Started clicker training yesterday

[K9soul]

I went ahead and bought a clicker a couple days ago and began with introduction training yesterday, which is basically click, treat, click, treat. I did two sessions yesterday and two today, each time with about 25 bean-sized treats. Here is my experience so far:

With Tommy: Wonderful. He was a bit startled and jumpy at first with the "pop" sound but he quickly tied it in with tasty treats and he is an extremely enthusiastic student. I did the two sessions yesterday of just introduction, click, treat, click treat. Two different times with about 25 bite sized treats each. Today earlier, I did a session with eye contact, holding the treat up to my face and clicking as he looked at me and then rewarding. This afternoon I began holding the treat out to the side, and the moment he looked at me instead of the treat, I clicked and rewarded. He picked it up so fast that he was getting rewarded for looking at me and not the treat. He couldn't help watching as I held the treat out but the last half of the session he would watch me hold it out, then look back at me after a second or two without me saying his name or anything to grab his attention. He's loving the whole thing, thinks it is loads of fun.

With Tasha: Not so great so far. She's always been a flighty girl, and that pop makes her jump every time. She trembles and tries to go hide. She ignored the treats I had at first, until I switched to cheese cut up into little tidbits. I have just kept up with the first introductory exercise with her. The last session I did today, I think I finally saw some improvement. At first as soon as I started getting out the treats, she was interested but also cringing and slinking around. I try to keep the clicker in my pocket and click it from there to keep it a bit more muffled until she can get more accustomed to it. I also started adding enthusiastic praise with each treat which seems to help a bit. I just don't want training sessions to turn into something fearful for her, but I think if I just keep it up she'll desensitize to it. It didn't help at first that Tommy, who I had closed upstairs, could still hear his crying all the way downstairs because he felt left out. This afternoon I put him outside and I think she was a bit less nervous not hearing his crying.

I'm very excited about Tommy with this, and a little anxious with Tasha. I want to be sure and be persistent yet not forceful with her in any way. I hope I'm doing the right thing but if anyone has other suggestions I'm all ears.

After a search on the net I see a book called "Click For Joy" that has high reviews and I'm thinking of getting that.

[guster girl]

Hey, I just started clicker training with my 7-week-old lab, Finn. I've been using hotdog cut up into tiny pieces. He's crazy about the clicker! I think it's a great concept, and, if you can give me any hints, maybe we can help eachother out! Good luck!

[jenfer]

Me too have started Clicker Training too. I taught Gigi "hand" on Monday and she still keep offering her hand to me when she saw me in my "training mood". heehee... I love CT, the idea just made sense and Gigi loves it, she even tries to take the clicker from me...maybe she thinks if she got it she can get all the treat she wants. Me too cut treats in tiny pieces... I even use part of her dinner as treat, so we can do training and dinner and fun at the same time.

I got the other book, I think it's called Click with the dog, step by step... something like that. It has picture and show you steps to achieve the task, quite good. And I also got "Clicker Magic" with Karen Pryor (who started the whole CT thing). Both items are great.

[K9soul]

Hi there guster girl!

I imagine it's even easier to start out with one so young. I imagine Finn will really pick up on it fast. I think it's going to take longer to get Tasha accustomed to it than it would have if I had started with her as a baby. Tommy already really loves it. He gets so excited when he realizes we are going to do a session.

I just hope I can get Tasha to be the same way.

Just saw Jenfer reply too. I know the next time I get a puppy I will begin immediately with the clicker. I wish I had known more about it or thought about it more back then, but until I came here I never realized how wonderfully it worked.

[jenfer]

I think as long as your doggie is food-motivated it should not be too hard. As I can "see" Gigi looking for my click. So much fun.

[guster girl]

Originally posted by K9soul
Hi there guster girl!

Hello! Yeah, Finn seems to be picking up on the clicker training really well. I'd like to get a couple of books on the subject, though. Just to learn as much as I can. I'm already looking into puppy classes. I'm not a huge fan of Petco, but, I may join their kindergarten classes just so Finn can meet other puppies in a controlled environment. And, their classes are pretty inexpensive. I'm trying to get him to learn hand signals, too. He's so smart, I can't wait!

[Holly's mom]

After a search on the net I see a book called "Click For Joy" that has high reviews and I'm thinking of getting that

Hi K9soul,

I have the book "Click for Joy" and it is wonderful! After reading your post, I looked up "fear of the clicker" , there was an example of a dog that had this fear as Tasha seems to have, and the trainer advised the owner to put some adhesive tape over the clicker, then put your hand with the clicker in your pocket and click while it is in your pocket. This muffles the sound.

This is an excellent book full of very useful information. I also have the book "Clicking with your Dog" by Peggy Tillman, which is very good also.

I started clicker training Holly about a year ago. When I first introduced the clicker, she caught on very fast, and was just delirious with joy. After the first introductory session, we took a break and I went downstairs to do some stuff on the computer. She came down with me and she sat by me and kept staring at my hand that was on the computer mouse. I finally figured out the when I was "clicking" on the mouse, she thought I had the clicker! She knows the difference now, of course, but I thought it was cute.

[tatsxxx11]

I did clicker training with my Lab Star and being the VERY food motivated doggie that she is, it worked fabulously! Our trainer said that it is important to use something extra, extra special as the treat, just not some kibble or piece of biscuit or something she normally gets as a treat. She suggested using hot dog, dehydrated pieces! You can do that in the microwave. Cut up 1/2 long pieces and cook them for several minutes. It removes a lot of the unwanted fat and is a lot less messy! I think you're really going to enjoy the clicker training, Guster and Jessica! I'll bet Tasha will come around before long!

[Shelteez2]

Isn't clicker training great!!!

I found that Clipse picked up on it first. Emily had been trained traditionally and she had to get over the fact that she was allowed to think for herself, not being told what to do. Now that's she's caught on though she's faster at offering me behaviors.

I have Karen Pryor's Dont Shoot the Dog, which is allright, but a little dry. I also have Morgan Spector's Clicker Training for Obedience, which is great but it's geared towards competition obedience.

A few suggestions for getting Tasha over the fear of the clicker is to roll it up (with your hand) in a sweat shirt, layer the back with tape (as someone else mentioned), or you could use something else that isn't as loud as the clicker. Two things that come to mind are a pen, and a juice lid (you know those metal lids that come on glass juice jars??).

Here also are a couple of links to clicker training sites.

Karen Pryor's site...
Clicker Training Basics

Clicker Solutions

Good luck and happy clicking!!

[K9soul]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking if she doesn't start showing some improvement in the next couple of days, I may purchase a second clicker and muffle it with tape or something as suggested and use that for her. The one I bought was "Quick Click" by PetSafe/Triple Crown Products.

Tasha is interested in food but if she's upset she's a lot less likely to be persuaded by a treat than Tommy. She huddles against me shaking like a leaf. She's my little drama queen

Tommy is so thrilled with it that I just can't wait to work with him more. Goldens are already so eager and easy to work with in training and I think he will do beautifully with it.

Thanks much for the links and book references

[guster girl]

Originally posted by tatsxxx11
She suggested using hot dog, dehydrated pieces! You can do that in the microwave. Cut up 1/2 long pieces and cook them for several minutes. It removes a lot of the unwanted fat and is a lot less messy!

That's a good idea! Cuz the hotdogs are gross feeling. I've been online for awhile trying to find training tips on frisbee catching! I'm also checking out agility and flyball. Dock diving sounds awesome, too, though! I'm sure we'll pick a favorite, though! I can't wait to get finn to the water.

[K9soul]

Well, Day 3 of clicker training, still doing 2 sessions each, both around the same times of day. I'm wrapping the clicker in a dish cloth for Tasha's session. She's not trembling anymore or running panicked to the end of her leash, but she doesn't like it still. I can get her to eat dry treats now (I have some Charlie Bear liver bite sized treats at the moment that they seem to really like). She also doesn't jump with each click now, but like I said she still doesn't like it. I clicked it once and rewarded when she looked at me and she quit looking at me after that .

Still, some progress is better than none, so compared to yesterday:

She eats the treats with more enthusiasm
She doesn't tremble and try to escape
She doesn't jump in startlement with the clicks

I'm wondering how long I should keep up with the introductory phase, I don't want to try to train with it when she still doesn't like the pop, but I'm somewhat afraid she'll just never be thrilled with the clicker. Maybe I should wait until I have some particularly exciting treats like the hot dogs suggested, but I did use some bits of turkey cold cuts this morning. She got a bit over exuberant with taking the treats and was getting my fingers a bit when she grabbed them. I had to work with her for a moment or two to get her to be more gentle with taking it by not giving it to her if she "bit" my fingers with it.

Tommy is just whipping through the exercises with flying colors. This morning I did the "look at me and not the treat I'm holding out" exercise and he got that down very well. He already automatically sits when he's about to get a treat so this afternoon, I just started walking around with him on the leash and then when I stopped, he would sit and I would click and reward.

After the sessions when I'm rubbing him down and excitedly telling him how good he is, he just wriggles and grins with pure joyfulness. He just absolutely loves the whole thing.