greytbigdreams
New Member
I am relatively new to clicker training, having learned it just recently through taking my dog obedience instructor/trainer course, but I am in love with it and my dog loves it. I have used clicker training thus far with my 9 year old toy poodle mix, to teach her to stop pulling on her leash and walk nicely beside me, the word "easy" which means she is about to get a tug on her leash for going too far ahead, and to slow down back to the proper position to avoid the correction (which she really learned well) as well as to sit-stay reliably, and to down-stay fairly well. She really loves it. The not pulling on her lead thing and the down-stay were really the only two things she didn't do and I figured she ought to, so now I am sort of scratching my head at what to teach her now.
She has a barking problem but I don't want to tackle that one just yet, but she does have an annoying habit of dropping whatever she is fetching about 2 feet from me and then coming the rest of the way. I want to get her to hold whatever is in her mouth, whatever she is retrieving, until I tell her to give it to me so I don't have to walk and get it every time to throw it again.
Since she already knows to fetch, or "go get it!" as is our cue phrase, I don't need to teach her that portion. But here is the program I came up with for this little behavior change and I'd like your thoughts on it.
Click for picking up the bone in her mouth after I have thrown it.
Click for picking it up and then carrying it 1 foot from where she picked it up.
Click for bringing it 1/4 of the way back before dropping.
Click for bringing it 2/4 of the way back before dropping.
Click for 3/4.
Click for bringing to my feet at least.
Click for bringing it to me and then holding it in her mouth for 1 second.
Click for her holding it for 3 seconds.
Click for 5 seconds.
Click for 10 seconds.
Click for 20 seconds.
Click for half a minute.
Click for holding it, and continuing to hold it when I move my hand under her mouth.
Click for holding it with my hand under her mouth for 2 seconds.
click for 5.
Click for 10.
Click for 20.
Click for half a minute.
Click for her giving it to me when I say "give it."
Click every other time when she does everything right and respondes to "give it.
Click every third time.
Click once in a blue moon.
Just use verbal praise.
**Clicker and treats are both phased out by this point**
And this would be where I could add a hand signal or something else if it were a different type of behavior, but since "give it" she already knows, and I just wanted her to associate it with the events preceding the command (bring it all the way to me and waiting for me to tell her to give it to me) I don't think there are any more steps needed.
I think it's a pretty good sounding plan. What do you think?
She has a barking problem but I don't want to tackle that one just yet, but she does have an annoying habit of dropping whatever she is fetching about 2 feet from me and then coming the rest of the way. I want to get her to hold whatever is in her mouth, whatever she is retrieving, until I tell her to give it to me so I don't have to walk and get it every time to throw it again.
Since she already knows to fetch, or "go get it!" as is our cue phrase, I don't need to teach her that portion. But here is the program I came up with for this little behavior change and I'd like your thoughts on it.
Click for picking up the bone in her mouth after I have thrown it.
Click for picking it up and then carrying it 1 foot from where she picked it up.
Click for bringing it 1/4 of the way back before dropping.
Click for bringing it 2/4 of the way back before dropping.
Click for 3/4.
Click for bringing to my feet at least.
Click for bringing it to me and then holding it in her mouth for 1 second.
Click for her holding it for 3 seconds.
Click for 5 seconds.
Click for 10 seconds.
Click for 20 seconds.
Click for half a minute.
Click for holding it, and continuing to hold it when I move my hand under her mouth.
Click for holding it with my hand under her mouth for 2 seconds.
click for 5.
Click for 10.
Click for 20.
Click for half a minute.
Click for her giving it to me when I say "give it."
Click every other time when she does everything right and respondes to "give it.
Click every third time.
Click once in a blue moon.
Just use verbal praise.
**Clicker and treats are both phased out by this point**
And this would be where I could add a hand signal or something else if it were a different type of behavior, but since "give it" she already knows, and I just wanted her to associate it with the events preceding the command (bring it all the way to me and waiting for me to tell her to give it to me) I don't think there are any more steps needed.
I think it's a pretty good sounding plan. What do you think?