Day 3 of the 7-Day Mini Course

[Adina P]

Day 3 is Teaching the Target Stick--click here to go to the lesson online
Most of you probably don't already have a target stick, but don't worry. You can use a pen, a wooden dowel, or the end of a long handled wooden spoon...any 'stick' like item that your dog isn't going to try to chew up immediately =)

After adding these videos below, I thought I'd add them here too
for those just arriving at Day 3:

First, here is a 9 week old pup learning target stick. One thing to note is that the trainer's hand is NOT holding treats...and the treat hand doesn't approach puppy until after the click.

And another one that seemed to teach it by putting a treat near the target first on the ground until the dog made a link... NOTE the tossing of the treats so the dog has to show understanding by coming back to target more.

Share your thoughts, experiences, questions here!

[Holly Paterniti]

Ok, so I am having issues with lesson Day 3..........Bear got everything til now. He was able to understand touching end of the target stick, but then when I tried to move on........he did not want to do it.........he would just laydown even if I would move with the target stick. He gave me that look of "yeah right mom, are you crazy?"

Now what? I am hoping the full course he gets?

[Adina P]

No dog is gonna get this right away, necessarily unless they have experience with the clicker.
My guess is either Bear wasn't SURE yet what to do (wanted direction...which he has to learn is up to him to figure out rather than wait on you) OR the treats weren't that exciting for him to make him work for them.

Keep playing the game...watch those two videos above and see if you can't get creative in how you move the stick...etc. It may take time for Bear to venture out and gain the confidence to keep trying even if he's not sure.

Clicker trained dogs try EVERYTHING they can think to do. Dogs NEW to clicker training tend to be hesitant and give up quicker, but with practice he'll get it too =)

[Holly Paterniti]

you know he was doing really well with just the clicker and treats......I even would not give him a treat right away, but rather after 2 to 3 clicks. Will the full course go more into the lessons?

The treats he is totally into, but I really think he was getting upset because he was not getting them right away? Do you think?

[Adina P]

YOU MUST GIVE A TREAT AFTER EVERY CLICK...that is a die hard rule =) Otherwise you dilute the click. Once you've created a cue and you're done teaching you don't have to click any more just occasionally treat...but when you are still clicking EACH AND EVERY CLICK must EQUAL A TREAT =) In the meantime we have not yet learned how to add a cue, so don't do it yet.

By the way, the capital letters above did not mean yelling, just emphasis =)

So he may have become confused if you didn't treat after each click since that's the point while they learn. He may have shut down out of confusion either due to the lack of payment OR simply because he wasn't sure what to do next. Because Rosco was trained traditionally sometimes he'll kind of give up and go into what he already knows: sit, down, bark...I know I've taken too much time in the session if he gets frustrated enough to do his old standby's.

Basically as your skills improve, you'll start to read Bear and you'll know when he's reached his peak of attention and fun and you'll END the session before he gets tired. If he's showing understanding you can stop and do more later. And with time he'll get better too as you get better. It really comes down to the handler/trainer in ANY type of training...you are training YOURSELF as much or more than you're training Bear.

This mini-course is ONLY a taste. The full course will cover ALL of this and more in much greater detail.

He'll get it Holly, just keep at it in short bursts =)

[Holly Paterniti]

Thanks Adina :) I thought when they started to understand it to not give them the treat at each click.................SORRY I guess I misunderstood.