Clicker Training?
I've been starting to do a little research on clicker training. Do any of you guys use it? Is it working? Do you always need to carry a clicker around? I'd really like to hear what some of the more experienced nihon ken owners think about it since we're pretty much noobs. I've noticed a boost in Katsu's confidence since we've started obedience class and I want to keep building on that.
joe
joe
Comments
CLICKER TRAINING IS BRILLIANT!
I keep a jar of clickers in my kitchen for a reason. Just find a trainer who really knows how to do it. It is a really subtle art, but worth the effort.
All my training with Kuma has been done with clicker training. I also have a lot of clickers in my kitchen. It is the fastest and easier way to teach a dog how to do something. Once they have learned it, I don't carry the clicker around (unless I was trying to perfect the movement). But I definitely think it is a must for training all types of dogs. It really works and the dog learns that it is FUN!
Here is a great site which will walk you thru how to train different levels of behavior from simple to difficult. This women is very well known and very well thought of in the clicker community.
http://www.dragonflyllama.com/ DOGS/ Dog1/levels.html
And just for kicks, here is the hardest thing I taught Kuma to do, mainly because he was deathly afraid of the device from the beginning (let alone when the bell rang...that sent him into the next room). But by breaking it into steps and using the clicker/treat method, he learned that in reality, it wasn't so bad and he got yummy treats! I do NOT think that I could have trained him to do what he does in the video without clicker training.
Also, all of his obedience was trained and further refined (ie, correct positioning) by clicker training.
She also made a video to Intro Clicker Training that you can view HERE
And this is a video she made with a 13 week Catahoula she rescued from the shelter, showing how to teach "down" using clicker training. You can view it HERE
Hope that helps and gives you a visual of how it works.
Haru and I swear by it.
http://www.clickertraining.com/
Good luck Joe! It is fun and easy. Just remember, you have to have good patience at first and wait for the dog to offer the behavior. :-)
Kuma's training has been all done with clicker and it was the best decision I ever made about that. To answer your question, no you don't have to always have a clicker on you. With time, the amount of times you click and reward a behaviour decrease, as your dog gets more and more conditioned to that behaviour.
As an example, we used to click and reward Kuma for every single time he sat. After a few days/weeks, it started to be every 3 or 4 "sits", then it became 6 or 7, then it started to be a random thing (click reward the 9th time, then the 5th after that and so on). I don't remember exactly how long it took, but I think after 2 months or even less, I wasn't even clicking a sit anymore, and I never did after that, and Kuma's sit is quite good (it might be a little slow sometimes, because he can be a bit stubborn, but he always delivers). This example is valid for everything we taught Kuma. I don't use my clicker anymore, unless I want to teach something new or do some freshening up on old stuff.
We used positive reinforcement which lead to clicker training which now lead to Natural Dog Training... training is so much fun now!
Good luck! Finding a trainer who will train you to clicker train is a Godsend!
I don't carry a clicker around. I don't take it out too often, actually, but I looove it for sticky situations.
So, is your sequence for clicker training hand motion, verbal cue, click, treat?
Or, as stated in The Culture Clash verbal cue (wait a full second), hand signal, click and treat, then treat?
Is it all just preference?
Does that make sense?
For simplicity sake though here it is in a nutshell:
Be sure you "charge the clicker" first....i.e. dog is familiar in deciphering what the clicker is all about.
Phases would be somewhat like this:
I -> Lure (or "capture" your choice) -> gain appropriate motion response by dog -> click -> slight pause and treat.
II -> visual signal -> lure -> gain appropriate motion response by dog -> click -> slight pause and treat.
II -> Fade the lure, instead use verbal @ same time as visual signal -> gain appropriate motion response by dog -> click -> slight pause and treat.
I would not attempt to do all three in one session or two sessions. Work on it a bit at a time for each behavior you want to work on.
PS: You will drop luring altogether as soon as the behavior is pretty fluid with visual signal. Also be sure to have your vocabulary (name for behaviors) already in mind well ahead of time (personal dictionary so to speak) for training. The first letters in a verbal cue is the most important, so avoid similarities in sound and or letters.
If you have not found them yet, Karen Pryor also has resources and you can down load bits and pieces for view as you are ready. clickertraining.com
Have fun! : )
Snf
Should we wait until they look at you and treat? Or move the treat towards your eyes after the dog does the action?
It is also helpful to teach a "watch me" command. Hold the food to the side arm straight out and wait until the dog looks at your face, then click and treat. At first it will be just a blink or even slight head turn, it does not have to be perfect, click and treat for the slight action. It happens fast so you should be able to capture that really quickly.
Vary sessions with play on fuzzy toy and with treats as well.
Snf