clicker Archives - Smart Dog University

Train Your Dog Without a Clicker

February 19, 2015

I hear it a lot: “Do I HAVE to use the clicker?”

While I highly suggest using the clicker, nothing says it’s a requirement to teach your dog. However, what makes the clicker a useful tool is that it:

sounds the same every time
carries no emotion — every click is the same
doesn’t need “translation”
is unique — doesn’t sound like anything else in the environment

The clicker is definitely my tool of choice, but there are times when it’s not convenient to carry the clicker. Or, what if you find yourself without the clicker (or don’t want to be burdened by carrying it with you)?

Easy peasy: Use “YIP!” instead.

What is it?

Yip is a nonsense word that I say in a high-pitched, enthusiastic voice that stands in place of the clicker. It fulfills the same criteria listed above for the clicker, so I think it’s a great stand-in for the click.

How do you use it?

Use it just like you would use the clicker. Both the clicker and the yip are called “markers.” That means they mark the exact moment the dog is doing what you want and it also means the dog earned a goodie. To teach your dog that yip = treat, simply pair the yip with the appearance of the treat. Say yip and then reach to give your dog a treat. Repeat about te
n times and your dog will understand the meaning (and value) of yip.

When do you use it?

Use it whenever you want to tell your dog he’s done something right and can expect payment! When I’m training service dogs, they sometimes accompany me to public places like the library, a restaurant, or the movies. I’d be the villain if I clicked my way through a dinner or a movie, so I leave the clicker (but not the treats!) at home. I can modulate the volume of yip so I’m not annoying fellow movie goers with the essential training the service dogs need.

You might use yip in place of the clicker when your hands are full — maybe when you’re working on trimming nails or another grooming task that takes two hands. Or maybe when you’re walking two dogs at the same time. Or, not that this would happen to you, but maybe you forgot your clicker at home (or like me: just can’t find it!). The yip stands in whenever you don’t (or can’t) have your clicker on you.

Rules

The rules are the same no matter which marker you use:

If you yip, you must treat.
Yip only for stuff you want your dog to do more of (in other words, don’t yip to get your dog’s attention or get him to stop doing something)
Yip first, then treat.

Talk back! What’s your marker to use in place of the click?

Cues: How to Ask Your Dog to Do Something – Video

August 7, 2014

Ever wonder why your dog doesn’t do what you ask?

Could be that it’s the way you’re asking. Cues (not commands) are a vital component of solid dog training. Often, understanding just a bit about cues and cueing can take your dog’s behavior from so-so to outstanding.

First, what is a cue, exactly?

Good question! A cue is technically anything the dog can perceive — it can be a word, a noise, a movement, a smell. You name it: if the dog can notice it, it can be a cue.

Anybody have a dog whose dog goes a little bonkers when they see the suitcase come out of the closet? Yep, that’s a cue! The dog has associated an action (your leaving) with the suitcase.

A cue can be a word or a phrase.

In our house “Who wants a biscuit?” means: walk with me to the pantry, you’re about to get a goodie.

Cues are the way we ask a dog to do something.

Cues exist in our own life, too.

A green traffic light is a cue, for example. It means “you can move forward now.” A red light is a cue, too: “stop!”

When dogs don’t listen to us, we sometimes blame the dog.

He’s stubborn. He’s hard headed. He just doesn’t listen. But what if — just maybe — we were part of the problem? <Gasp!>

Maybe you say “C’mere” sometimes, but other times you say “Come!” Or maybe someone else says “C’mon!” And the dog is somehow supposed to know that all those different words mean “move to me as quickly and directly as possible?” No way!

Back to our traffic light example: what if the traffic light showed a green light and a yellow light at the same time? What the heck does that mean?! Who knows! Everyone would probably interpret that a little differently: go, stop, go slowly, go but look both ways, etc. See how confusing that would be?

That’s how easy it is to confuse our own dogs.

We’re just scratching the surface with our Dog Training 101 series.

We just published Dog Training 301, so keep your eyes peeled for more. By the end of our series, you’ll be at the top of the dog training class!

Attention! Get Your Dog to Pay Attention [Video]

November 21, 2013

Getting your dog to pay attention can be a challenge. There are so many interesting things out there! Squirrels! Birds! The wind! Joggers! Dogs! Pee! It hurts to know that pee ranks higher on your dog’s list of interesting things than you do, doesn’t it? The good news is that it doesn’t have to stay that way. You can be more interesting than the wind. Or pee.

This is the first video in a series where you’ll teach your dog to pay attention to you. This is pretty powerful stuff – are you ready for it?!

Let’s get started with some of the most common mistakes I see dog owners make when they try to get their dog’s attention:

Nagging. It sounds like this “Fido. Fido! Hey, Fido, look here! C’mon, Fido! Look at me, would you? Hurry up, you stupid dog. FIDO!” It’s almost like begging your dog to look in your direction. Does your husband, wife, child, boss ever get what they want when they nag you? Probably not. And if you do what they want, it’s probably grudgingly. I want your dog to want to look at you!
Bribing. Almost everyone is guilty of this mistake. Your dog won’t look in your direction, so you wave a treat directly in front of his face. Or maybe you say a favorite word like “treat,” or “go for a walk.” Bribes have no place in dog training. Bribes create sloppy and unreliable behavior from your dog. And you always run the risk of not having a good enough bribe.
Demanding. Some people demand that their dog pay attention. You’ve seen it, I’m sure: they’re at the park and they call their dog’s name. The dog is looking at the dog across the way and doesn’t turn around to his owner. The owner yanks on the leash, forcing the dog to turn his head away from the distraction and toward the owner. If there’s something I like less than bribes, it’s demanding something from your dog.
Being stingy. Occasionally, your dog will turn away from something really interesting and instead of having a party and celebrating this huge success, you ignore their success — or worse: you tell them to do something unappealing (like leave the dog park, for instance).

This video shows how you’re going to right those wrongs and get your dog’s attention quickly and easily.

Start in a quiet location — preferably in your house. Have some really delicious treats. Schooner’s eating cubed cheese and summer sausage. Wait for your dog to look at you.

Remain silent. You’re not doing anything to get your dog to look at you. Your job is to click at exactly the same time your dog looks at you or in your direction. That’s it.

Gradually, your dog will realize that looking at you causes you to click and give him a treat. This is where things get really fun! Your dog will start looking at you to get you to click. You saw on the video how I let the clicker do all the “talking,” and I stayed quiet while waiting for Schooner to look at me.

Before long, your dog will spend more time looking at you than at his surroundings. This is good! You’re making progress! It’ll then be time to add in some distractions. That video will be coming shortly. Until then, keep working on the steps in the video and you’ll be ready for the next installment of teaching your dog to pay attention to you!

Bringing Up Baby…With A Dog In the House

November 2, 2013

I don’t remember what was going on in this picture, but I do remember the dog. That’s Penny, the first dog I ever had.

I don’t remember ever living without a dog. My earliest memories involve dogs. And a cat named Spyder Eyes who would hide and then LEAP onto me as I toddled by.

We don’t have kids, but most of the folks I work with do have children. The wise clients ask for advice on when to bring a dog into their family. The other clients call me after there’s a problem and they’re at wit’s end.

I think it’s wise to involve the children in the raising and training of the family dog as soon as they’re able. Supervision, obviously, is required. It’s not “nice to have” supervision, it’s “CRITICAL to have.”

Naturally, responsibility of dog care and training will increase as the children get older. I remember getting into the gigantic galvanized trash can to get our dogs’ their dinner. It seemed gigantic as a kid and I remember loving the smell of the dog food when the lid was opened. Our dogs lived outside back then and I had to carry water to their water bowls, too. I hated that job: the bucket was heavy and I always got soaked by the sloshing water. There was no getting out of it — the dogs needed their water, and it was one of my assigned duties.

If you have a dog and kids, why not let the kids participate in the care of your dog. Pet360 has some great tips on how to divvy out responsibility based on the age of your kids.

Your turn: Did you have a dog growing up? What were your dog-related chores. Do you have kids and a dog? Do your kids have responsibilities around the care, feeding, and training of the family dog? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment.

This post is sponsored by Pet360. I have the chance to be compensated for spreading the word about Pet360.com, but Smart Dog Blog only shares stuff that WE like! [We don’t share just for money or bling, in other words.]

Great Treats Can Help Your Dog Through A Vet Appointment

October 28, 2013

We’re headed to the veterinarian today for a quick look at a ridiculous wart between Schooner’s toes. It’s been bothering him quite a bit — and bleeding if he gets rambunctious. He’s 10 months old, rambunctious happens on a daily basis. And unfortunately, due to the wart, blood on the floor is now also happening on a daily basis. Ew. Ow.

I fully anticipate Schooner to resist a paw examination at the veterinary hospital. I’ve been worrying him all weekend, checking on the wart, looking at it from every angle, and generally poking him constantly.

For a smooth examination, we’re going to need “the big guns” when it comes to treat choices. Only the best is going to do — he’ll already excited to be in a new place, to meet new people, and then we’ll be poking and prodding. He’ll be raring to go and I’ll need him to stand still — for awhile — so the veterinarian can get a good look at his paw.

I’ve chopped up some leftover ham, have some soft cat food ready, and will even bring some cooked bacon to help Schooner through the visit. The food can act as both a distractor “Ooh! Schooner! Look at this bacon up here!” so the vet can get down and look at the foot without having his slobber into her hair. It can also be used as a reward each time he allows her to touch his foot.

Regular dog food won’t work in this situation. Nor will anything crunchy or hard. These treats need to be delicious — think people-food — and easy to swallow (with minimal chewing). The tastier the better!

Bringing food to every veterinary visit is a good idea. We start all our puppies with delish treats when they go to the veterinarian, even if it’s just for a quick hello to meet the technicians and staff. The more positive associations you can create in your dog’s head that correspond with the veterinary hospital, the easier it’ll be for the veterinarian and her technicians to examine and treat your dog.

Your turn: What’s your dog’s favorite “human food?” Do you give your dog a special treat when you take him (her) to the vet? Share your strategies below in the comments!

Service Dog Training: The Things A Dog Trainer Learns from Her Dogs

October 25, 2013

One of the reasons I love dogs is because they’re all different. We’re on service pup #15, Schooner, and oh, the things he’s teaching me!

One might think that dog training consists of the dog trainer teaching the dog. And yes, that’s true for the most part. My job is to help the dog learn. Opening up to learning from the dog, though, is when things get really cool. That’s where I am with Schooner in our training journey.

He’s teaching me. And he’s a pretty darn good teacher.

I’m learning:

to keep training sessions short
that training sessions better be fun
the dog can (and will) quit a training session if it isn’t fun
that not all dogs find chicken delightful and to keep searching and trying new treats until a I find one for which Schooner goes nutty
when I deliver a treat matters — slow is not acceptable (even when my click is perfectly timed)
dog brains develop on their own schedule and I need to modify my training schedule to match the dog’s schedule
keep training, even if it seems like the dog isn’t getting it
don’t be afraid to take a break from training for a few days, though if things feel like they’re not fun anymore
if you’re not smiling when you’re training, definitely take a break
some dogs are bottomless pits, while others walk away when they’re full — and that’s ok
clicker training conquers just about any training issue you throw at it AND the dog loves the solution

Schooner is 10-months old and he’s just now starting to really learn. I won’t lie: I was panicked for a couple of months because his progress was s o s l o w. The Labradors I’ve trained have always been ahead of me in the training game — I couldn’t teach them new things fast enough! Schooner, on the other hand, had a decidedly different path. He’s a “stop and smell the roses” kinda dog when it comes to learning.

His message in a nutshell: Don’t rush him, be patient, and his brains will eventually kick in. When I surrendered my need for progress, progress, progress, and let the dog dictate the pace, I was happily surprised with progress!

That, to me, is what dog training is all about. It’s a journey taken together with a little bit of give-and-take. It’s listening to one another, striving to create the opportunity for learning so that when the dog is ready to learn, I’m ready to teach.

Dog training is not about “making the dog” do anything. It’s not about shutting off behavior (jumping, barking, pulling etc.), it’s about getting lots more behavior and then rewarding only the good stuff that you want to see more of (sitting, chewing a toy, walking politely, etc.). If you hear someone say “just make him do it!” walk away. Quickly. That ain’t what dog training’s about. Not at all.

In the end, Schooner will have learned how to be a top-notch dog who can provide his human partner with the help she needs to get through life every single day. He’ll do it happily. He’ll do it eagerly. And together they’ll be a terrific working team, and — better still — a terrific team…period.

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