walks away while trying to clicker train

[shannonmac]

hey guys, don't know if anyone else has dealt with this.
I've decided to start clicker training with my 2.5 yr. old boxer and 1.5 yr. old american bulldog.
kneesaa, the boxer is totally uninterested.
she will sit, give paw, lay down, stay and come on command, however buu (american bulldog) was having some trouble with these (we got him at a year old and he knows how to give the paw for a treat and nothing else).
so to make a long story short I bought a clicker to help him learn. I click it and he does what they are supposed to both be doing, but for some reason kneesaa, who knows what to do without it, gets up and walks out of the room!
now, hopefully I'm doing it right. I thought you were supposed to click while giving the command.
I don't know why she wants no part in this at all. any thoughts?

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

No, you don't click as you give the command. Your clicker is simply a "marker" that says "yes, you did the right thing and you are going to get a treat now." It should be given only when the dog executes the command.

There are many good books on clicker training and many awesome websites which can guide you, as well as very valuable information from some expert clicker trainers here at boxerworld (available thru the search engine), which will help you learn how to clicker train correctly. Check out the search engine and our book forum for further information.

 

[shannonmac]

thanks tulsa dan.... I'm definitley gonna do a search on it!
now if she was doing the commands on her own without getting treats afterwards... would it be a step backwards to start doing it with treats?
I only ask because its tough to train just buu...they're always together.... so I'd have to start giving her the treats too... I just don't want her to start thinking if there's no treat she doesn't have to do it.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

No you can go back and train again and again if you want. However, I would suggest keeping one dog away while training the other. Other dogs are a MAJOR distraction and can only hinder the initial training process. Once a dog learns his commands, THEN you can start adding minor distractions while you work and building up to major distractions. Training two dogs at once is very, very difficult and I'm sure you will find that it goes much easier with only one dog.

As for the treats, most all dogs like treats and will respond for them. It is incentive to do the work. How long would you go to work if they didn't pay you. Your paycheck is your incentive to keep working. The treats work the same way. You will want to gradually decrease the amount of treats and how often given once the dog understands the commands and performs them readily (as you don't want to have to carry treats with you for the rest of your life), but when starting out, use them readily to give the dog something to work for.

Good luck.

 

[shannonmac]

thanks again tulsa dan!

 

[Buster Brown]

Hey Shannon: Obviously Dan knows more about this than I do, but I wanted to add my two cents, since I also have a dog who already knows the basic commands and has just started clicker training. I think the clicker training (with treats) is reinforcing the skills Buster already has and is helping me to be more clear about what I want him to do.

We just started yesterday and he can already do "so cute"--he lies down, puts his head on his paw, and looks adorable!

Besides, I'm having fun and I think he is too, which is another good point about clicker training.