I'm posting this because I'm totally impressed - my mum has a cocker pup who is gorgeous but a little unruly.  I've known the pup since maybe 10 weeks or however many is OK to be rehomed (owner was strict).  The pup was totally outrageous, as pups are, my dog Copper has accepted him from the start with his own doggy reservations.  Pup has been a complete bonkers pup and delightful but mum has started training him with a clicker.  I am amazed.  The dog responds totally ( albeit for a food treat).  I tried copper but he's not convinced but  I think  it might work.  Anyone else a fan of clickers?

CG

You may find that Copper is worried by the noise, which would be why he's not 100% enthralled with it at the moment.  Try putting the clicker in a coat pocket, or wrapping it in a handkercheif and see if this makes a difference.

My current dog has been totally clicker trained with some degree of success I believe............. :D

Why do you say "albeit for a food treat"?  Do you go to work for nothing? Neither do dogs!

The dog gets reinforced for doing something right (with food, toy, etc) and ignored if it makes a mistake; hence the dog ALWAYS wants to learn and is motivated to try and get it right.

The clicker is not a magic wand you need to prime the dog first in other words click and treat for no reason so that the dog always associates the click with something it wants then get the behaviour, mark it and reinforce it.  Dead simple for both dog and owner!

If the dog is sound sensitive, use the i-click, put elastoplast on clicker, put in pocker or use ball point pen.

Started using the clicker on the last but one pup and I am totaly hooked, it took me a while to get the timing correct and to remember to keep my mouth shut, but yes it works a treat and is so painless for both the animal being trained and the trainer.

Tohme, you are right, mum clicks but doesn't always treat.  And it seems to be working.  Pup hears the click, comes to her, sits and doesn't always get anything except a wee clap.  But he now always comes to the click, sits and waits.

Copper has watched this.  When the pup runs for a treat, so does he.  But I don't treat Cops.  I've tried to treat Copper separately to the click but he's a bit too cute - definitely room for improvement on mine and his part!  But I  do  believe this could work.

CG

Nooooo nonono....

The click should ALWAYS be followed by a treat, so that the click always means 'thats spot on'.

If you want to improve the behaviour, withhold the CLICK, not the treat, or you will make the click less meaningful. (if you went to work and only SOMETIMES got paid, you wouldnt go!)

Em

The clicker means only 3 things:

it tells the dog it was right
it tells the dog a treat is coming
it tells the dog the behaviour is over

you can treat without clicking but you can NEVER click without treating; a click is a promise; if you renege on that promise you are lying to your dog; it will no trust you.

Also be sure what exactly you are clicking for and why wait for the dog to come to you, throw the food to the dog!

I think you're using the clicker as an 'attention getter' rather than a reward marker if that's how you're doing it Copper_Girl.  It might be working for a recall, but clicker used as a marker is a lot more flexible than that - and if you think clicker is great for what you've done so far - you wait until you're using clicker in the way it was developed :)

Digger is right, you click the behaviour you want, it is not used instead of a command!

Get a book such as a cheap one by Elizabeth Kershaw or Sarah Whitehead to start you off correctly they are only about £4.00

Yes :) many owners do use the clicker as a sort of recall sound; one lady i know used this very successfully on her previously badly treated dog who had been beaten for not recalling so she needed a totally different sound to those he was used to.

But the classic way is to use it to "mark" a correct behaviour - so your dog does what is required, you can then click and treat. Purists "shape" but many choose to "lure" and then click and treat :)

The thing i love about clicker training is that you can use phrases such as "wrong" said calmly, (this should be used pretty sparingly) and my favourite which is "try again". I love that and now my girl understands this phrase even in other areas of her life, not just training. I believe she knows what it means which is just amazing to me.

But the main thing about it is that it is great fun.

Pets at home do a great little booklet by Sarah Whitehead for about £5 which goes wiht a clicker, teaches the basics needed.

Lindsay
X

Snap, Tohme! :D

Thanks all!  I think one day all of your advice will produce a perfect dog, if not a perfect owner :D  I'm afraid after all this time, I'm still a big learner.  But I intend to succeed so I'll  let you all know.  I do think that Copper wants to be a success with me because the way he looks at me somtimes I think HE knows what we should do, but I'm the one that's falling down somewhere. 

CG

If you take that attitude Copper_girl, you're pretty close to becoming the perfect owner :)

I totally agree with digger!! :D
I am also a big fan of clicker training i taught a italian Spinonie to sit within a hour using the clicker and she was really naughty!!! :D :D :D

Hope everything goes well for you copper.

luv sarah xxxx

I don't know if it will help, if you already have a clicker, but mine, the Multi-Clicker (TM) has a sound adjustment so that you can set it to quiet clicks if your dog is nervous of the sound.  Might help your older dog who is nervous of the noise the clicker makes.

Where did you get that from?As ive just started to today to train my dog to behave in the car and she not that keen on the loudness of the clicker so i had to put it in my pocket to muffle the noise. It would be really handy to have a clicker like that.

sarah xxxx

http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/clicker.php
http://www.traininglines.org.uk/clicker_info.htm

The mega click, i-click, whizz click etc are all variations on a theme

Thanks tohme :D

I never worked much with my Chihuahuas. I decided I better get with it. So, I used a clicker to teach them to sit and down. And it only took them about 5 minutes. Yes, they know what that sound means and the click just exactly marks what you like if you time it just right. It is more precise. I just forget to use it sometimes or take it with me. Sometimes I have too much going on with my hands and am too uncoordinated to do it all. LOL. So, I don't use it very consistantly.

But the trouble with Jose, my Chi mix, food obsessive compulsive dog is that if he so much as hears me pick it up and it jingles a bit on the little hanger thingy, he gets all excited for treats and so then it's acting more like a lure or bribe. And I don't much like that idea. And that's because if I'm wanting him to come across the yard to my command, "come," I want to be able to click and reward him for it....trouble is, if he already knows I have the clicker, he's already here, right in front of me and I didn't get the opportunity to test him out. Do you know what I mean? He's so sharp and alert that I find it difficult to sneak anything past him. That boy has a lot of brains for such a small package. The purebred Chi girl is definitely not the brightest bulb on the tree, but she makes up for it with her willingness to please....too cute.

My Lab is long since trained and never forgets anything....a little lax lately, but that's the old lady complex. "I've lived longer than you honey and I'll do things my way." LOL

My Dobe just trains up so easily that I haven't even used the clicker much on him. I forget. He just kind of gets things easily and right away. That's with obedience or just learning skill type things. I think I need to use it though on bratty puppy behavior stuff. What he does which is the worst thing is pesters the other dogs like a mosquito flying around your head at night. That's the one thing that I'd like to see stop. But he just wants to play and they don't.

So, any brilliant ideas are always good. Now don't make fun of me about my non-perfect, sometimes lazy training skills with my motley crew of 4.  LOL. Or you won't get clicked or treated!

Carrie

If you can get a group of mad dog owners or people together it's good fun doing clicker training with yourselves to start off with so that you know that you are going to click at the right time with your dog.  You send the person out of the room and decide on something that you want them to do i.e. pick up the telephone.  It's like playing hotter and hotter, if they are going towards the right direction you click them to say that they are going in the right direction etc.   It's good fun, well especially when you've had a few drinks to help you on the way :d

I only started clicker training just about 8 months ago and it's brilliant.

Oh gosh!!! That does sound like good fun. Yes, a few drinks would make it even better. LOL. I'm going to try that game next time I'm at the local pub. Thanks for the idea. Plus, like you say it gives you practice on clicking at the right times. Then you don't mess with your dog's mind once you get it down pat.

Thanks.

Carrie

The 'training game' is excellent! It should be compulsory! It demonstrates just how easy it is for us to give the wrong message - and also shows how very hard dogs have to concentrate to try to work out what the heck it is we do want them to do.

I use it at work for Team Leader Training in one of my custom workshops on Communication and Feedback.