Zander Chronicles: Clicker

[Alisa]

I have never done clicker training so this is a new experience for me. I pretty much fell in love with the method right away. It takes only 2-3 minutes to learn a new behavior. I am running out of things to train. Help! Some of the stuff is too early to attempt so I have to come up with something puppy simple and ADD proof. So no long down stays, tight heeling yet. Any ideas? I am collecting fun things to train. We are done w/sit, stand, lay down, come, crate and “pee/poop” commands. If I keep exercising them Zander will declare me retarded.

Oh, and BTW I am making a transition from clicker to SATS – just borrowed the Intermittent Bridge concept from them for now. Makes a lot of sense when you can actually tell the dog that he is on the right path to the behavior you want and tell him when he is going the wrong direction. Not sure yet about their Target System, it is probably more useful for dolphins or Freestyle dance dogs (or whatever the proper term is), but I would definitely try that too if someone can tell me what SAR skill to teach with it

[bhekadawn]

I'm for clicker training all the way. Like you said, I new behavior can be trained in a matter of minutes. It is great. I started with the old style clicker, then moved to the clicker style with the button that this protruding. I just found out about a new clicker that you wear like a ring and has several different sounds. I found that the protruding button type clicker gave me too many inappropriate clicks.( Noth'n like screw'n with a dog's head when you're teaching him) So I'm now thinking of changing to this new type.
I'll report back when I track one of these babies down.

[ronstout]

I tried the clicker method. In fact, this was started by two friends of mine as well. Our goals were similar and we all have been friends for more than 20 years, so we all know each other pretty well.

I guess there were some differences in our breeds.

Bottom line, I hated the it and was nearly driven close to the breaking point by the constant clickity-click-click. One of my friends was 'fried' by the process not long after me, but the other loves it and continues to this day. God bless her. I suppose she has a hearing problem and that infernal noise is somehow filtered out.

I can't say for sure, but close in time proximity, she had maritial problems and the two 'sub-adult' cubs {children} chose to live with the erstwhile husband (father) and the group of three left the house to mom and a cadre of click-crazed dogs.

One aged family pet went with the children, which could'nt take the clicking either. Throughout any training of any co-stressees, the old dog would bark itself to near slobbering coma. In fairness, the old dog has 'eaten' a few vacuum cleaners over the years, so....

Bottom line, if you and your family can stand it and it works for you...have at it. To be fair, I know several people who use this training tool with great succeess...so...if it works for you...fine.

I still like the good 'ol tried and true physical/verbal reward and correction method.

I some times hunt with 4 or 5 other folks ( including both friends mentioned above).

She looks kinda' silly when we all resort to our individual methods of calling dogs in. I use a police whistle, as do two others. One guy blows his truck horn and another uses a steer horn.

We joke that out nutty friend might as well get a bull penis cane to whirl it around in the wind to get their dogs attention from a couple miles away in these mountains.

This is the unadulterated truth...I can provide witnesses....(not about the bull peni'.

ESQ

[gundermann]

It seems to work for some dogs and not others. My aunt tried it on a dog she rescued from the pound but the clicking scared the dog. She gave it to me so of course I had to see how my dogs would react. They assumed it was something alive in my hand that needed to be killed. That was the end of the clicker.
Rob

[bhekadawn]

I haven't been here in some time to see what has been said about clicker training. I use Ian Dunbars method, so the clicker is only used for a very short time. Just to mark a behavior. Nothing like I am interpreting above (long term use).
Usually, I can have a new behavior down within a couple of days (ie. Lowboi just learned to pick up his leash when I drop it and give it back to me). After the basics are learned, then verbal and hand signals only are necessary.
But, like has been said before in other posts. Use what works best for you.

[jsf13]

Did a little research on clicker training and thought it was a neat coincidence that a picture of an Airedale was being used.

www.clickertrain.com/getstarted.html

[toon]

Alisa, a "go to place/mat/spot/crate" and "target/touch it" are both good exercises. I have taught both of my cats to target two outstretched fingers on either hand, they will come touch with their nose and follow the fingers around. I can effectively call my cats when they are in line of sight with this method, but I have yet to pair it with a verbal cue (gotta work on that!)

Another good one is "watch me" or "look at that." In the first case, you click for eye contact, then prolong the time it is held. For "look at that" you click when the dog notices something like another dog, the cats walking by, a person on a bike, etc. Anything that you would rather not want your dog to become afraid of/nervous around/aggressive towards.

As for fun, "Give me five" is a breeze (my calico has it down pat). Also roll over, play dead/BANG (dog flops over), hide your face, give me your paw, other paw, beg, spin, bark on command, shush on command.

Are you familiar with Karen Pryor? I would love to know more about the SAT method you mentioned.

[shawnboryca]

Can you get these dogs to attack when they hear the click -- that would be kind of cool.

[jsf13]

Feb 25, 2009 12:31:45 GMT -5 shawnboryca said:

Can you get these dogs to attack when they hear the click -- that would be kind of cool.

Thanks for my laugh today. I needed that.

[shawnboryca]

I'd love to see one of these professional dog trainers try to train my Blackmouth cur. This do is a homicidal maniac, he has bitten everyone I know including me. but he is the best hog dog

[dansss]

I'm curious. Whenever I read about clicker training I see people refer to teaching behaviors.
In your belief when training are you only teaching behaviors? Is there not anything else happening?

[wayne]

I'm training my 8 month old Airedale. I'm considering buying the book Positive Gun Dog Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds and using thisto start her training. Have you ever heard of this or do you know anyone that had tried it? What kind of real world success have they had?
Now that some time has gone by, what do you think of clicker training? Does your dog "remember" all of the tricks that you taught him/her?

[phil]

Wayne, Clicker training for gun dogs may be a very good way to introduce a shy or passive dog to yard work, and have done so at times over the years in my business. However my goal is just that to introduce the dog to certain aspects of the work they will ultimately have to be doing. Those aspects such as the training table, the chase pen, ect.
I will want to wean the dog offf the clicker and subsitiute the whistle once in the field this will allow for proper range of hunting, come-in, sit, retrieving behaviors. Trust me when the wind is blowing 35 mph and dog is upwind he is not going to here clicker, unless he is a boot licker and right there in your shadow.
a great read on dog training would be
Wm Dobson "Kunopaedia, A practical essay on Breaking or Training the English Spaniel or Pointer"
Dobson's fundamentals are still working today 200 years later.

Hal