# Clicker training



## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

Hi all...I am finally done with my finals so I am back. Missed everyone.

Has anyone tried clicker training their maltese? I have found a wonderful trainer but she uses clicker training and lots of positive reinforcement to train. Lacey is doing great but we need some refreshment on our basic training plus she is starting to get to the point if we tell her to do something she thinks about it before doing it. So back to training for both of us. This trainer understands toy breeds and how I don't/won't put a collar on her. Some trainers I have spoken with insisted on a collar around her neck. Lacey wears a harness and this trainer has no problems with that. She has only two other dogs in this class and both are on the smaller size but if Lacey looks or acts scared she can seperate us until Lacey feels more comfortable around the other two dogs. Lacey can be a little bit nervous when she is in new situations so this trainer is being very understanding in that regard. So if anyone has tried the clicker training let me know what you thought of it. I just want Lacey to relearn her basics and be a little more comfortable around new people.


----------



## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

Oh, clicker training is great! Lexi did great with it. Clicker Training


----------



## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

Clicker training worked great with Peanut and it's going really well with Tic now. The only bad thing is that when I bring the boys to work I constantly click the retractable pen (one of many annoying habits I have







) and the boys come over to me and sit to wait for the treat







I really found that it helps the boys know what behavior I am rewarding.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I'm a big fan of using the clicker or another marker for training. The dogs catch on really fast and enjoy it. It is an ideal method to train any dog, especially toy breeds.


----------



## Holliberry (Feb 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by JMM_@May 13 2005, 07:02 PM
> *I'm a big fan of using the clicker or another marker for training. The dogs catch on really fast and enjoy it. It is an ideal method to train any dog, especially toy breeds.
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=62232*


[/QUOTE]


just curious, at what age would you consider it too late to start?


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

There is no such thing as too late to start. Dogs who are trained in one manner and then crossed over to clicker training do tend to be less into playing inventive games (like 100 things to do with a box or free shaping behaviors). They tend to want a little lure. No big deal. With time most dogs will learn to try something new.


----------



## 020202 (Jan 26, 2005)

I totally recommend clicker training. We started clicker training Izzy as soon as we brought her home. Izzy doesn't know it's training, she thinks it's a fun game we play. In the beginning we did it every single day several times a day. Now we are down to one or two times a week just for fun or when I want her to learn a new behavior, such as walking into her overnight bed-crate on command instead of me putting/pushing her in there.


----------



## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

Thanks all. I have heard of clicker training but have never tried it or known anyone you uses it. Lacey is a good little girl but we both need to go back to training to relearn somethings and learn some new ones. It has been very hard to find a trainer in my area that understands toy dogs and will let me have her in a harness not a collar. I can't believe how many trainers want her in a training collar and I just flat out refuse. My old trainer is great but he only does one on one with the dog. He takes the dogs and he trains them and then shows the owners how. Lacey learned alot but this time I want to be more involved with her training and learn how to do things myself. Plus I am hoping we both enjoy it and that Lacey will become a little more comfortable in new places.


----------



## Tavish (Feb 5, 2005)

I researched many different trainers in our area and the different approaches they all had to training, and I found operant conditioning surpassed all others. It is a stress free and enjoyable way to train your animal. We opted for private in home classes and it was wonderful because it wasn't so much about her training Tavish to sit using a clicker, but about her teaching me to train Tavish to sit using a clicker. 
It was wonderful, he enjoyed all of our classes together, and it was a very positive experience for all of us.


----------



## Holliberry (Feb 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Lexi's Mom_@May 13 2005, 01:36 PM
> *Oh, clicker training is great!  Lexi did great with it. Clicker Training
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=62146*


[/QUOTE]

Thanks JMM, and thanks Kristi for that site! I bought a couple clickers to try, so now I am to try to learn how to do it


----------



## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Holliberry+May 20 2005, 10:49 AM-->
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks JMM, and thanks Kristi for that site! I bought a couple clickers to try, so now I am to try to learn how to do it








<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=63743
[/B][/QUOTE]
Just remember, your timing is really important! I don't know what was wrong with me the first time I tried. I had serious delayed reactions that day







I started late with Peanut after he was already trained a little and someone I spoke to said that the first day or two you could just say sit, click and treat jsut to get them accustomed to what the click means. Good luck!! It's really a great way to teach.


----------



## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

> _Originally posted by littlepeanut+May 20 2005, 11:14 AM-->
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*
*[/QUOTE]
Just remember, your timing is really important! I don't know what was wrong with me the first time I tried. I had serious delayed reactions that day







I started late with Peanut after he was already trained a little and someone I spoke to said that the first day or two you could just say sit, click and treat jsut to get them accustomed to what the click means. Good luck!! It's really a great way to teach.








<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=63778
[/B][/QUOTE]
My trainer had us practice (away from the dogs) by clicking as someone walked. We were to try and time our click with their foot (left, right , or both) steping down. It is a good way of improving your timing. When you start training click as they do the action. So as they go to sit, as they come, as they lay down, etc.


----------



## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

Is this a good idea to control barking?


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Asking and clicking for an alternative behavior can be very effective at eliminating barking. The clicker simply marks the correct behavior. It is used to train the behavior. Once it is reliably on cue the clicker is not used, just the reward.


----------



## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

Okay all we started clicker training Saturday. The first time I clicked Lacey peed! She was so scared of the noise. I put the clicker away for the rest of the day and tried again on Sunday. She will now sit and let me click and give her a treat. This week we are to work on her getting used to the clicker, sitting and maybe coming when called. She is a little scared of the clicker so I put it in my pocket and click. My training said she is doing great and we should just do short lessons throughout the day to get her used to the noise.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I would load the clicker before teaching behaviors with it. 

Get a small pile (10-20) of super yummy treats...click, treat, click, treat, etc. quickly through the pile. Do this 3x/day for a couple of days. This will help desensitize the dog to the clicker and associate the click with receiving a treat. 

Be careful on timing your click. You should be clicking as her butt hits the floor, not after. 

You might buy an I-click as the sound is a bit more muted. You definately need a lanyard or zinger for it because it will click in your pocket on its own if you leave it there. 
http://clickertraining.com/store/?item=newclicker


----------



## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

JMM... after reading your last post... does that mean you can use the clicker with barking the same way as the sit command? Click when Kodie stops barking and then reward?


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Absolutely you can. We often forget to reward the good behavior and focus on the bad behavior (who rewards their dog when they are laying quietly? you never think about it). This method works great for dogs with nervous habits (like whining).


----------



## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

NICE!







Now which clicker do I buy!!??


----------



## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

I got this one Only because it's just a dollar and I bought a few because I tend to lose things... -_-


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I like the new i-clicks (you can order them off Karen Pryor's site). They are really easy to click and are a bit quieter than the classic box clicker. You definately want a zinger or lanyard as they will click on their own if kept in your pocket (and you have to pay for every click). Buy a couple as if you are like me, they will disappear and you will find them in odd places. 

It is actually a really great idea to have a session or two with a clicker-savvy positive trainer before jumping into it. Timing can be tough to learn and watching someone and having them watch you can help a lot. For a dog with basic obedience, a clicks and tricks class might be a great way to start out. It is just a ton of fun and you will learn the principles of operant and classical conditioning as well as start to fine tune your clicker skills and how to get behaviors you want. A basic clicker/intro class can do the same thing.


----------



## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

Okay all, Lacey is into her third clicker training class and she is the star pupil!!! I am sooooo proud of her. I have already signed her up for the second, more advanced clicker training class. She is doing great and it really does work. I have seen so much improvement in her behavior. Before she was stuck to me like velcro and never left my side. Now I can tell her to "wait" and she won't move from that spot until I call her to me. Barking has gotten much better. She looks at me when I call her name. And if she is doing something I don't like I just take my clicker and work on basics like sitting and laying to get her off the bad behavior and working on something that is good.


----------



## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)




----------



## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

Wow!! Congratulations!!!


----------



## paris (Apr 8, 2005)

Way to go Lacey (and mom)














maybe when you get through training Lacey you can come train Pari  She knows to sit but that's about it...I'm not doing too great in the training department


----------



## Littlemans Mom (Apr 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by JMM_@May 30 2005, 02:51 PM
> *I would load the clicker before teaching behaviors with it.
> 
> Get a small pile (10-20) of super yummy treats...click, treat, click, treat, etc. quickly through the pile. Do this 3x/day for a couple of days. This will help desensitize the dog to the clicker and associate the click with receiving a treat.
> ...


[/QUOTE]


Well, I went to the site and decided I wanted to try the clicker method too, so I ordered several items 







I ordered the starter kit so I could start learning how to do it and there was a sale on the I-clicker with the lanyard for less than the lanyard cost alone and I bought two of those







I ordered some other stuff also, now I just have to wait for the stuff to get here and I will start reading up on it. Thank you for the site, they have some nice stuff


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I'm so glad you're enjoying training and learning how to solve behavior problems already! Isn't it great to understand how they think and be able to modify behaviors you don't like. I also noticed a vast improvement in my dogs' behavior after I started. 

I'm glad you liked Karen Pryor's site. She has a lot of neat stuff. She has also written some great books (Don't Shoot the Dog in particular).


----------



## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

I am so glad I signed her up for the class. We have been working on the "no bark" and I wasn't having much success. Now when I tell her "no bark" she is listening to me. She is also getting much better with strangers. Before she would bark at them. Now I tell them (people) to hold out their hand for her to smell and she is then okay with them. I didn't no I would see the improvement I have so fast. She seems to enjoy the class to. At the last class she was so good. When we weren't working with our dogs, listening to the teacher, Lacey would sit and just keep looking at my face. She was waiting for me to give her a command. I do highly recommend clicker training. Lacey is the first dog I have ever tried it with and I am amazed.


----------



## Littlemans Mom (Apr 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Laceys mom_@Jun 17 2005, 11:52 AM
> *I am so glad I signed her up for the class.  We have been working on the "no bark" and I wasn't having much success.  Now when I tell her "no bark" she is listening to me.  She is also getting much better with strangers.  Before she would bark at them.  Now I tell them (people) to hold out their hand for her to smell and she is then okay with them.  I didn't no I would see the improvement I have so fast.  She seems to enjoy the class to.  At the last class she was so good.  When we weren't working with our dogs, listening to the teacher, Lacey would sit and just keep looking at my face.  She was waiting for me to give her a command.  I do highly recommend clicker training.  Lacey is the first dog I have ever tried it with and I am amazed.
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=73394*


[/QUOTE]


It's really great that it is working so well for you














If you have seen so much improvement so soon, imagine how much more she will learn as you continue the training







She gets a big







from Indy and his Mommy.
I am going to look in my area and see if I can find a trainer like you have for Indy and Mommy too


----------



## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

Ty and I are starting clicker training with a trainer next Wednesday. I just read the post about loading. Should I do that before our first session?


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> _Originally posted by puppymom_@Jun 24 2005, 08:45 AM
> *Ty and I are starting clicker training with a trainer next Wednesday.  I just read the post about loading.  Should I  do that before our first session?
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=74863*


[/QUOTE]

Nope. It will be included in your sessions.


----------



## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

Okay today was Lacey's last clicker training class for the beginner. She passed all of her challenges...sitting, laying, down, staying, waiting, standing, leave it, and looking at me so she has offically graduated to the next class that starts this Thursday evening. I was so excited for her. She is even going up to strangers and letting them pet her and not barking her head off at them! The cost of the class alone is worth that. This September the place I take Lacey for training is starting a new program. It is called Levels. The trainer was telling me about it and Lacey has already passed level 1 and she is pretty far along with level 2. From what I understand there are 7 levels of training. If you can get through level 3 then you should have a very well behaved housedog. My trainer is going for training in July and will start using it with a few dogs in August and start training in September. Has anyone heard of Level training? When the trainers website has the info I will post.


----------



## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

Aww! Congrats to your well behaved baby!!! Isn't it just the best thing when you can see the differences in their behaviour? I'm beginning to believe these two guys may be smarter than me....


----------



## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

CONGRATULATIONS!!! We went for our first clicker class on Wednesday, I have to admit I don't quite "get it yet". I've been reading the clicker site and doing our "homework" so I hope it gets a bit clearer. 

My trainer said the Ty needs to be more "socialized"...... he was the coward of the class. There were 7 other puppies all 14-16 wks in the class. In his defense he as the smallest but they all palyed and rough housed and had a great time during play time. Ty hid between my feet. Since Ty plays all the time with his English Sheepdog brother I was a bit surprised. 

But, being an over protective parent, I haven't taken him around many people or other dogs til last week because I wanted him to have all his shots first. I'm sure my Vet's tech thought I was a nut when I asked her to clean the scale off before weighing him the first time we went in







But he was only 8 wks old and had only had one set of shots. 

Yesterday we took him to a picnic where there were lots of people and a couple other dogs. He did ok (except with the little girl that spent the entire day making us both crazy) but wasn't real excited about the other dogs. He actually snapped at a black lab that kept coming over and draining his water bowl (apparently none of the other dog owners thought to bring water for their dogs). 

We are only clicking two behaviors right now, nose to hand and sit. Hoepfully the next class will be more enlightening.


----------



## Laceys mom (Nov 12, 2004)

Lacey isn't great with other dogs. At the end of the six weeks she would go up to them but she would bark at them. Both of these dogs were huged compared to her but they were afraid of her! She loves both of her cat brothers and plays with them really good, but other dogs she just isn't interested in. When the other two dogs in class would play she would get upset and bark at them and try to get in between them. She does the same thing when her two cat brothers fight...she gets very upset and comes and finds either me or her dad and makes us follow her so we can break up the fight. She is such a little character. I don't think she will ever be interested in other dogs, but that is okay. She is my little velcro strip and she sticks to me. I told my husband we should have named her velcro strip because she is constantly glued to me.

We start the next class Thursday night. Different trainer this class. The trainer from the last class is teaching a class that I just can't attend but she said I should like the next trainer. The next trainer is a handler and she should be able to show me somethings. The last trainer doesn't show dogs. She just has 2 dogs that are very well behaved. Both of her dogs came from shelters. She just believes in having a well behaved housedog.


----------

