog is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY focused on me...

Like if they stare at me sitting for over a minute with a tiny little tail wag waiting for instructions? Heh.

Even if I talk to them and click any head movement towards the box..they still don't get it.

So is it just a few clicks (if that's all I get) and then finish?

Don't worry, it takes time for the dogs to learn the game to begin with, my girl is well practiced with the game that is why she responds so quickly when I offer her something new to work with. Admittedly it can sometimes be a pain just how willing my girl is to try something new, when I bought her a skateboard she didn't wait to be shown she was on it and off across the room with it to slam into my wall. Note to self, don't train skateboard in the house. I was hoping it would be a fresh challange for her but it wasn't the least bit challanging.

I'm no expert on clicker training as Jenna is my first clicker dog but I find that I will only click a behaviour a couple of times when doing box work, if I click the same behaviour too often it doesn't encourage her to try something else. I also did not start with box work, we only started to use that once she was already familiar with the clicker. She undertands the clicker quite well as I can clickNtreat her doing a natural behaviour and she will look at me and then have another go to see if that was what I was clicking, when I clickNtreat again her eyes light up and she continues to do it.

Try to set the dog up for success to begin with, maybe put a telephone book on the floor and without guiding the dog or luring move around the telephone book and as soon as the dog accidently walks over it say with one foot or more, be ready to click. After a couple of goes raise the criterea a bit say to two paws and go on from there. As the dog gets familiar with the game then try the box or other objects.