Clicker training question

New Topic

Clicker training question

Posted : 1/24/2007 9:33:14 AM

I am working on training some tricks with my new rescue border collie, since she has no interest in toys and I want to exercise her mind. I have only had her for a week, so we are both still getting used to each other. We are also enrolled in a beginner obed. class. I did a halfhaerted attempt at clicker training my last dog, but I want to do much better with this girl, but I am still a beginner trainer. Thats the background.

I was trying to teach her a rollover and thought we had the "flop" down well. She was doing it on cue and even offering it when I didnt ask, so I knew we still had work to do. Well, today I asked her to flop and she just looked at me. Sat there. DId nothing. I was about to lure her and then she lifted her right paw. I thought, well thats cute, I'll try to catch that. So I c/t her for lifting her right paw and had great success.

But now we have 2 half trained actions. Is that normal? Or do most people finish one action to completion (on cue, reliable) before they move onto the next thing?

And back to the flop (and eventually the roll) is it normal for a dog to regress a little? Do we keep at it and eventually she will do it on cue again?

Thanks so much!

Kim_MacMillan

Posted : 1/24/2007 12:36:10 PM

Hehehe, I have SO many partly trained things with my girl it's not even funny. Well, it is funny...lol. I am a huge addict of "let's see what I can do!" and most of the time I don't put things on cue, because we're just having fun learning together. I've done left head turn, right head turn, head shake, crawl, play bow, so many things I've not put on cue when training. BUT, the great thing is it only takes two or three reminders about what we're training and Gaci will remember exactly what it is we're doing, even if we hadn't done it in months. I'm currently putting the play bow on cue now, as well as training weaving through legs (in different sessions), I'll likely go back and put a cue to some of the other things in the future, although if we don't, it won't be any harm to me or her. There are always new things to be learning in the world of clicker training! [

]

So no, there is no harm if your dog knows two things part of the way, if you like you don't even have to finish them! If you want, you can finish them both up, remembering to work on one behaviour per session though. And yes, you might find that some dogs do regress a bit in training if you're working on different things at a time because they need to figure out which behaviour it is you are currently reinforcing. Some dogs have trouble distinguishing between working on more than one behaviour at a time, others adapt very well.

When I first started training I always only trained one thing at a time, and trained it until completion before training a new behaviour. I don't do that any longer, but my dogs are also in the "clicker game" and know how things work. Now, when I begin clicker training the new pup, we'll work on one behaviour at a time until she is clicker savvy and knows the game.

Kim MacMillan