Dutch Shepherd Forum

Do you use clicker in training?

All I train my dog is exclusively by positive reinforcement methods, but I use clicker mostly for tricks. I did use it a bit to train nice leash walking (which is still work in progress).
I looove the clicker because he (and other dogs) learns so fast with it.

So far he learnt nose touch, paw touch, shake, touch left/right, standing on a book with front paws. Crossing paws is work in progress.
But what I'm most proud is what happened just now is we finally got roll over. It seamed impossible, but with practice he nailed it! Now only practice, fade the lure and add the cue.

Do you teach any tricks?

I use the clicker often, but it really depends on what I'm training. There are times when the training is more active and adding in a click would delay my reinforcement, so I use a "YES." Supposedly the click is the best marker since it's consistent, but if the handler can't get the timing down or is fumbling with the clicker and 50 other things, there are going to be better results using a verbal mark.

Odin knows a lot of tricks. His favorite is the burpee. He lays down and then stands on two feet and jumps a foot in the air and then repeats. My husband's really into crossfit, and he thought a dog doing burpees was cool, so that was the first thing I tought him. I used food lures for that instead of shaping with the clicker.

Odin also knows bow, spin, nose touch, shake, shake other paw, give both paws, and some other things that he came with. He likes to add 360 spins to his burpees sometimes to get my attention. That's fun when I'm trying to put a collar on him.

Our newest trick which has come in the most handy is "Ziel" which is German for target. It means for Odin to put his front 2 paws on something. I make him do it to fire hydrants, tables, walls, etc, during walks.

Like Stephanie, I use both the clicker and a verbal marker. Depends on what we're doing.

I don't think I could remember all Geyser's tricks right now, but one of my favorites is when she goes to the trash bin, opens it, gets whatever I want thrown out, takes it to the bin, tosses it in, then closes the door. It's to the point where she just goes and opens the bin door whenever I'm opening a package or jar in the kitchen, knowing there'll be something to throw out .

She hates doing rollovers! Glad you're getting that one down with your pup.

A new one for us is having her hold up her left foot, and just holding it in the air, waiting to be released to lower it (are you familiar with Lassie? A dog that was on TV over here for a long time...Lassie used to hold her foot up like that ).

Another relatively new one is for her to turn over and present her tummy and wait until released. This one, I use for tick checks , but one of these days, I'm gonna change the cue to..."what do dead fish do?" (crack myself up...)

I never got into clicker training, the clicks would drive me nuts, and Sadie does that well enough. I use marker training. This way too, I dont loose the clicker, or if I forget it when we go out. The one problem I found though with using "yes" as the marker, My kids would ask me a question and I would say 'Yes" and Sadie would be waiting for a treat. As Sadie got older she learned when it was her "yes".

Dutchringgirl wrote:I never got into clicker training... I use marker training.

clicker training is marker training, too...just using a clicker for the marker instead of your voice

Isn't it amazing how they can tell (once they figure it out) when it's a training-related "yes" versus just a conversational "yes?"

I know clicker and marker are the same silly I never wanted to use the physical clicker because the "click" would drive me nuts". Yes, Sadie did learn what "yes" was her reward or just me saying Yes. There were plenty of times where she would look all happy and be waiting for a treat. Thalie is always at a sit waiting no matter what.

Dutchringgirl wrote: The one problem I found though with using "yes" as the marker, My kids would ask me a question and I would say 'Yes" and Sadie would be waiting for a treat.

I considered clicker training my kids........

Revhendo wrote:

Dutchringgirl wrote: The one problem I found though with using "yes" as the marker, My kids would ask me a question and I would say 'Yes" and Sadie would be waiting for a treat.

I considered clicker training my kids........

Forget the kids, think husband. Mine was getting a little suspicious of the clicks though, so I had to switch to different markers. I can take him out in public now.

Great turn of events for the thread. LOL.

I got engaged to my ex on 12/30/99 or 1/1/00 - depending on how you looked at it. Somehow, that occurred with a control freak non-dog guy (hence the ex part). At that point I only had 2. He couldn't handle having them both out at the same time and any interaction between them (or us and them) was chaos in his mind that resulted in complete rage.

I was sucking in all of the dog knowledge that I could find so I read 'Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor. She makes so many human references. Secretly, I devised a counter conditioning program for him and the dogs. He said something nice, I would get him ice cream. He touched one, I would spontaneously rub his shoulders or feet. Honestly, it worked really well for a few weeks. Instead of just trying to be doting and nice all of the time, I tried to find specific moments to connect them to something. Progress was seriously made.

Then....he snuck through my purse because I had an unusually long conversation on the phone with my mom and found the WHOLE PLAN - completely written out. He took the whole comparing him to a dog thing very personally. I decided I shouldn't have to shape my life mate to enjoy something as basic as DOGS!!!!! So glad I did.

But it really does work on every species.

Christie, you are so funny!!!

Is that why he is an X now ??? See, you should have stuck with clicker training for him LOL.

And yes, I have that book too and it does work on humans as well.