Clicker training

[mollygirl1975]

I want to work with my 9 month old APBT on basic obedience and then eventually teach her some fun tricks as well. I was looking a some of the videos members posted of different things they are doing with their dogs and noticed a lot of people use clickers.

I have a clicker and I want to use it properly so she understands the meaning of the clicker. I started out this past weekend getting the clicker "charged", but either she is very uninterested or I am not doing something right because after three different "charging" sessions (giving her 15 to 20 training treats each session), she doesn't look at me expecting a treat when she hears the click. She seems very bored by the whole process. How long does it usually take to get the clicker charged?

I don't want to give up on this thinking she isn't capable of getting the concept down of click equal treat. I know she is a smart dog that is capable of learning. I know when I was potty training her (bell trained her at the same time so she could let me know when she needed to go out), it took about two months of hard work (and the use of the Kong cheese spread as a treat for ringing the bell and going potty outside) before she finally stopped having accidents in the house and was ringing the bell consistently.

Since I don't know anything about clicker training other than what I have read online about it, I am not sure what else to do with this situation. If anyone can give me some tips on what worked for you, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Dekka]

I don't charge the clicker. Many people don't anymore, as for some dogs its hard to figure that they need to do something to earn the click when before they were random.

First off what are you using for treats. Are they super duper exciting? Are you doing this in a 'boring' area?

 

[mollygirl1975]

I am using the Blue Buffalo training bits. She LOVES those treats. I was doing the "charging" sessions in a room that was as distraction free as possible. We have two kids and another dog, so there are lots of distractions, unless we go into room with the door closed.

 

[Dekka]

Try just shaping something simple like a target and see if that works better. Some smart dogs figure out the click just happens, so they wait around.

 

[Maxy24]

Like Dekka, I don't charge a clicker by just clicking and treating. For one I don't think it's necessary, so it's a waste of treats and sessions. But also I want the dog to understand, right off the bat, that her actions control the click. That it's things she does that make you click and get her the treat. That way she knows when a training session starts she has to start doing things.

I always train a hand target first (dog pokes your hand with his nose). I's a good one to start with because it's easy for the dog to do (if you simply hold your hand out at your dog they will usually go to sniff it at which point you can click and treat). You might need to shape the dog to make more contact with your palm (at first she might only sniff near the hand and not actually push it) or might need to be sure not to click any mouthing or pawing. You'll eventually move up to having the dog follow the hand around or having to stretch or stand on hind legs to touch the hand. It's not hard and it'll be a good starting place for both of you. The other great thing about hand targeting is that the hand can later be used as a lure, you can lead the dog to spin in a circle, stand on hind legs, follow the hand onto and off of the couch, come to heel position, etc. where the hand goes dog's face will follow. You can also go on to teach the dog to target objects with his nose which will be a key first step in shaping many behaviors.


Here's a good hand targeting video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs8p4oxphrI

 

[lizzybeth727]

Another easy behavior you could teach is eye contact: when she looks you in the eye, click and treat. Very useful, and very simple.

Be careful what you're doing when you click, too. You should keep your body very still, not moving your clicker hand - besides your thumb, obviously - and especially not reaching for the treat until AFTER the click. Some people stress too much that the treat has to immediately follow the click.... It does need to come soon after the click, but a second or two is not going to ruin the association. If you're reaching for the treat at the same time or just before the click, your dog may not even notice the click if she's paying too much attention to your hand.

 

[Maliraptor]

I will third not charging the clicker. I just start, they figure it out pretty darn quick.

Is she hungry? are you doing this right after a meal?

 

[mollygirl1975]

Thanks for all the responses.

Maxy ~ I will check out that link that you posted and give hand targeting a shot.

Lizzybeth ~ I will keep in mind training for eye contact. That is one thing that I would like for her to do more often especially during high distraction areas. She gets too focused on what is going on around her and I would love for her to look at me as if to check in to see what I would like for her to do.

Maliraptor ~ All of the training sessions were either before a meal or several hours after she had already eaten.

I think I will just skip charging the clicker and just start working on the things I would like for her to learn and hopefully she will understand what the click means.

Thanks again for all the help. I really appreciate it.

 

[Maxy24]

Be careful what you're doing when you click, too. You should keep your body very still, not moving your clicker hand - besides your thumb, obviously - and especially not reaching for the treat until AFTER the click.

That's a very good point, if you are reaching for the treat before you click the dog won't notice the click at all, she'll just be paying attention to that hand reaching for the treat.

 

[ihartgonzo]

When I clicker train foster puppies, I keep a clicker and treats on me all the time. Whenever he does something I like... sit, down, make eye contact, go to his crate, go potty outside, wait for his food, etc... I click/treat. In no time, he will be offering those good behaviors without being asked to at all. It's very easy and rewarding for both of you.

Feed her one whole meal using the clicker per day. So... if her breakfast is 1 cup, give her 1-3 kibbles at a time per click. If she isn't motivated by her kibble, you can mix in a couple spoonfuls of plain meat with it (like ground turkey or beef), a little warm water, then put it in the fridge overnight.