Learning About Dogs - all about Clicker Training

Great NEW book and DVDs from Kay Laurence:

Clicker Training.
The Perfect Foundation

Selected exercises from the Clicker Trainers series to show you step-by-step progression through the essential skills as taught in the very successful courses at Wag More Barn. Broaden your skills and deepen your understanding of the key clicker principles

Available March 2007

Book £16. 2 DVDs £30. Set £40. £5 discount for early bird orders!

Using Rewards

Food

Food is a seriously important factor influencing many aspects of your dog’s life. Dogs are opportunists designed to spend most of their day hunting, scavenging and generally wondering about the next meal. If sex is not on the agenda then food certainly is.

We feed them regularly to relieve them of the anxiety of going hungry, but this doesn’t stop them valuing food very highly. Dogs have no problem overeating. “Live for the moment”, you can always throw up, bury it and eat it later on!

So we use food for two purposes:

u it acts as a strong motivator

u it adds pleasure to our training

Types of food

The training food needs to be:

u tasty, with a strong smell to motivate

u small, thumbnail sizes for an average size dog

u easily handled and stored

u gone in 3 seconds

From practice and experience we favour pre-sliced sandwich meat. Chicken is the favourite with ham, sausages or cheese as reserves. Hard cheese can be chopped up into small cubes and squeasy cheese is ideal for small dogs and puppies. Cooked liver and heart is something extra special. Save the favourite food for times when the results need to be the best, ie classes, competitions. Use the second best and reserves for every day use.

Clicker training happens throughout the day, we do not reserve it for “special times” so food needs to be prepared and easily accessible. Remember to adjust your daily meals rations to compensate for the extra protein and fat.

1. Food is delivered NOT taken. Do not let the dog “take” (or snatch) the food. Control the reward and you control the dog. Deliver it in your own time.

2. Deliver food safely. Avoid letting your fingers become part of the meal. Feed as you would a pony from the flat palm of your hand. Be safe and encourage safe habits for the dog.

3. Small lessons. Keep the learning in small “sweet” lessons not over filling the dog with too much in one go. Only 10-15 treats each time.

4. Vary the delivery. Direct from your hand or Tossed to the floor or Thrown for a catch or Placed on an object.

Using the Clicker

The clicker is a simple “noise maker” that is very consistent, unemotional and audible.

Test your clicking skills away from the dog. Using your thumb, press the end away from the tab.

You will get two clicks - one on the down press and one when you release. “Tick tock”. This is referred to as “a click”.

To begin with use your strongest hand to lure, signal the dog and toss the food, and your other hand for the clicker.

For the very sensitive dogs that jump at the sound, place a lump of Blu-tak over the dimple of the metal tongue.

1. Click marks the behaviour

Whatever you want your dog to repeat, the click will mark that behaviour - paying attention, responding to your call, sit for greeting visitors, shaking a paw etc.

2. Make a promise

For every click there will be a reward. It will be noticeable, and within 4 seconds.

3. Avoid the dog’s ears

The click is audible at quite some distance, which makes is uncomfortable and painful when clicked near the dog’s ears.

4. Treat it with value.

Do not “click away”. It is a precious sound your dog will yearn to hear, since it represents an important part of their understanding, willingness and desire to learn.

5. Make it heard, not seen

Do not click AT the dog. They learn better if listening for the click rather than watching for your hand clicking at them. No “remote control” syndromes!

WARNING

Clicker training is very addictive. You are going to have such fun and discover what a great sense of humour dogs have. They learn to make you laugh. You will find it hard to stop training and will talk clicker training to anyone that will listen boring family and friends rigid.

THAT’S when you know you are a Clicker Trainer!