Can I train my dog on my own and has anyone used clicker training?

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I have been watching the Kikopup videos on Youtube and am really quite impressed by them. (Clicker training)  I'm wondering if any of you have used this method because I really want to know exactly which way I intend to train before I get my puppy.  I'm also wondering whether if I choose a particular training method  will be able to do it without training classes.  Can I train myself enough to do it myself?  I do intend to go to puppy socialization meet-ups.  I haven't so far found classes that I really feel comfortable with.

[Sorana, Darwin and Chance]

Hi Nicky - I've been watching those training videos too!  I have a new pup and this time around (the 1st dog Darwin is 2.5 yrs) I intend to do a better job training, and clicker training seems the most effective and "nice" (no corrections).  In fact, I'm also re-training Darwin to walk on a loose leash using the kikopup video tips, and it's going wonderfully.  I can't tell you how nice it is to walk down the street without worrying about your fingers getting wrenched off.  And having eliminated leash corrections from the walk, Darwin is having a much better time too.  Logistically it's more involved, since I have to coordinate leash, treats, and clicker, but it is definitely worth it.

[Sorana, Darwin and Chance]

ps. As a first time dog owner, I found it extremely helpful to go to classes because I could ask questions and get tips on technique.  So the classes were as much for me as for Darwin.  But you might be able to just use the expertise on this site I suppose, as long as you can socialize him in other ways.

[Sandra Griffith]

I wam certified to teach clicker training through Karen Pryor's Clicker Training Academy after having been a professional trainer for many years (since the lated '70's) using more traditional methods.  As a cross-over trainer, I have had the opportunity to try both methods and am so happy that I made the switch.  One of the things that I have been most impressed with is the eagerness of the dogs to train and the way that clicker training encourages the dogs to try out new things and think for themselves rather than trying to avoid a well-timed correction.  If you have any specific questions regarding clicker training, please feel free to ask.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Many thanks for the offer Sandra.  You might be sorry you asked.  Right now I'm watching them over and over because it looks like the timing has to be perfect and there are lots of little things you need to think about.  I'm hoping that once I understand how it works it will become natural.  I notice that the treats look like teeny tiny pices of whatever and I'm right now experimenting with cutting up organic hotdogs into tiny pieces and baking them to see if I can make high value treats to use.  BTW my puppy isn't even born yet!!  I'm as mad as a hatter!!!

[Bug]

i have been watching all the kikopup videos too and i hope to use them with my puppy when i get her (this saterday!!!)

i really hope they will work they seem so gentle and kind.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Let us know how it goes. How exciting.  I wish you the very best with your new Puppy.

[Sandra Griffith]

First of all, you are not crazy. It is great that you are preparing in advance. You are right, the mechanics do take a bit of getting used to. You can practice the mechanics without your dog. For example, get a pile of dried beans (the kind you get at the grocery store). Place 10 beans in one hand and your clicker in the other. Have someone bounce a ball and click every time it hits the ground followed immediately by placing one bean in a cup. Another thing to try is have someone throw a ball up in the air and click when the ball is at it's highest point, followed by placing a bean in a cup. Once you get the hang of this the helper person might sometimes "fake throwing the ball to make the exercise harder. You also might try practicing whilst watching television. Determine ahead of time what you will click. It could be every time a specific word is said or a specific action is taken. Click when the behaviour happens followed immediately with place the bean in a cup. If this is too hard to accomplish with 10 beans in your hand, start with fewer. Also, experiment with which hand holds the clicker and which hand holds the beans. The more accurate the timing of your click the faster your dog will figure out what you are clicking for. The only rule is that if you click (even if you clicked by accident) your puppy always gets a treat. I do not know anyone who has not clicked at the wrong time or thought their dog was going to down, clicked and then the dog didn't quite get into a down. Because there is no punishment involved there is no real harm done (the puppy may just be a bit confused but will get it when you click at the right time more often than not).Of course, you must "load the clicker" first so that your puppy understands that "click=treat". If you do not understand what this means please ask. I'm not sure how much you know so I do not want to oversimplify but everyone has a starting point so do not be afraid to ask if you are not sure how this all works.

[Sandra Griffith]

As to treats, it is a good idea to rank your dog's favourite treats. Some favourites are fresh cooked chicken, hot dogs, cheese, and fresh cooked beef. I cut the pieces really, really, small (about the size of a grain of rice). Frequency is far more important than amount and you do not want to be overfeeding your dog. You may also use dried dog food as a treat. The harder it is for a dog to work the higher the value of treat you want to use. The higher the distraction level the better you want the treat to be. I do not recommend giving any treats without the puppy earning it. The puppy must do something to earn a treat: no freebies! This could be as simple as coming to you when you call his name I often use the dog's food for training. by this I mean that rather than giving the puppy his meal for "free", I make up the puppy's meal and then feed it to him/her during a training session. this has the added bonus of helping to prevent food guarding as the puppy sees that good things come from you so there is nothing to guard.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Thanks for all that.  I'm lucky in that I have very fast reaction times and I had started to try to practice.  I will try the bean thing and have bought a waist bag to put the treats in.  I don't know quiote what is meant by 'load the clicker' though?

[Laura Deutsch]

Well, Molly is 11 months old. We've been using the clicker since day 1. We also were inspired by Kikopups. We only take training classes from trainers who use clickers. Once the dog knows the behavior and is reliable , you don't use the clicker anymore, although we have had to go back to the clicker now and then to retrain. We really like it and it's actually fun. However, our dood is and has been a big challenge from the beginning. She's had intestinal issues all along and we've always used kibble for treats......substituting her meals. For her it's worked. We also use cheerios. Now that she's older, we're getting ready to try chicken again and maybe some other stuff, but we're always worried about the loose stools again. We loved watching the Kiko pups and got all kinds of other clicker training/Karen Pryor videos. We both really like clicker training although the Kiko pups stuff is out of our possibilities!!!! We didn't find using the clicker and the timing difficult at all. IT was easy for both of us to get into the rhythm of it. We have never used this method before , so it was new to us. I would suggest that you definitely get into a puppy kindergarten class. this is really important. If you want any tips about beginning training and tricks from a lay person, once you get your pup, I'm happy to give you my email address and you can ask directly.

[Sandra Griffith]

In order for the dog to understand that the sound of the clicker=treat you "load the clicker". To do this, simply sit with your dog (preferably on a leash so that he/she does not wander off) click the clicker and follow immediately with a treat. The idea is to build an association between the clicker and the treat. Do this about 20 times and then stop that training session. Do not spend too much time in each training session particularly with a young puppy; they will become bored and lose interest or grow too tired to focus and you want them to look forward to this. Repeat throughout the day (preferably at least 3 times). Once the dog has built an association between the clicker and the treat you are ready to use the clicker for training a behaviour. Do not try to use the clicker to train a behaviour until the dog has built this association. The reason that a clicker is often used is that it is a neutral sound that has no intrinsic meaning to the dog. You build the meaning by pairing it with a treat and eventually with a behaviour followed by a treat so you must build the association first. Once you have been using the clicker you may also traing the dog using a verbal marker as well for those times when you do not have a clicker on hand. This process begins in the same way; use your word ("yes" is commonly used as it is short and easy to say) followed by the treat. Repeat as you did with the clicker in "20 treat" sessions until the association has been built. The reason that a clicker is a better "marker" than the verbal marker is that our voices are not always neutral. Our tone, pitch, and energy varies with our emotional and physical state making it less neutral than the clicker which will always sound the same. For example if you come home angry o stressed (don't we all from time to time) this may sneak into our voices inadvertently giving more information about what we may or may not want than we mean to convey and thereby confusing the dog. Clickers are only an inexpensive marker signal, Some people have used a flashlight for deaf dogs as a marker signal. Whistles are often used with dolphins as a marker signal and I have used a flashlight to train a fish to swim through a hoop. The reason that clickers are used so often is that they are inexpensive, easy to obtain, and neutral but are not the only thing that you can use by any means. Once the dog has learned a behaviour and it has been put on "cue" you do not use the clicker anymore unless you need to work on the behaviour (you want to make the behaviour more precise, speed up the response, etc.). The treats are also phased out over time. Also, you may use other rewards besides food (for example toys). It is also good to start putting the treats on an intermittent schedule; ie. once they know "sit" they don't get a treat every time they do it- sometimes they do and sometimes they don't kind of like a slot machine.

 

Lastly, treat pouches are terrific but do try to train with them off at times so that your dog does not build an inadvertent association with the pouch and availability of treats.  I also tend to turn the treat pouch around so that it is at my back so that it is not so visible.  You'd be surprised at how smart these dogs are and how they quickly they build up these associations.

[Sorana, Darwin and Chance]

Are the treats phased out while clicking is still going on, or only after you've reached the verbal cue stage?