Clicker Training Basics

[tigerfan]

Thank you FirstYorkie for this great post. After seeing your Joey, I bought one on Monday have been doing a few short lessons with Tiger each day. He is responding to it well.

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by tigerfan

Thank you FirstYorkie for this great post. After seeing your Joey, I bought one on Monday have been doing a few short lessons with Tiger each day. He is responding to it well.

That's *GREAT* news! It's fun, isn't it?!?

[alaskayorkie]

Great post, FirstYorkie! I'm a believer. I just gotta start.

Just curious: Does the clicker work on wives and mother in laws?

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Just curious: Does the clicker work on wives and mother in laws?

I know you probably were kidding, but since I have an under-developed sense of humor , I'll answer seriously. In a nutshell, yes, alot of the principals apply. Karen Pryor refers often to issues with relatives and colleagues in her book Don't Shoot The Dog! There are also some articles on the subject on this site:
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles
Scroll all the way down to "Humans and Operant Conditioning".

Weren't expecting that answer, were you?

[tigerfan]

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

That's *GREAT* news! It's fun, isn't it?!?

I must say that Tiger does seem to love it. We are working on a few new tricks. We'll see, but I do feel like it's working!!

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

Great thread Firtyorkie!

All five of my dogs are clicker trained and it has saved their lives!! My westie likes to escape and when she does all I have to do it get the clicker out and she hears it and comes running!!

I bought two clickers to give in our pup pal secret Valentine packeages as well!! I wish everyone would clicker train!! I'm hooked!!

[scrappymomma]

I just watched the videos of Joey and OMG he is so well behaved and he listens. I think Ive got try the clicker too. My daughters LOVED the bang trick. They want Roxy to learn that one. I spend so much time with her but I have a hard time getting her to do anything I want her to unless she wants to. She is now starting this posessive thing, when my kids or husband gets near me she starts whining and growling then tries to attack. Its driving me nuts, IM afraid shell actually catch their faces. I dont know why she is doing that. She loves them as long as they are not really close to me. Do any of you have any suggestions for this problem? Is this normal? She is so sweet all other times and never gets like that with anyone else, just the immediate family.

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by scrappymomma

I spend so much time with her but I have a hard time getting her to do anything I want her to unless she wants to.

That's the beauty of clickertraining! Once Roxy learns that click means treat, she will WANT to work for the sound of the click. It is fun for dogs!

"BANG" was one of the first things Joey learned. That's because my boys were telling me how cool it was that a dog they know does it, so I said "You want Joey to learn that?". They said I couldn't do it. Silly me. I fall for a good challenge every time.

Kelly, from what you describe, it sounds like Roxy is object guarding, but the object she is guarding is YOU. So as to not dilute this thread, I will try to either PM you or start a new thread later.

HAPPY CLICKING!

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

I know you probably were kidding, but since I have an under-developed sense of humor , I'll answer seriously. In a nutshell, yes, alot of the principals apply. Karen Pryor refers often to issues with relatives and colleagues in her book Don't Shoot The Dog! There are also some articles on the subject on this site:
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles
Scroll all the way down to "Humans and Operant Conditioning".

Weren't expecting that answer, were you?

LOL, I missed that response! No, I wasn't expecting it, but it is the same principle, isn't it? Too funny.

OK, I finally had a chance to read all your posts and check the Web sites, and I'm sold. A question: Do obedience school instructors ever frown on it? I'll run it past Eddie's instructor when a new class begins tomorrow, but I was wondering if you use a clicker during obedience class or if that's just home training.

[FirstYorkie]

AlaskaYorkie, if you're using a positive instructor, they will probably be happy for you to use a clicker. If your trainer still believes in correction-based methods (catching the dog doing it wrong so that you can correct him - usually with leash jerks), he may not "believe in" clicker training. There are still alot of trainers out there, unfortunately, who use punishment, rather than positive reinforcement, to train dogs.

Joey is enrolled in positive obedience classes and the trainer has said it's fine for me to use the clicker there. I don't just because I'm embarrassed to draw attention to myself. What I do is immediately come home from class and put whatever it is we learned on the clicker. He's usually mastered it by the next class and doesn't need the cllicker reinforcement to continue.

Many trainers offer specific clicker training classes.

[Juliealfies mum]

What a great thread I try to get get everyone I know to clicker train their dog . I have been clicker training Alfie since he was 10 weeks old and he is 21months old now. He is great at a lot of his stuff but we have to work on strangers as He still is not to happy when people go past the house! He likes to guard! Iam also clicker training Lottie who is now nearly 5 months old and she is such a smart little cookie everyone is so amazed with hem and thinks they are really smart I just say clicker train and your dog could do this no problem.

[centralnewyorki]

Okay- I'm convinced that this is what Olivia (and her mommy ) needs! Just a few questions:

Can I use this for potty training Olivia? She seems to have forgotten her training and no longer seeks out the pad to go potty. If so, do I just click when she's going potty when I place her on the pad? Will she eventually learn that when I get home (and after her initial excitement wears down) that when I click it means to go potty? Should I be saying a command to go to the bathroom after she has learned that the clicker is a positive thing?

Do I go into the training with a command in mind- say "sit" for example- and just catch her sitting and click the clicker to get the ball rolling? How do I make the transition to saying the command?

I downloader a few pages from clickerlessons.com- that looks like a great site!

Thanks for your help!

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

AlaskaYorkie, if you're using a positive instructor, they will probably be happy for you to use a clicker. If your trainer still believes in correction-based methods (catching the dog doing it wrong so that you can correct him - usually with leash jerks), he may not "believe in" clicker training. There are still alot of trainers out there, unfortunately, who use punishment, rather than positive reinforcement, to train dogs.

Joey is enrolled in positive obedience classes and the trainer has said it's fine for me to use the clicker there. I don't just because I'm embarrassed to draw attention to myself. What I do is immediately come home from class and put whatever it is we learned on the clicker. He's usually mastered it by the next class and doesn't need the cllicker reinforcement to continue.

Many trainers offer specific clicker training classes.

Hmm, I'm not sure how you'd classify Eddie's school. At first, I was impressed at how positive it was. It was all about praise, not punishment. But the further we go along, corrections become part of it. Praise is still by far #1, but a slight correction is recommended for attention.

This new class we started last night (cruise control) scares me a little, and I may drop out. Instructor said all dogs should be using prong collars for this class. I refuse to use a prong collar. This is the same instructor who I asked specifically about Yorkies and prong collars in another class, and she said it was fine. I don't know enough about them to begrudge people with larger dogs and thick coats using them, but I don't like the idea for Yorkies.

What makes me mad is this class is recommended as a prep for agility, but in agility you use no leashes.

Oh well, I'm gonna practice with clickers at home and see how it goes. I know another instructor said they were OK in class.

[FirstYorkie]

A prong collar for a YORKIE?!?

I think you are right to be concerned....

[FirstYorkie]

Susan, I'm afraid I don't have much time right now but the click is never a command. The click means what you are doing -this instant - is right and you are going to get a treat for it. The click also ends the expectation of the behavior.

[Well, I suppose the click could be your cue for going potty but then you couldn't use the clicker for anything else. I wouldn't do it that way myself.]

You don't introduce the cue (verbal or hand signal) until the dog is actively doing the desired behavior when he sees you pick up the clicker. At that point, you can start saying "sit" or whatever when you KNOW he is going to comply anyway. After multiple repetitions, when he's reliably following your cue, you then begin clicking for sits (or whatever you're working on) ONLY when he follows your cue. Once you're there, don't click the freely offered ones - only the ones you ask for.

Clear as mud?

There are several ways to teach a behavior using clicker training. Capturing and shaping is what we've been talking about and is probably the most effective and the most fun. Behaviors can also be lured (this is okay) or the animal can be gently put in into the position you want (least recommended). More about that later...