My basics in clicker work with an older dog are:
* A very hungry dog
* Excellent treats
* A clicker
First lesson, the basics I teach are;
* "sit" anywhere and look at me
* "stand" anywhere and look at me
* "touch my hand", reward from the other hand.
When rewarding I throw the food just past the dogs shoulder. I want the dog to move to get their reward. I they're far away, I drop it my feet. If they're close, I throw it away.
You click to tie (bridge) the behavior to the reward. The timing of the click is what’s most important! Throw the food after, as you want motion from the dog, you want them coming and going or going and coming. When you throw the food there is a delay, after the dog retrieves the reward, they must return and recall what they first did (five seconds ago) to motivate you to throw that excellent morsel! If they repeat the behavior, click and reward again.
I am silent during these first sessions. I observe and make note any other behavior the dog may offer:
*reverse *closer
*down *beg
*paw *shake
*sneeze *paw to face
*bow *I never click for barking unless it is an unusual quiet sound
I try to stick to my basics in this first session sit, stand and touch my hand. The objective at first would be to try to get the dog to repeat the behavior twice at a location. Change your location, change your mind. Dog comes, heels with you. With an new dog you may have to click for anything and everything. Many times with a new dog, the dog will not track the food after you throw. You must therefore go and bend over and click right on top of the reward. There are many times where this is the most important lesson learned in the first session. Click means food!
Clicker works sounds perfect for this little dog because of their injury. The dog will never offer any behavior that may hurt their shoulder. Clicker work is perfect for injured, old or convalescing dogs.
It was actually Jack Russell Terriers that brought to light another value of clicker training. Too often I would see aggression towards the handler blossom, as the handler started to teach their down command. When a down is introduced with a clicker, I no longer see the development of this dominant aggressive relationship between handler and dog.
Second lesson:
*"sit in front", advances to sit straight in front. I use the "touch my hand" to direct the
dog, lure the dog into the lane created by my two feet.
*I also introduce the concept of "closer" with the "touch my hand" as the lure, click for
this.
*"stand in front", also advance to stand straight in front. I again use the "touch my hand"
to direct the dog, lure the dog into the lane created by my two feet. Not to close, or the dog will most likely sit..
*"touch my hand" advances to "chase my hand." I want to eventually get the dog to
twist, to move clockwise or counterclockwise, chasing my hand and eventually touching
my hand, then click.
*I will also try to add, incorporate any of the observed behaviors I took note of in the first
sessions. Remember the objective, try to get the dog to repeat the behavior twice at a
location then change your location and change your mind.
*More specifically to this thread this is where I would start to catch, create a "down"
It's going to be a "down" anywhere at first. I find it helps if this session is done later in
the evening. Introduce a longer than normal session. Stretch your reward time.
Softly start introducing language for the behaviors you did not want "that's a good reverse". If it's late enough and the dogs tired and bored enough, there is a good chance they will jump up on the couch and lie down, click! The dog won't get it at first, remember to throw the food away from the dog. Make them get up, to go get the reward.
They will most likely retrieve their reward and then come to you and say "what sit, stand, touch your hand, what do you want?" Acknowledge these offerings with soft word
associations for the behavior, "that's a good sit", "that’s a touch" but offer no bribe/reward. Eventually the dog will get bored and jump up on the couch again and curl up and lie down, click and throw the reward.
Over time the dog will eventually start to realize that if they lie down they can make you give them food. Next phase closer and straighter in front please!
Training the down using a clicker
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Re: Training the down using a clicker
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