Clicker Training

[Lucy's mama]

Hi, I have discovered clicker training and have purchased '100 ways to the perfect dog' and "Super dog, Clicker training for obedience, tricks and agility"

I have read through all of the '100 ways' book and am thinking that if I am luring or waiting for a behaviour to click, and not adding a command till the dog is reliably offering the behaviour, I would only be able to teach one thing at a time or he would get confused? Does it take longer than luring and saying the command, which is how I have trained simple commands before?

Can I do the simple stuff (sit, stay, down ) my old way, then move on to clicker training, or will the clicker training be more succesful if I do it from the start?

Thanks.

[corvus]

You can train more than one thing at once, but you just have to make sure your dog is keeping up, if that makes sense. I have my dogs working on a few things, some are on cue and some are not, but I'm usually only working on one thing that isn't on cue at a time. I think. I'm not sure, now that I think about it. I do free shaping just for fun and for improving my own skills and helping my dogs be creative. It seems to me the dog just tries for a click, and as long as you keep clicking you're shaping it. If you go away and come back half a minute later and start clicking something else, they will start following that. I am thinking about teaching Erik a "try something new" suggestion to help him know when we are mmoving onto something else. Kivi I've stopped free shaping, mostly. He doesn't like it. He likes luring.

I don't think there's any need to do exclusively clicker training.

[Staranais]

I work different things in one session, but to make it clear to the dog that we're changing behaviours, I usually change where we're working, or the "prop" we're working with. So I'd do some perch work, then take away the perch and do some heeling, then move to the other side of the room and do some sits/down, etc. That's the way we handle it.

There's no need to do clicker training exclusively, but if you're brand new, using it on simple behaviours like sit and down can start to get your head around it. You can also lure and clicker train at the same time, so for sit, for example, lure your dog into a sit and then click. Then fade the lure into a similar hand signal.

[Mym]

I struggle with luring all the time. I do it so out of habit but I am trying to get better. One of my dogs offers up an array of behaviour and the other just kind of gets to the point where he stops and watches me. For me, I expect that I am asking too much of my second dog when he does this and I aim to keep things very short with him.

I keep practicing things that won't really matter if I don't do them correctly....I have taught one of my dogs to blow bubbles in his water dish and I am shaping getting in and out of boxes as part of rear end awareness.

I also am one of the 'bit unco' people who can't click and reward and train very easily, I sometimes find that just using the word 'yes' works better as my timing is more accurate and I don't have to think about the clicker. :rolleyes:

[corvus]

I nearly cut part of my thumb nail off whilst cutting up cheese and trying to click Erik's good behaviour at the same time a few weeks ago. :rolleyes:

I really like clicker training. The more you do, the better you and your dog get. And ask for help if you have any trouble! I've had so much help from folks that have done a lot more clicker training than I have. It makes a big difference.

[Staranais]

I nearly cut part of my thumb nail off whilst cutting up cheese and trying to click Erik's good behaviour at the same time a few weeks ago.

Hey, try clicking and driving at the same time... :rolleyes:

[Mym]

I nearly cut part of my thumb nail off whilst cutting up cheese and trying to click Erik's good behaviour at the same time a few weeks ago.

Hey, try clicking and driving at the same time... :rolleyes:

Clicking and driving?

[Lucy's mama]

I decided to practice a bit on Lucy today with her favourite naughty treat - cooked bacon rind. At first I just clicked and treated to 'charge' the clicker, then figured I could pobably start shaping at the same time as charging so clicked eye contact (she gives good eye contact already) don'tt think she orkd out it was the eye contact getting clicked and treated yet though. I will see if I can get sustained eye contact next session then add the cue 'focus'.

I didn't find clicking at the right time difficult (I'm sure it will get harder when shaping new behaviours rather than clicking old ones), and I did it next to the bench so didn't have to juggle treats.

[Lucy's mama]

QUOTE (corvus @ 2nd Nov 2009 - 03:21 PM)

I nearly cut part of my thumb nail off whilst cutting up cheese and trying to click Erik's good behaviour at the same time a few weeks ago.

Hey, try clicking and driving at the same time...

Now that is dedication!

[Staranais]

I nearly cut part of my thumb nail off whilst cutting up cheese and trying to click Erik's good behaviour at the same time a few weeks ago.

Hey, try clicking and driving at the same time... :rolleyes:

Clicking and driving?

We're working on the idea that bikes riding past are actually predictors of the opportunity to get luncheon, rather than exciting prey objects to be mauled by juvenile malligators. She's not convinced yet. But I thought we'd try the softly softly approach before I broke out the corrections.

[Mym]

I nearly cut part of my thumb nail off whilst cutting up cheese and trying to click Erik's good behaviour at the same time a few weeks ago.

Hey, try clicking and driving at the same time...

Clicking and driving?

We're working on the idea that bikes riding past are actually predictors of the opportunity to get luncheon, rather than exciting prey objects to be mauled by juvenile malligators. She's not convinced yet. But I thought we'd try the softly softly approach before I broke out the corrections.

I have one of those!!!! And Lollipop men around Brisbane are very much at risk as well....