Clicker Training

[BMAK]

one of my dogs responds well to clicker training a lot better than any verbal cue as i have nly recently figured out. You tube has been my friend for a lot of training ideas but would love to read about more on links and articles about this method of training not so much the basic obedience..

Interested on anything to do with teaching obedience, retrieve, long sit/downs, stand for exam, change of position and behavioural change like click to calm etc and teaching the dog to get close to my leg while heeling.

* note my boy can do most of these but they need improvement and he understands the meaning of the clicker now so going to try to get him to be sharper and faster also any hints?

Also any tricks i can teach that are easy with the clicker as he does not offer anything for me to grab it and mark it like my other dog he cannot even shake hands or roll over or speak haha?

[Aidan3]

* note my boy can do most of these but they need improvement and he understands the meaning of the clicker now so going to try to get him to be sharper and faster also any hints?

Do you mean to respond to a cue? Or to offer behaviours in free-shaping?

Also any tricks i can teach that are easy with the clicker as he does not offer anything for me to grab it and mark it like my other dog he cannot even shake hands or roll over or speak haha?

I almost always start with teaching a target to a stick, or to my fist.

There is a great program here:

http://www.dragonflyllama.com Click on "Training Levels". There is also an article on stacking and gaiting for the conformation ring using the clicker.

[BMAK]

Thanks aiden you always have good ideas

for obedience its free shaping..

but with tricks he just doesn't show me anything to capture a behavior the only trick my dog know's is to bow even then we are still in a process as i have to man handle him first. it would be nice to one day see him shake hands haha

[megan_]

In order to encourage him to show you behaviours you could try clicking every movement/look/fart.

Also, I think dogds "get it" more easily of the trick involves an object to touch/pick up, rather than a trick that involves only themselves.

With my boy, I now get the clicker out and he starts trying different things straight away.

[Aidan3]

I would definitely begin with target. It's easier to get things than with free shaping and it will allow you to give your dogs some guidance without having to place them into position, so they should learn to at least move their bodies in relation to the target. There is almost nothing you can't teach with a target and a little bit of planning and creativity

[poodlefan]

Don't forget that clicker training is a method of marking desired behaviour, not a training method per se.

It can be used with lured behaviours as well as free shaped ones. My personal belief is that unless the behaviour is one the dog would perform relatively naturally, luring the desired response then marking and rewarding will produce faster results that are less frustrating for the dog.

If the dog won't offer behaviours then lure them then click and reward. That may encourage him to offer up more ... seems to work with most dogs.

The "shake" can often be lured or taught by closing a treat in your hand. Some dogs will paw the hand for the treat.. otherwise the hand can be moved to touch the paw and mark and reward. Most dogs get the idea quickly.

I figure dogs ain't mind readers.. if you want a specific behaviour, show them what you want.

Edited January 13, 2011 by poodlefan

[Aidan3]

I think it's always worth learning to free-shape, if you learn the skill the dog doesn't need to mind-read, but it's certainly easier to target or lure to begin with.

[poodlefan]

I think it's always worth learning to free-shape, if you learn the skill the dog doesn't need to mind-read, but it's certainly easier to target or lure to begin with.

I lack the patience to wait..

[Aidan3]

I think it's always worth learning to free-shape, if you learn the skill the dog doesn't need to mind-read, but it's certainly easier to target or lure to begin with.

I lack the patience to wait..

:D I never wait, pretty much a steady stream of clicks. The patience is in the planning, thinking about what you will take and where you will head with it. It should be a very informative, logical, clear flow of information. Where people really come unstuck is when the dog gives every indication he knows what you want (but he doesn't really, it was a fluke), and then you end up lumping. Then you end up waiting, or correcting, or luring or whatever.

[corvus]

I second targeting. It is the best! I think where people underestimate targeting is they teach the basics, like to touch their nose on a hand, but don't follow it up with any further work. The more targeting I do the better I like it. I'm currently teaching my older boy duration targets, targeting two body parts at once, and broadening his horizons on what he can target and to keep the rest of his body still unless he has to move it to get to the target. I think you can get as subtle as you like with targeting. I originally started with my boy because he wasn't enjoying free shaping much. He enjoys it more now, but man, he sure does love that the majority of his training is targeting. He is a bit prone to frustration and it's important to keep his training sessions easy and his progression very, very slow. I find targeting just increases his confidence and therefore his persistence, as well as getting him to offer behaviours when before he was a little anxious about making his own decisions. A little frustration is aversive for him and that's where I went wrong. He was my first clicker trained dog.

Free shaping is heaps of fun, though, and a skill that's useful as you get better at it. It teaches you to pay attention to small details in your dog's behaviour. I have a dog that likes free shaping and it is hugely fun to work with him on that. Yesterday at the park I spontaneously taught him to put his back feet on a log and his front feet on the ground. Not very useful, but I love that we can stop everything to spend 5 minutes learning a new skill. It's just one more thing he is likely to think of next time I'm shaping something. I love broadening my dogs' horizons.

[Staranais]

Depends what you're trying to teach, perhaps. Some things are very hard to lure, so although I have no problem with luring or guiding if required, it's good to have a dog that also understands free shaping.

I've also found that by doing more targetting, you can aovid luring entirely if desired. I prefer to target rather than lure, as I think it's reinforcing the doggy zen principle rather than just teaching her to follow the food.

[BMAK]

thanks guys all very informitive ideas.

My girl the blk n tan pictured in my sig was taught with all conventional training no motivational until now. she picked up multiple tricks and just got it from the start and is more than happy to be moved physically into psitions even when it is just for a belly rub.

Where as my boy (black thing in sig) is very sensitive to many things he doesn't respond to very firm verbal commands, if he doesn't respond to my command in obedience so we started being physical not mean, just using the lead and collar to guide him into position or my hand.

Being forced into anything he refuses to do it, even with food his stubbon behaviour is horrible sometimes mostly when he is in a down he won't let me roll on him his hip for long downs.

I have started targeting already i am currently teaching brandy to fetch the Tv remote and pens !

Brandy is fabbo at it offerng nose/paw/s/nudges where as macca only uses his nose so we are doing long nose targeting on my palm while in a heel its a start i guess.

i just don't think shaking hands is on the list for macca, i have done multiple times lifting his paw click and treat, lift paw treat and getting over excited in a stand sit and down but not one has he offered it or lifted it one inch off the ground its like he hate having three legs haha.

[Staranais]

i just don't think shaking hands is on the list for macca, i have done multiple times lifting his paw click and treat, lift paw treat and getting over excited in a stand sit and down but not one has he offered it or lifted it one inch off the ground its like he hate having three legs haha.

Some dogs definitely pick some concepts up faster than others. If you want to teach it, I'd break it into smaller and smaller bits until he does get it.

e.g. start with can he put his paw on your hand when it's on the ground, then you can raise it higher and higher? If he won't offer the first step, then break that down into smaller steps - click him for just looking at your hand to start, or make it easier to start with - perhaps put something big and novel (phone book?) on the ground & try to shape him standing on it, so he understands the concept of "paw touch" before trying to get him to transfer that to your hand. The fun thing about dog training is that there are a gazillion ways to teach anything.

[Aidan3]

Go to an empty room, nothing on the floor. Bathrooms are often good. Drop a plastic cup or a clothes peg or something on the ground. If he investigates with his nose, do nothing. The moment he goes to move his paw towards it, click and treat. This is the beginning of a paw target to an object. Once he can paw target something, shaking hands is a piece of cake. Waving his paw, using a street crossing, or holding a tape measure for you aren't much harder.

[kiesha09]

Go to an empty room, nothing on the floor. Bathrooms are often good. Drop a plastic cup or a clothes peg or something on the ground. If he investigates with his nose, do nothing. The moment he goes to move his paw towards it, click and treat. This is the beginning of a paw target to an object. Once he can paw target something, shaking hands is a piece of cake. Waving his paw, using a street crossing, or holding a tape measure for you aren't much harder.

Wow! Great idea. I always have this issue

[Aidan3]

Go to an empty room, nothing on the floor. Bathrooms are often good. Drop a plastic cup or a clothes peg or something on the ground. If he investigates with his nose, do nothing. The moment he goes to move his paw towards it, click and treat. This is the beginning of a paw target to an object. Once he can paw target something, shaking hands is a piece of cake. Waving his paw, using a street crossing, or holding a tape measure for you aren't much harder.

Wow! Great idea. I always have this issue

This is a true story. We had a salesperson measuring up part of our house. I was helping him hold the tape in place. My GSD spontaneously, without prompting or intentional training, decided she was going to hold the end of the tape measure in place

[BMAK]

wow fun ideas that bathroom one and dropping something might work, we have problems even getting close to a crossing when the little man goes green and it makes that buz sounds he goes nuts i don't know what triggers him so we aren't allowed to press the buzzer anymore we just have to cross when there is no traffic it's that bad i shouldn't laugh but it is embarrasing

[Aidan3]

it makes that buz sounds he goes nuts i don't know what triggers him so we aren't allowed to press the buzzer anymore

You could teach him to stop the traffic by holding up his paw in a "stop" sign

Another true story, a friend of mine had two dogs. One was a very bright Border Collie, the other from unknown parentage (well I do know, but don't want to offend anyone) who was a little bit... special. One day my friend's mum was coming home and she noticed the special one running around like a goose in the middle of the road while all the cars were stopped, while the BC was up on his hind legs hitting the button on the pedestrian crossing!

[gwenneth1]

Can anybody recommend dog training books/dvd's (obedience, agility, tracking,behaviour etc) that they picked up interesting tips and learnt a lot from?

[Aidan3]

Can anybody recommend dog training books/dvd's (obedience, agility, tracking,behaviour etc) that they picked up interesting tips and learnt a lot from?

http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/Step...cess/Steps.html