OK I know I have resisted the clicker in the past, but today I started charging the clicker (as per Pippa's article) and Charlie got it immediately When fully charged I think I am going to start with Heel work as this is very important to us and to help Charlie. What do you think as I don't want to get this wrong? Thanks Helen x
Re: Charging the Clicker Ah correction, once charged I am going to hand feed Charlie to the clicker as per Heidrun's advice. Forgive me I have a lot on my plate which is overflowing at the moment or it could just be a senior ish moment Helen x
Re: Charging the Clicker How about just teaching him a simple but fun trick. It will take the pressure off you both even if it doesn't go according to plan. After all clicker training is something new to you both and takes a little practise before it will be perfect.
Re: Charging the Clicker I could try fetch a toy to start him off. In a previous post you suggested the clicker for hand feeding, do you feel this is now not a good way to start? Charlie is doing really well with hand feeding and doing simple obedience in return for his food, as you say he doesn't get something he hasn't worked for. Thanks Heidrun. Helen
Re: Charging the Clicker Well, clicker training using food as the reward is hand feeding. The clicker is simply a marker, it tells the dog exactly what he is rewarded for (but only if your timing is excellent). Have you had a look at some clicker training websites to get a feel for this training method? Like I said before, clicker training is simple but not necessary easy. It takes some practise, timing is crucial and also a little bit of understanding of the method before you start. By using Charlie' s whole daily food ration you will have many, many opportunities to train and reward the exact behaviour you want.
Re: Charging the Clicker I have read Pippa's articles on clicker training and some other websites too which all say the same, I guess it's the getting started and timing that are the most difficult, having said that, just so that I totally understand, sorry for all my questions annoying I know, sorry. When charged, I simply use Charlie's daily food ration and C&T so he doesn't have to do anything other than take the food, no obedience - nothing, not even a sit etc?? Am I misinterpreting what you say? Thanks Heidrun. Helen P.S. Feel free to have me banned from this forum for: 1. Asking sooooo many questions 2. Not quite getting it ;D ;D
Re: Charging the Clicker Ah, now I see what you mean. The charging of the clicker is there to make a link in the dog's mind between the sound of the click and the reward. Once you have charged the clicker use it as the marker for a behaviour you want to reward. No more free food for anything.
Re: Charging the Clicker Helen, I got a little tip for you with regards to clicker training the recall. Something I stumbled upon when training Murffi in the early days. Got to write it up later though, got group training myself today.
Re: Charging the Clicker Can I add a clicker question(s)......... Once you've charged your clicker how much do you need to use it to maintain the dogs understanding of what it means? Daily, weekly, 10 times a session? And can you give a food reward for verbal praise like 'good boy'? Is there anything you wouldn't use a clicker for?
Re: Charging the Clicker Once you've charged the clicker and used it successfully to teach the dog something (thereby clearly showing that the dog knows that they are working for clicks which rapidly produce treats) then you don't have to keep charging it to keep the connection clear, provided you use it regularly. If you are using it daily for training (and the dog is 'getting it') then there is no need to recharge. If it's early days in your use of the clicker and you are not using it every few days then I'd recharge with 10 straight C&T's and then do a few repetitions of something the dog knows well (using the clicker) before moving to a new behaviour. You can definitely still use a verbal marker in the same training session as a clicker, or when you don't have your clicker. They are exactly the same concept. A marker word needs to be charged too. Is best to choose a short maker word, so that it is precise (I use 'yes'). A two word phrase like 'good boy' is a bit long, IMO Plus, 'good boy' is something that lots of people might say to your dog outside a training context and with no positive consequence, which will break down its power as a marker. I use 'good boy' as a general encouragement word without a treat appearing every single time when we are doing informal things that don't need precision (e.g. he is walking on the lead nicely so he might get a 'good boy' and a treat, or in class we are practising sitting quietly while other dogs walk past repeatedly so he gets 'good boy, oh, what a good man..........going well.....good boy' (treat) '.........nice work......good man..' etc, said in a positive 'up' voice to keep his attention on me. There is nothing I would not use a clicker for, but I find that a clicker can be clumsy sometimes and I don't want an extra thing in my hand so then I use my marker word. The advantage of a clicker is that it is short & sharp, neutral and consistent. Other than that, it serves exactly the same function as a marker word.
Re: Charging the Clicker I've been clicker training my new puppy since I got him 2 weeks ago. He loves it! Progress was slow to start, mainly because my timing wasn't precise enough when I started but now it's working really well. We do 4 sessions a day, no more than 10 minutes at a time, before he loses concentration. I charge the clicker every time we start a session, it seems to help him get prepared and he knows what's coming. After a couple of clicks he's raring to go. Teach him a couple of easy commands first and then move on to more complex stuff. If he's not doing what you want him to do, do an easy command so he's successful and gets a treat, then go back to the harder command. I've seen youtube clips where people have taught their dogs all sorts of daft, pointless tricks which are very clever but I'm not interested in that. I want my lab to do what a lab is bred to do, not dancing! The important thing thing is the timing has to be absolutely precise. Get that right and you'll get amazing results. Paul
Re: Charging the Clicker Thanks Rachel and Paul. On day 2 of charging and all going well, so you can teach an old dog new tricks (2 1/2 years old)!! Helen x
Re: Charging the Clicker I have been using the clicker to improve Charlie's recall and so far so good. He is responding really well and seems to be enjoying it and he is eagerly watching me. I call 'Charlie come' when he is on his way Click and when he reaches me C&T to show him he has done the correct thing. I am training this inside, although I had two opportunities in the garden and both were successful Helen x
Re: Charging the Clicker Helen, hope you don't mind me being picky again. If you are clicking once on the return don't click again as he arrives, just give him the treat. Every click has to be accompanied by a treat even if you accidentally click or at the wrong moment or something like that, you have to follow every single click by a reward otherwise the click loses its meaning. So, the moment Charlie comes bounding back click, then the reward and plenty of verbal praise as he arrives. Hope that makes sense. PS Don't worry, he will hear the click even at a distance, dog's hearing is amazingly good.
Re: Charging the Clicker Heidrun, you are not being picky at all just helpful and lets face it I need all the help I can get with this boy of mine I will do exactly that from now on. Again many thanks. Helen
Re: Charging the Clicker Helen, I found this article really interesting. Apart from explaining where people sometimes go wrong with clicker training it also explores using the dog's prey drive to your advantage. In a previous thread I was suggesting this to you, to give Charlie the opportunity to flush if he has sat nicely and promptly (on the long lead so that you can prevent a full blown chase) rather than always stopping him or making him walk past birds etc. Interesting reading I thought. http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/shoddy-clicker-training-and-importance-premack
Re: Charging the Clicker The article in dog star daily is excellent. It is also well worth visiting the Kikopup site Helen, there are so many good videos there. And I put this up today: Using event markers in dog training. Might help a bit. Pippa
