# Clicker Training Advice



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Hi!

Do not give him a command at all- not until he is doing the behavior for you in a reliable way. I know this is very confusing. I highly suggest reading Karen Pryor's website (google clicker training and it's prob the first one- or don't shot the dog... that's her book). Also consider ordering one of her clicker kits. It's very confusing to new comers. Once you get how it works, it's a magical tool, though!


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Your first step is to load the clicker. Simply sit down with a bunch of tiny cut up treats and click/treat, click/treat over and over... do that in several sessions for a few days before working on commands.


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## thegoldenjoyride (Dec 18, 2005)

How does clicker training work exactly? I have googled a bit but it all doesn't make much sense to me. How is it different from treats (other than that one uses a clicker and the other uses treats). My dog isn't food motivated (outside the house, she is in her own world) so I am not at all concerned with her taking food from strangers :bowl: Teach sit, for example: you give a command then you reward. How does that work with a clicker? :gotme:


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

when my nails dry i'll try to explain it


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I am new to clicker training about 4 weeks and am totally amazed at what I learned in Puppy Kindergarten so far. I previously was a disbeliever.

The clicker takes the place of saying "Good Dog". With the clicker, it is faster and more accurrate to "click" on a proper movement, such as sit. Guide the dog to sit, exactly when the dog sits, you click then give the treat. Once he has mastered the sit, the command is added, still clicking and treating.

From what I am learning, any movement your dog does, can be eventually done on command by using the clicker method. It opens the doors to so much more than just sit, stay, and come.

AquaClaraCanines has more experience with this, so I am sure she could tell you more.

As for your dog not being food motivated, I train on an empty stomach, I use very yummy treats (hot dogs, cheese, cooked chicken, etc.) My instructor also said variety helps, too.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Oops my nails are dry and I'd forgotten about this thread. I am leaving it open while I eat dinner and then responding!!!


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

Some reading here...

ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- A Clicker Training Primer

and lots of other interesting links on the page before...
ClickerSolutions Training Articles Contents

Hope it helps!


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

theratthouse said:


> How does clicker training work exactly? I have googled a bit but it all doesn't make much sense to me. How is it different from treats (other than that one uses a clicker and the other uses treats). My dog isn't food motivated (outside the house, she is in her own world) so I am not at all concerned with her taking food from strangers :bowl: Teach sit, for example: you give a command then you reward. How does that work with a clicker? :gotme:


Note: I am not an expert. I do not have dogs with any title higher than a CD, and I am not a professional. I rarely enter shows because of financial limitations. I have, however, wasted more hours than I should publically admit teaching my pet dogs countless fun and useless behaviors.


The clicker is a *marker* and what this means is once you load the clicker (see my above post about that) the dog knows click means treat. THEN you can click any behavior you want repeated. The timing of the treat is of no real importance once the dog is loaded. The timing of the click is EVERYTHING...

May I repeat...

*The timing of the click is EVERYTHING!!!!*

Once your dog "gets" the concept, you will be amazed.

I personally start with something really basic- watch me, our touch my hand with the nose.

I like this one:

You need the following:

A clicker
Yummy food chopped in small pieaces
A hungry dog who has been loaded on the clicker

Put the food in a dish or something on a nearby surface. Unleash the dog- work indoors. Hold the clicker in one hand. Hold out your other hand. When the dog sniffs (as he invariably will), click. Do it again. Usually within about five clicks the dog is shoving it's nose into my hand. If the dog doesn't get it, I sometimes put a treat inside a closed fist to lure him into touching or sniffing the hand, but I rarely have to do that. 

Once your dog is shoving his nose to your hand with zest, start saying "touch!" before he does it. Viola! Your dog has just been clicker trained a new command. I have taught this to probably close to 50 dogs, sometimes on our first meeting after a few loading sessions. 

If the dog starts mouthing or anything else you don't want, shrug and say "nope, sorry" and wait until he does the one you DO want. Dogs will start offering behaviors like mad once they get it. It's a beautiful thing!

Some folks don't like to start with touch, but it's a fairly easy one IMO. Some people start with watch me/attention. VERY clickable and important if you plan to do obedience work.


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

Im definitely no pro either but have used clickers on both my dogs for a while now...Im just going to add in a little video that may help...(sorry its not of a golden!) This is my 10 month old crossbreed Harry and it is showing just a really simple behaviour taught with the clicker. 

So as it starts off Harry has absolutely no idea what I want to teach him, in this case all I want is for him to touch the coaster with his nose...not all that useful admittedly, but it is something that can be built on, and it is just something basic to show. So first of all I throw the coaster on the floor and as Harry has no idea what I want him to do so he starts going over old 'tricks' I have previously taught, just to see if that will work, hence the rolling over...he gets quite frustrated that I am not clicking him for anything (I know he sounds all upset by this but it is a noise we are used to from Harry, he is a very vocal boy!) So when I slyly push the coaster a little closer he then touches it and hears the magic click...thats really all it takes for him to understand and is able to link his action to the result of getting the treat...he picks it up in seconds...I can then throw the coaster further away and he still 'gets' that he has to touch the 'target' in order to get the click and then treat...like I said, a very basic thing to teach but really it is to demonstrate how the dog goes from not having a clue what I want to fully understanding what is making me click! Thats what it's all about really! You wait for the dog to do the behaviour, then tell him that it is GOOD (by clicking!), then tell him what it is called!! Like in the clip I could then put the cue word to the behaviour...so I would decide on the word I want...maybe the word 'target' or something, then he would only get a click when he has responded to the word and eventually you wouldnt need the click anymore because he understands what the word 'target' means.

I really hope that the sound and vid are matching up in youtube (sometimes it doesnt!) if the sound is 'out' then the vid is a bit useless!


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Awesome!!!


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

can you see the vid ok? For some reason I can't play my own video! humph!


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I could, but now I cannot??? WTH? lol


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

Video should work now!!


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