How Long Does It Take?

[Ina]

Hi everyone.

Okay .. I am gone totally dog crazy.

3 weeks ago I watched the first video on clicker training. Since then I am clicking away.

My puppy is now 5 months old. When I started watching training videos I thought it would take forever to teach him those stunning tricks.

Here comes the question:

Is it normal that once your dog has become familiar with the clicker that in just one session (2-3 minutes) he learns a new trick?



If you do your maths - one trick a day = 365 tricks a year = 3650 tricks in 10 years.
10 year old child - request to put shoes away 20 times a day - NO LUCK
7 year old child - request to remove plate from table and put it in the sink 5 times a day - NO LUCK
5 year old chilc - request to stop running around inside the house - 10 times a day - NO LUCK

(Has anyone tried clicker training little boys ???)

 

[rouen]

yes it's normal. You will also find your dog will mull over the behavior and refine it while you're not working on it. It's also been shown that dogs that are taught a behavior with a clicker will remember it better, this is due to the sound of the clicker signaling activity in the amygdala.

 

[sara]

Absolutely normal with a "thinking" dog! You, my friend, have a "thinking" dog! LOL Great job btw!

Maybe you should train your dog to keep the kids in line??? LOL

 

[jackienmutts]

Yep - isn't it fabulous?? As Sara said, once you have a "thinking dog", it's almost endless as to what they can learn. Do remember, you do need to keep practicing. They'll learn it very quickly, but one session usually isn't enough to make it "perfect" or "foolproof". Practice, practice, practice. Thing is, they love it! Mine see the clicker, and get so excited.

Once a couple years ago, I had been having a training session near my desk and ran out of treats (HORRORS!). I put the clicker on my desk and went to the kitchen for some more. I turned around a few seconds later cuz I hear a clink on the kitchen floor. On of my dogs had picked up the clicker (they're not supposed to touch stuff on my desk) and brought it into the kitchen and dropped it right behind me. I guess they wanted to make sure I knew we weren't finished!

Since you're new to clicker training, you'll learn that things (in general) are so much easier to train, because you now have a way to tell the dog "that's it, that's what I wanted", immediately. If you haven't yet, wait til you start shaping behaviors, and wait til you pick up the clicker and even before you ask for anything, your dog just starts throwing things out to see if he can get a treat - it's so much fun!

You'll find that you can really perfect tricks (or whatever behavior you're working on), because if the dog is learning a trick and does it *ok* today (and maybe for this week), but now he knows it so it's time to perfect it, what got a treat yesterday, doesn't quite cut it today, he'll figure out he's gotta work a little bit harder and tweak that trick (or whatever) to earn that treat. Yep, clicking is addictive, and it's all fun - both for you and the dog.

Happy clicking!!!

 

[Ina]

Hi Sara.

.. maybe I should have called him Einstein <snicker>. I'm so glad that I picked a "thinking dog". (Actually he picked me)

Maybe you should train your dog to keep the kids in line??? LOL

Yeah, like sheep If they don't listen the first time I give the signal to nip their bum <evil grin>

 

[Ina]

Hi jackienmutts.

Yep - isn't it fabulous?? As Sara said, once you have a "thinking dog", it's almost endless as to what they can learn. Do remember, you do need to keep practicing. They'll learn it very quickly, but one session usually isn't enough to make it "perfect" or "foolproof". Practice, practice, practice. Thing is, they love it! Mine see the clicker, and get so excited.
You'll find that you can really perfect tricks (or whatever behavior you're working on), because if the dog is learning a trick and does it *ok* today (and maybe for this week), but now he knows it so it's time to perfect it, what got a treat yesterday, doesn't quite cut it today, he'll figure out he's gotta work a little bit harder and tweak that trick (or whatever) to earn that treat. Yep, clicking is addictive, and it's all fun - both for you and the dog.

Perfecting it is the fun part I train Smokey 3 times a day for a couple of minutes each. One new trick a day plus repetition, repetition, repetition. If he does something extra nice (he now keeps spinning until I click) he gets an extra nice treat (meat) for each perfect move in the same session. During the next session I only treat if he continues the extra nice move. This way he always tries to improve his moves - do it faster, lift the paw higher - hoping to get the extra nice treat.

Once a couple years ago, I had been having a training session near my desk and ran out of treats (HORRORS!). I put the clicker on my desk and went to the kitchen for some more. I turned around a few seconds later cuz I hear a clink on the kitchen floor. On of my dogs had picked up the clicker (they're not supposed to touch stuff on my desk) and brought it into the kitchen and dropped it right behind me. I guess they wanted to make sure I knew we weren't finished!

Now THAT would be a challenge for all those extreme experts. Get your dog to train other dogs with the clicker and a treat !!

Also, I love being in this forum. My friends and family have enough of hearing about dog training tricks. Sometimes you just have to share with someone.

I have also been thinking what else I can do with a "thinking" dog and came up with a clever idea. We will offer schools a little show during assembly (in a few months time when we know LOT'S of tricks) and ask for a donation to the local shelter. They usually have these collection tins - kids can line up, get a high 5 or shake after they put a coin in the tin.

 

[srdogtrainer]

The more they learn the faster they pick up new tricks!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Absolutely normal! It's so wonderful!

I've also found that the more you work with similar tricks, the faster your dog gets it. For instance, I do a looooot of shaping with Mudflap. I've done so much that now, any time there is a new object(or even an old object) sitting in front of me and I'm sitting with me clicker, she immediately knows she has to interact with it. She will go through this pattern everytime until she figures out what I want:
-Touch it
-Paw it
-Hike her back leg on it(lol, rear leg targetting)
-Pick it up and bring it to me

And if those don't work, she will get more creative. I can tell her to "Get it!" and point to any object, and she knows that means to pick it up and bring it to me, even if she's never interacted with the object before. Shaping has become incredibly easy now, and she will not try the same behavior more than twice. If the first time doesn't work, she might try once more just to make sure I saw, and if she doesn't get rewarded she tries the next behavior.

She can pick up just about any trick in only 1 session. Really complicated tricks take maybe 2-3 sessions. The clicker makes it super easy because she knows she's on the right track. Jackpots have really helped her learn faster too--if she takes a huge step in the right direction, she gets an amazing jackpot, and after the initial jackpot she has it down pat.
Clicker training is an amazing thing!!!

 

[Ina]

Hi there.

Absolutely normal! It's so wonderful!

I've also found that the more you work with similar tricks, the faster your dog gets it. For instance, I do a looooot of shaping with Mudflap. I've done so much that now, any time there is a new object(or even an old object) sitting in front of me and I'm sitting with me clicker, she immediately knows she has to interact with it. She will go through this pattern everytime until she figures out what I want:
-Touch it
-Paw it
-Hike her back leg on it(lol, rear leg targetting)
-Pick it up and bring it to me

Clicker training is an amazing thing!!!

Yes, I am picking up a couple of moves which would be hard to train otherwise :-)

If I now walk with the dog and see someone being pulled along by their furry friend I just smile to myself (or tell them to look up clicker training on YouTube). If Smokey shows off his tricks they are totally amazed and can't believe that a puppy can learn so many trick in such a short time. At first I also thought it's going to take years before the dog will know 10 different commands, but we have past this milestone ages ago.
Now I can only feel sorry for all those people that don't take my advise to inform themselves about clicker training.