Clicker question

MurphysMinder

MurphysMinder

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I rather stupidly volunteered to take Pickle to a training class which was being run to assess a would be trainer for APDT. The idea being the trainer has to take a basic puppy class, teach a few simple exercises and is judged on her ability I presume. I volunteered mainly because it was more socialisation for Pickle, plus it was free and there was a free goody bag. :D I did feel a bit mean that some poor soul would be subjected to the squealing over excited little body that is our Pickle. Anyway we duly arrived and the trainer introduced herself and came and met all the dogs. She asked what breed Pickle was and when I told her she said"oh you don't see many of those do you", I have learned that this basically means people have never heard of them. :p
She then handed everyone a clicker and explained the principle, all fine, I have done a bit of clicker work with him but always at home on his own. As soon as a class of 6 pups and handlers were working together, with everybody clicking at different times it blew poor Pickles brain. Every time he heard a click he was spinning round to see where it came from and then expecting a reward, even though he wasn't doing anything. The trainer was walking round with a large tub of liver cake which he also found fascinating, far more so than my bits of sausage. He does get very over excited with treats so I don't over do it and actually just use kibble at home, but reckon we needed a bit more. Whilst I was calming him down and trying to keep 4 feet on the floor the trainer did tell me I needed to make him do this as "you don't want him jumping up when he grows big", erm, so another one who doesn't know what a heeler is, fair enough but why not just ask.
He did settle down and I was actually quite pleased with him, but I really don't think clicker training is the way to go with him in a group situation. Has anyone used clickers in a class, and how do you get the dog to focus on you rather than everyone elses click?
I don't know if we will be told if the trainer passes or not, tbh I was not very impressed, she seemed to concentrate on one very biddable little spaniel to show how to introduce things, kept her distance from Pickle, which is understandable:rolleyes: and I hope I have the experience to work on him, but as far as she knew I was a total novice and she really didn't offer me any training tips at all.
 
I used clicker in a class with Jimmy when he was a puppy, he has his level one obedience not that anyone believes me :p It took him ages to "click" so to speak lol but he eventually realised it was me he was supposed to be concentrating on, we just had to carry on as it was quite a big class.

That's probably not very helpful, perhaps do more homework with him and the clicker so he has more of a grasp of what's being asked then he may find it easier in a group
 
We use clickers in our training classes and can't say I've noticed storm doing anything when others have clicked. Plenty other things distract her, like everything else other than the clickers :p
I find the best thing to grab Storm's attention is a tube of primula cheese. Although at times even that doesn't help. She has the concentration span of a gnat :(
Seeing as he's food focused, take something he can't resist with you and that should help.
Might take a few classes for him to get used to all the distractions and concentrate more.
Oh also if your class is in the morning don't feed him breakfast. Make sure he's hungry, then he's gonna be very interested in the food.
I made that mistake last week, thinking 7.30am was fine to feed as class was 9.30am, but sadly no it wasn't. Even the cheese wasn't enough to get her to concentrate. She was better behaved in the 1st week than the 5th lol
 
Thanks for the tips. He is if anything too food focussed, goes silly leaping up to try and get anything, which is why I am using less exciting treats. I am aware it is very early days, this was only the second class he had been to, and the use of the clickers in that situation was totally alien to him, the usual instructor doesn't use them. The class is at 1.15 and he is fed at breakfast but doesn't have his lunch, the other thing is that he is so small that you can soon "treat" him a full meal so have to ration the treats for that reason. As I said I was quite pleased that he did settle down, I think it is all just too exciting for him yet, I have probably been spoilt by GSDs over the years, they do tend to only be interested in their owner, whereas Pick would go with anyone who offered him food without a backward glance I am sure.:rolleyes:
 
Just imagine what would have happened if we had turned up with Pip, double trouble. I have never ever been in a training class where everyone has their own clicker, must have sounded like castanets:D, very confusing.

Pips last class the trainer threw treats all over the floor and the dogs had to ignore it without you using the leave it command, well Pip went mad and was determined to get the treats so everyone else couldnt get them, result chaos and she showed herself up.:eek:
 
Only ever treat when they have all 4 feet on the ground, worked quickly with storm who was jumping up to get the cheese. She doesn't jump now cause she knows it will be removed from reach if she does.
If you're using kibble or something like that, click then drop it on the floor, he'll not jump when he realises it's going on the floor and not coming from a hand above him.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Just imagine what would have happened if we had turned up with Pip, double trouble. I have never ever been in a training class where everyone has their own clicker, must have sounded like castanets:D, very confusing.

Pips last class the trainer threw treats all over the floor and the dogs had to ignore it without you using the leave it command, well Pip went mad and was determined to get the treats so everyone else couldnt get them, result chaos and she showed herself up.:eek:
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PMSL :D Storm would've done exactly the same, even with a 'leave it' command. ours needs a lot of work.
 
We have a big field, and all different types of clickers, but yes, G will spin around when he hears a click so I would not have thought it advisable to do it in close quarters to another dog?

Dobiegirl, we did an exercise once where all the dogs had to do a downstay with us standing away from them, in front, and the trainer lobbed a ball behind them. He was very optimistic.
 
CaveCanem said:
We have a big field, and all different types of clickers, but yes, G will spin around when he hears a click so I would not have thought it advisable to do it in close quarters to another dog?

Dobiegirl, we did an exercise once where all the dogs had to do a downstay with us standing away from them, in front, and the trainer lobbed a ball behind them. He was very optimistic.
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I think with young to adult dogs thats a useful exercise with a distraction but with a young pup optimism dosnt come in to it.:D
 
He never gets a treat unless he is on the floor, but he's not grasped the concept yet. Dropping treat on the floor would not work at the class, its only a small area (a double garage with a bit added on) and if you drop a treat the dog next door dives after it. He is actually quite good at leaving a treat with a leave command, has been taught to leave his food bowl until given a release from the day we got him.
DG, I've got a friend of a friend on fb who has a Heeler, does working trials with him . I was commenting about people not knowing the breed and she said she sometimes tells folk hers is a Pocketweiller or a Microschutzhund!
 
Only todays was free, the rest its £50 for 7 classes, 6 really as first one was dog free. First time I've been to this trainer/group, the one I normally go to is at a time I can't manage and felt Pickle needed the socialising sooner rather than later. Tbh I'm not very impressed, I know I am somewhat old school but the trainer (the usual one) really doesn't seem to offer much helpful advice. Someone the first week said they were unable to leave their lab pup in its crate at night until it had gone to sleep, and then they had to tiptoe out. Sounded like obvious separation anxiety to me, pup followed owner round all day, trainers only suggestion was to take the crate into the bedroom.
I am using the class as a means to an end but don't think I will learn much from it. I certainly won't be taking my hopefully future Evie pup (there I've said it :o) there.
 
I've been in hundreds of clicker classes and never noticed a dog pay attention to other clickers, so I would guess that it's rare, although obviously it can happen! Could it be that he was a bit hyper about the whole experience and just reacted to everything?

I don't know if you'll get a chance to go again, but I would imagine he would find it easier to concentrate the more he did the classes, especially if he was rewarded often for having all four feet on the floor, or looking in your direction.
 
Oh yes he was certainly hyper.:D The normal classes don't use clickers so won't get chance to see if his reaction improves, he will I am sure settle more at future classes, he was better this week within about half an hour. It would seem from the replies on here that most dogs do focus on their owners clickers, trust me to have the awkward one, at least he isn't actually my dog and I will soon be able to hand him over to daughter and let her be embarrassed every week.:D
 
Mine wouldn't budge if you threw a hundred tennis balls but I can't claim that it's down to my training, sadly. :p

Puppy class at our place is £30 for 6 weeks so sounds a bit steep especially if so ineffective, being made to use a clicker would drive me mad, as would the rubbish SA advice - I know how devastating it can be in an adult dog, trainer ought to be helping to nip it in the bud early.
 
MurphysMinder said:
It would seem from the replies on here that most dogs do focus on their owners clickers, trust me to have the awkward one, at least he isn't actually my dog and I will soon be able to hand him over to daughter and let her be embarrassed every week.:D
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:D :D
Re awkward dogs it is also exceptionally rare for a dog to be scared of the clicker...but trust Betty to freak out! She had already gone to puppy socialisation and done a beginners' training course so she wasn't a total numpty, when I introduced the clicker. Frist click= oh my god, what was that, tail under, ears flat. Second click = run for your lives and hide under the bed ! Idiot dog! :p Took her a week to get used to it and I had to muffle the clicker in a towel and a kitchen glove!

There is always the one!
 
MM - Dont worry B is another awkward one. She now goes into the kennels at work (college) when im working and she gets to play with the students all day. They do 'training classes' which involve alot of clicking. In her first class she apparently sussed out pretty quickly that click = food and then spent the next 30 mins spinning round sitting and looking at everyone that clicked. She is special.

She now understands she has to flutter her eyelashes at whatever human is next to her rather than all of them.
 
Aw bless B. Evie sussed out the clicker fairly quickly when I started training her with it, as soon as I went to the drawer where I kept the clicker she offered everything I had taught her, bowing, spinning etc in the vain hope of a treat.:p
 
MurphysMinder said:
Aw bless B. Evie sussed out the clicker fairly quickly when I started training her with it, as soon as I went to the drawer where I kept the clicker she offered everything I had taught her, bowing, spinning etc in the vain hope of a treat.:p
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Oh yeah B des this if she knows you have a goody and you are taking too long to give a command. She just offers up everything she knows:rolleyes:
 
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