Refreshing my clicker training

Selina27

Selina27

Location
Herefordshire, UK
I'm going to be spending quite a few weeks this summer in my new role as minder for the 3 Labs and 1 JR that I posted about recently and think it would be fun to try and do some clicker training with the golden dog Oddy, who is about 5 . He is the most lovely natured bright boy who I think will enjoy it, plus it I will too!
First though I need to ask the owners if it is ok with them.
And I also need to remind myself how to go about it - any tips welcome.
I found this page on the PDSA site, it looks ok, but does anyone have any thoughts to offer?
www.pdsa.org.uk

Clicker training your dog

Learn how to start clicker training your dog.
www.pdsa.org.uk www.pdsa.org.uk
 
edzbird

edzbird

Location
Isle of Man
Selina27 said:
I'm going to be spending quite a few weeks this summer in my new role as minder for the 3 Labs and 1 JR that I posted about recently and think it would be fun to try and do some clicker training with the golden dog Oddy, who is about 5 . He is the most lovely natured bright boy who I think will enjoy it, plus it I will too!
First though I need to ask the owners if it is ok with them.
And I also need to remind myself how to go about it - any tips welcome.
I found this page on the PDSA site, it looks ok, but does anyone have any thoughts to offer?
www.pdsa.org.uk

Clicker training your dog

Learn how to start clicker training your dog.
www.pdsa.org.uk www.pdsa.org.uk
Click to expand...
Excellent.

My initial "charging" I only use 10 treats then stop. Then repeat some time later, maybe 3 or 4 times. By then it's set in with my two. Also, when I've introduced clicker training to my dogs who both know stuff already, as I'm sure Oddy will, once I've "charged the clicker", I use it to mark some simple tasks like "sit" - so the dog gets an idea that the click is marking the desired response.
Also, 10 or 15 minutes seems rather long. Little and often has worked for us. I tend to keep it to 10 treats maximum, less if it's a difficult task. Meg especially really benefits from having time to process what she's just done.

Good luck, it will be huge fun.
 
Selina27

Selina27

Location
Herefordshire, UK
edzbird said:
Excellent.

My initial "charging" I only use 10 treats then stop. Then repeat some time later, maybe 3 or 4 times. By then it's set in with my two. Also, when I've introduced clicker training to my dogs who both know stuff already, as I'm sure Oddy will, once I've "charged the clicker", I use it to mark some simple tasks like "sit" - so the dog gets an idea that the click is marking the desired response.
Also, 10 or 15 minutes seems rather long. Little and often has worked for us. I tend to keep it to 10 treats maximum, less if it's a difficult task. Meg especially really benefits from having time to process what she's just done.

Good luck, it will be huge fun.
Click to expand...
Thank you Sue, that's all really helpful xx
Erm.. I don't think he knows much at all, but something about him tells me he'd like the learning xx
 
Joy

Joy

Location
East Sussex
This sounds really good fun. I used a clicker a lot both with Molly and the 2 borrowed dogs in the early stages but have somehow let it lapse. I might revive it now that I"m working on doing things working on the right with Rajah. I think the PDSA article pretty much has it covered. Keep us posted.
 
Selina27

Selina27

Location
Herefordshire, UK
Day 3 of clicker training Oddy - so far I have done 3 x 10 treats to "charge" the clicker, this morning he was visibly excited when he saw me pick it up so I'm thinking I will progress to "sit" as descibed in the above link. It is something he "kind of" knows.
But he doesn't give me eye contact, his focus is clearly on my hands and treat delivery. So I'm wondering if I should start by asking this, any thoughts would be welcome!
 
edzbird

edzbird

Location
Isle of Man
I must admit, don't look for eye contact. I must have forgotten that long ago. But then again, the click/treat is for the action. I think click/eye contact/treat could maybe muddy the process.. I don't know.
 
Selina27

Selina27

Location
Herefordshire, UK
edzbird said:
I think click/eye contact/treat could maybe muddy the process.. I don't know.
Click to expand...
I was thinking reward for the eye contact.
But perhaps it doesn't matter. I guess I'm just so used to it with Cass, and reward her for doing so in potentially distracting situations like when another dog is walking towards on the street. But will only be having fun in the garden with Oddy, and maybe work towards clicker retrieve.
 
Anne123

Anne123

Location
Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
I don't know what I should do. As it was for Odin I would reward for eye contact, as he is very focussed on food. He let his belly speak and doesn't let his brain work.....
I think it's a combination that works. Let the reward come from high up, so from under your chin so that the eycontact is there too....
 
Joy

Joy

Location
East Sussex
I think I would separate clicking for eye contact from clicking for sit (or any other behaviour). You could make your criteria for the click 'sit while making eye contact' but for a dog new to clicker training, I think it would be easier to train eye contact first and then decide if you want any particular sort of sit, such as sit with eye contact, and then train that. If the dog already has sit on verbal cue it might be better to train a new behaviour with the clicker.
 
Selina27

Selina27

Location
Herefordshire, UK
I've been back house sitting Oddy and friends, and this time I decided to follow @Joy s suggestion to teach something new with the clicker and started hand touch with him last week. For all what appears to be general bonkersness and exuberant high spirits he does love to be around the people that are with him and seems to be heavily loaded with "retriever" instincts. He loves to parade around with shoes and slippers. He (and his mum) get terrifically excited if I take a dummy on a walk and I think I will do the clicker retrieve with him to see if I can get him to deliver nicely to hand. Hence starting hand touch, as this was really helped with Cassie learning to do so.
He's getting the idea quite nicely. I have found that keeping my clicker hand and treat bag behind my back really helps. This way, he does seem to focus more on me, giving eye contact rather than anticipating his reward. I can now give him the verbal cue "touch" and he will touch the palm of my hand if I hold it just in front of me. So now I will start moving my hand slightly and build it up that way.

He did do gundog training as a youngster, so the basics are in there!
 
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