Clicker Training A Dog?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I have a 1 year old italian greyhound/chihuahua mix. He knows many tricks such as sit, lay down, shake, high five, play dead, roll over. The thing is, it sometimes takes him a while to do these tricks. I think Clicker training would be a good way to teach him to do these tricks better so as soon as I say the command, he does it. Sometimes now, I have to pat the floor for him to lie down, and it gets annoying. I was wondering if clicker training will still work even though he knows some tricks already. Will I confuse him if I “back track”?
Also, what treats are the best for clicker training, because I know you have to use a lot but I don’t want him getting overweight.
Are clickers sold at Pet Supermarket?
Any other info? thanks!
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Clicker training is merely a replacement for treats, it won’t make him do the tricks any faster or learn them any better [thats in the training, your dogs willing to learn a new trick and how you train] a clicker is simply to “mark” the behavior, when they hear the clicker they know it’s usually followed by a treat, you dont’ use the clicker to make them do the trick you simply mark the behavior with a sound rather than the treat.
Clicker training isn’t “back tracking” it’s just a replacement tool, its good for when you aren’t next to your dog to “mark” the desired behavior with a treat rather you are able to do it with a sound.
Yes they are sold at petsmart and sliced cooked hot dog are good training treats. Use the clicker if you want to stop using food as the reward.
Remember, constant drilling of a trick can be punishment to a dog, so keep your training lessons short and fun and always end on a good note in order to make training fun for your dog.
This site is focussed on clicker training. You may find some interesting and helpful facts here.
http://www.clickertraining.com/store/?item=newclicker&SSAID=270114
A clicker won’t necessarily set his training back, but I don’t honestly think it would really help you, either. Since you’re already using treats to teach him, continue that method. When you tell him to lie down, and he takes too long, or you have to pat the floor before he’ll do it, tell him he’s good and pet him. If he lies down immediately, give him the treat, and step up his praise a bit. He’ll figure out very quickly that a fast down gets a much better reward than taking his time about it.
I personally use Natural Balance dog food rolls when training. Because they are designed to be dog food, not treats, it’s a healthy and yummy way to train your dog–and they have all natural ingredients. Just cut it up into bite sized squares and store them in a ziplock bag.
I use clicker training with my puppy. It has been very successful with him. Clicker training does not really change what your dog knows, it just allows you to pinpoint more precisely what he did right. The second they do whatever you wanted them to do you click, followed immediately by a treat.
I do not use any more or less treats using a clicker than not, because you are still treating for the same things. Eventually (when they perform the task right about 90% of the time) you start weaning them off of clicks and treats just like you do when using treats only. I do, however, buy the small training treats and then cut those into about 3 or 4 pieces. It gives him just enough to taste, but that way he doesn’t make himself sick on treats.
If you are concerned about backtracking, you can only use clicks with learning new tricks. My dog has learned commands both with a clicker and the old fashioned way. (I do think the ones he learned with a clicker were slightly faster though, just because when you click at the exact moment they did it right, they know exactly what to do again)
I highly recommend going to http://clickertraining.com/. They even have an intro kit that includes a book and a clicker, or you can get a clicker at most pet stores.