Clicker training for an already partially trained dog??

[Stumpywop]

hi All,

I have 3 dogs,  one fo whom is very clingy but is very well trained. He’s in the advanced class at our training club but a couple fo things he needs work on.

I started very basic clicker training with my youngest dog and I’ve found that my older more advanced dog is very receptive to it.

As he’s already trained to a certain extent, will I be ding any harm by now using the clicker, as I’ve not thought to use it with him before? I don’t want him to go backwards as it’s taken so much hard work to get to where we are now. And even now he has days where he just won’t behave (but at 16 months I don’t expect him to).

I don’t knwo what to do for th best really.  I don’t want to confuse him with 2 different training methods.

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanx.

Laura xx

[dogloverwoooo!]

What method of training have you previously used? i.e reward based? You will be fine with the clicker, as long as you use it properly. I have older dogs come to our training classes often with some good previous training already but still always advise them to clicker train, its another tool in the training box we like to say! The clicker should be used as a marker to mark all good/wanted behaviours  🙂

[Stumpywop]

Hi,

Thanx. All the training with my dogs is psotive reward based. Then gradually over time the rewards (if treats) are reduced but I tend to replace them with more praise (otherwise you wouldn’t believe the amount of liver cake I’d have to buy!).

For obedience so far before I had the clicker for my youngest it was a case of praise everything they did more or less, so long as it was acceptable, not naughty, destructive, dangerous etc.

The reason I ask also is that I have a friend who was in a similar position about 5 years ago. She changed completely from her reward based methods to clicker training (although if they get a reward what’s the diffrence?). She used it particularly for HTM and managed to get her 4 dogs doing the same thing at the same time – almost like synchronised doggy dancing. It was amazing to watch but I don’t know how she went about doing it and I’ve lost touch with her since moving house.

I’d like the dogs to get the most out of their training so I want to make sure I don’t mix them up.

Laura xx

[dogloverwoooo!]

Clicker comes under reward based training i would say as its click-treat. good luck with your training  ;D

[Mudgie]

Click reward  😉

I dont use food when clicker training any more – Nacho got overload – reward is toy

[tri 'n snatch it bonnie girl]

Hi,

clicker training would be fine for a dog who has been reward based trained 🙂  you can use treats, verbal praise, toys and more complex rewards which depend more on the dog

e.g. if i throw a ball and my dog gets it and brings it back she couldnt give a monkeys uncle about some silly old treat – the reward is the next chase 😉

i would step up your expectations – theres no reason why a 16mth dog cant behave all the time if ur putting in this much training 😀  any occasions where you get “extinction bursts” (the dog fails to do something you ask it or to stop something you tell it not to do) work to undermine the training you have done already so in a way ur working against urself – be positive, ur clearly putting in a ton of effort why shouldnt the dog too 😀

The difference between reward-based training and clicker training is the “click” (sorry it sounds like i think ur dumb – i dont its just that obvious).  When you are training the dog you have 3 seconds to reward a behaviour for the dog to really understand that you are rewarding that specific behaviour and not anything else, this is tough to impossible to do in many advanced situations the clicker acts as a “bridge” and lets the dog know “yes that behaviour a treat/praise/whatever is coming your way” which gives you another 3 seconds to link the behaviour to the reward (in the dogs eyes).

to start with you will have to use “click – reward” everytime the dog does the behaviour you want but later you can move it onto variable (so you choose when they get reward).  it is not nessesary, infact in some ways you have failed at clicker training if your dog will not train without treats.  its a common assumption that dogs become addicted to treats – i can assure you they might like them alot but trained correctly once the behaviour has been reinforced enough times you wont need treats/toys (tho obviously you can still praise them lol !!

does that help ?  if your 16mth old is begging to do more i would jump at it 🙂  the dog will be what is called a “crossover dog” it just means a dog which hasnt been taught with clicker from a pup but with the reward based foundations you’ve put down i am not suprised they are jumping at it to learn more 🙂

some different training methods will confuse but not the ones you are moving from / to 🙂  if you move this dog to clicker you can teach them all this way – less confusing for you 🙂

you can use clicker for alot of things – obedience, agility, HTM you name it 🙂

with ur clingy dog you could use clicker exercises to build up confidence of being away from you – things like sendaways and stays and distance sit/down that type of thing because when you click the dog will know he’s done it right and will get a reward of some kind

Claire x

[Stumpywop]

Hi Claire,

Thanx. Don’t mind making it sound as though I’m dumb. I am where it comes to swapping training methods as I’ve not done it before.

Zane i sgood 99% of the time but at 16 months he is still very puppyish in a lot of ways. I dn’t really mind if he has occasional times where he behaves like a complete muppet but when it cmes to training I expect (and usually get) him to behave himself and do as I ask.

It’s Zane who’s the clingy one and although he pickwed up sendaways very quickly I still can’t get him to do a down stay and with meleving the room. At least with sendaways he knows I’m not going to move and even when he lies down and waits to be told to move, although there is distance between us he knows he’s coming straight back to me.
He will down stay and I can leave him, but not leave the room. As soon as he sees me move towards the door (whether at home or at training) he’s up and following me. Obviosuly this will take more work but is there a way I can incorporate clicker training into this exercise?

Laura xx

[kizkiznobite]

hi and welcome from me and my lot  🙂

can i ask…not having a go  🙂

why do you ‘not expect him to be’ at 16 months

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