Day 5 of the 7-day Mini Course

[Adina P]

Day 5's Lesson is: Behavior Fluency.

Share your experience and thoughts here!

[sandy b]

I'm just getting to this exercise, we have spring break houseguests so I'm waay behind on everything!! However that said Max wants to either chew it or lay on it!! He's doing a super job touching his nose to the spoon but I guess he thinks the mousepad is a toy. We've just begun and we will keep at it but any suggestions?

[Adina P]

I gave some other suggestions to others...not sure what more to add. Just keep trying...=)
And hey if he's offering to sit on it...make THAT the goal for practice.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Samantha usually steps on the mousepad but times she slides into it like she is playing for the Yankees! Other times she nose butts it across the room or sits on it waiting for her chicken. She steps on it everytime but I am not treating for anything but the 'true' step. Any thoughts on that? She thinks that this is the best game.
I am hoping that consistency will help.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

What is the reason for stepping on the mousepad? For some reason I just don't get the 'why' part of this lesson. I got Samantha to do it but 'why' are we teaching it? Is there a lesson down the road where this will make sense?
What cue word do you suggest for this?
Am I making too much out of the mousepad???

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

LMAO Same here - my hubby says "Why are you having her touch the stick with her nose? Why are you having her touch your fist with her nose? Why are you having her step on the mouse pad?" All I can honestly say is " I DON"T KNOW" ;0)

[Doodle Kisses]

Targeting items, particularly a target stick is a skill that will come in handy for giving physical directions, going to a far away target, learning tricks and much much more. It can help you with teaching 'heel' too.... It gives the dog a specific instruction of 'go there' or 'follow along' without having to use food as a lure/bribe.
It's VERY handy in clicker training. Mousepad is an arbitrary item...chosen because many people have one and it isn't too large or small. A lid, a box, etc are equally handy...there is nothing 'magic' about the mousepad per se. Targetting, though, is a valuable skill that will be more and more important :)

[Adina P]

Essentially you are building 'fluencies' -- parts of the whole language of communicating with the clicker. Touching the stick and stepping on the mousepad are not ends in themselves, they are skills to build on.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Thanks for explaining Adinda!! I kinda felt pretty dumb asking the question but I have to understand what the 'end result' is supposed to be so if it didn't work I could find another way to get it.
Samantha & I have been working on 'touch' for lots of things but but the mousepad became like 1st base - she slid into it. jumped on it, tried to bat it around the kitchen. All for the love of chicken.
We are loving clicker training!!! THANK YOU!

[Adina P]

Here's another totally useless trick...BUT it shows how well you can teach TONS of things with clicker. Sometimes it's best to start with things you have no personal investment in. If the dog doesn't get it...you're not frustrated trying to teach it...and most likely the dog will improve his clicker skills as will you. This guy teaches his Yorkie to go to a certain spot that could be scary to a dog.