You’re right, it’s great for tricks -a couple of the “tricks” my dog (16 months) learned with clicker
1) sit 2) down
3) stop 4) quiet
5) heel (neither pulling nor falling behind) 6) greet guests calmly
7) wait go to box
9) do not bite 10) stay inside (when the door is open)
11) look at me 12) stop at curb
13) no (meaning stop that)
14) dog dancing tricks (about 4 dozen at the moment)
15) bird retrieving
Whoops … are tricks 1 -13 above tricks or behaviors? hmmm
Some misconceptions about clicker:
1) click and reward with food: Food can be one kind of reward. Another is play. Or affection. I use both food or play according to situation
2) Always click? No. The clicker/reward is a marker for the correct behavior during the learning phase. When used 1-click=1-reward. I use vocal feedback also such as “good” or “super”. I do not use just the clicker. I also simply use the word “click” to mark the required behavior.
Do you know what you want out of the time and money you’ll spend raising your dog? Most people, at least at first, want their dog only to do what they tell him, when they tell him to do it. Pet owners want an “obedient” dog.
It’s understandable; a lot of value is placed on obedience in our society. Obedience provides order, prevents chaos, and ensures safety.
It’s understandable; a lot of value is placed on obedience in our society. Obedience provides order, prevents chaos, and ensures safety. Until very recently, obedience overwhelmingly defined capable parenting: good children are obedient. And a good dog sits when commanded to sit and stays when commanded to stay.
Tricks are not obedience. Tricks will not keep my dog from chasing a rabbit into the road and getting hit by a car. Tricks amuse people…obedience saves my dog’s life.
Pt 3
… But no pushing, shoving, yelling, etc. And do not teach life-critical behaviors in life-critical situations. Introduce them in secure, distraction-free environments and only move them to “real” situations when the dog has mastered the concept. Stopping at the curb is such a behavior.
I use whatever method works for my dogs. I compete/train in AKC obedience, & have had much success starting my new Dal pup at 8 weeks with marker training and food reward. He is now 8 months and we are more “fine tuning” everything. I only use the clicker to teach a new behavior, once he knows it, its gone. I am transfering his rewards to tug games more than food now and am introducing the remote collar for clearer communication and distance training, and most importantly, a SOLID RECALL!
The methodology is not flawed. If it is applied improperly, then the application can be flawed.
Now I’m not saying it’s optimal for all “problems”, but it is now general the wrong method for behavioral modification. And clicker train also includes a signal for improper behavior: no click/no reward.
Pt. 2
3) No corrections? Of course, but … one type of correction is simply not to click/reward. when the dog is accustomed to hearing the click-getting the reward and does something that doesn’t initiate it, he/she will try “something else”. One form of learning is using food to lure a behavior, then clicking when it’s actually done properly. another is to set the situation where the dog will do the required behavior by itself and click when ti discovers it by itself.
I strongly disagree with the statements in this video. If Clicker Training is only for cute tricks, why then are Guide Dogs for the blind now being trained with clickers? One error and someone could be dead…But they are finding that dogs trained primarily with positive reinforcement are much more reliable and accurate. Guide dogs were traditionally trained with corrections for many years. Why change if clicker were not better?
You’re right, it’s great for tricks -a couple of the “tricks” my dog (16 months) learned with clicker
go to box
1) sit 2) down
3) stop 4) quiet
5) heel (neither pulling nor falling behind) 6) greet guests calmly
7) wait
9) do not bite 10) stay inside (when the door is open)
11) look at me 12) stop at curb
13) no (meaning stop that)
14) dog dancing tricks (about 4 dozen at the moment)
15) bird retrieving
Whoops … are tricks 1 -13 above tricks or behaviors? hmmm
Some misconceptions about clicker:
1) click and reward with food: Food can be one kind of reward. Another is play. Or affection. I use both food or play according to situation
2) Always click? No. The clicker/reward is a marker for the correct behavior during the learning phase. When used 1-click=1-reward. I use vocal feedback also such as “good” or “super”. I do not use just the clicker. I also simply use the word “click” to mark the required behavior.
Do you know what you want out of the time and money you’ll spend raising your dog? Most people, at least at first, want their dog only to do what they tell him, when they tell him to do it. Pet owners want an “obedient” dog.
It’s understandable; a lot of value is placed on obedience in our society. Obedience provides order, prevents chaos, and ensures safety.
It’s understandable; a lot of value is placed on obedience in our society. Obedience provides order, prevents chaos, and ensures safety. Until very recently, obedience overwhelmingly defined capable parenting: good children are obedient. And a good dog sits when commanded to sit and stays when commanded to stay.
Tricks are not obedience. Tricks will not keep my dog from chasing a rabbit into the road and getting hit by a car. Tricks amuse people…obedience saves my dog’s life.
Pt 3
… But no pushing, shoving, yelling, etc. And do not teach life-critical behaviors in life-critical situations. Introduce them in secure, distraction-free environments and only move them to “real” situations when the dog has mastered the concept. Stopping at the curb is such a behavior.
I use whatever method works for my dogs. I compete/train in AKC obedience, & have had much success starting my new Dal pup at 8 weeks with marker training and food reward. He is now 8 months and we are more “fine tuning” everything. I only use the clicker to teach a new behavior, once he knows it, its gone. I am transfering his rewards to tug games more than food now and am introducing the remote collar for clearer communication and distance training, and most importantly, a SOLID RECALL!
Part 3
The methodology is not flawed. If it is applied improperly, then the application can be flawed.
Now I’m not saying it’s optimal for all “problems”, but it is now general the wrong method for behavioral modification. And clicker train also includes a signal for improper behavior: no click/no reward.
Pt. 2
3) No corrections? Of course, but … one type of correction is simply not to click/reward. when the dog is accustomed to hearing the click-getting the reward and does something that doesn’t initiate it, he/she will try “something else”. One form of learning is using food to lure a behavior, then clicking when it’s actually done properly. another is to set the situation where the dog will do the required behavior by itself and click when ti discovers it by itself.
I strongly disagree with the statements in this video. If Clicker Training is only for cute tricks, why then are Guide Dogs for the blind now being trained with clickers? One error and someone could be dead…But they are finding that dogs trained primarily with positive reinforcement are much more reliable and accurate. Guide dogs were traditionally trained with corrections for many years. Why change if clicker were not better?