Our 4 H dog training classes started beautifully last Thursday. Big thanks to everyone in this class. We will be using this blog to keep everyone updated. Next week we will be giving out free clickers to everyone in class. So let's start with a bit of review on what this clicker thing is.
If everyone in the 1st hour class would think back to that hour for just a bit. Remember Remmy, the big chocolate lab, who volunteered to work with me? Now Remmy didn't know me but he soon discovered that we could communicate. I had that big pocket full of treats and the funny noise maker on my wrist, (Clicker).
Let's think about what happened. I said Remmy's name, he looked at me, I clicked and gave him a cookie. After 3 or 4 times you could see Remmy begin to understand that he was in charge of earning the treats. If he looked at me I clicked and gave out cookies, you could just see him laughing at me. Boy did he think I was a push over.
Once Remmy was responding to his name and getting clicked and treated for it, think about what I asked for next. By hiding a treat in my closed fist and bringing my fist above his head he looked up. In order to look up he put his butt on the ground, I clicked and treated. After we had done that several times, I could predicted that he would sit if I brought my hand above his head. So now we could begin to pair the cue "Sit" with his getting his butt on the floor, for which I clicked and treated.
It didn't take long before Remmy started to offer to sit in front of me. Think about how he was begging for treats by staring at me and sitting in front of me. Every time he did that, I would click and treat.
We were able to get Remmy to come by simply backing away from him, when he followed me, click and treat. Once he was predictably following me, remember how I began to cue him? "Remmy Come", he would follow me and I would click and treat. He started to follow me as I backed away from him, and he got a click and a treat.
To get your dog to heel, try this. Say his name, back away from him, as he follows you turn to your right, 180 degrees, which will put him on your left side. Click and treat! Practice getting him in heel position, for several steps, click and treat for being there.
Now I hope you are practicing with your dogs at home. Make sure you a using small treats, and a verbal marker, "Good", followed by a treat. Once we get clickers to you next week, you can start using the clicker. Just remember that one click equals one treat, and a click marks a behavior that you want the dog to offer more frequently.
Have fun and see you next week.
Cathy M
