Our six class members were experienced "lure and reward" dog trainers. Some were also experienced in correction-based training. Most had been exposed to some clicker training and had used it, but had never really adopted it. Our goal was to enable these six trainers to understand enough about clicker training to be able to teach others to use the curriculum. And we had two days.
Dogs
Does the Animal Know the Behavior?
By Gale Pryor on 06/01/2005Sometimes this question is asked in a different way: Will I have to continue clicking and treating forever? In asking either question, what we really want to know is: When are we done? When can we call a behavior trained once and for all? The answer to these questions is (like most not-so-simple questions): It depends.
Clicker Training Tips for Vet Techs
By Karen Pryor on 05/01/2005Actually, this modest little gadget can be valuable, not as a training tool but as an accurate way of communicating. The click doesn't sound like anything else. It's not your voice, it's not a word or a command, it's just a click. It communicates two facts to the animal: "A treat is coming" and "Something you did made a click happen." That may seem confusing to us, but animals understand it right away.
The Phoebe Chronicles XV: A Good Dog
By Gale Pryor on 05/01/2005Long before Phoebe joined our family, thirteen years ago, we brought home ten-week-old Esme. A nearly pure-white Border collie, she soon put her shepherd instincts to work, substituting a pack of kids for a flock of sheep.
Cowardly Corgi
By Karen Pryor on 05/01/2005Q: I would like to information on getting a dog to spend time out of its protected place and how to train it to be less afraid in the house. I have a corgi that spends most of her time in a small bathroom and has done this since she was six months old. We know something frightened her, but what? Now it has become habit.
