I realized, today actually, I think, that I spend so much time giving quite creative suggestions regarding clicker training to other people, that I kept repeating myself that when they train, they should go step by step, start from most simple things, use better treats when usual mix doesn't work.. And that I myself didn't implement any of those into my every day training. And while I do like to think that i did quite well with shaping tricks, moving bit by bit, short sessions etc.. I realized how much of 'old fashioned' training is still in me, how I expected too much of my dogs and I was training using R+ and clicker, but not clicker training..
so today, I decided to go back to basics and to set very simple goals that are close: I want my dog to be with me while we're in our yard. I want her to truly be there, not just go running around sniffing the ground, reacting to every sound. So, I put her dinner in my waist bag, clipped clicker on my bracelet and we went out... no leash, no anything.
she was doing fine for first 30 seconds. when the first distraction (neighbors) came, we moved into the garage where it was a bit more quiet.. and I got her attention. and she would look at me and I would click... in few minutes I was already getting up to 5 seconds of eye contact.. full eye contact with no eye twitching or looking distracted. and that was a lot for her. I could've probably raised my criteria even more, but I kinnda wanted to make it easy for her, wanted to make the time outside the time for lot and lot of easy clicks. so we stopped at 5 seconds.
Our next session was some 30 minutes later. I went straight into the garage and we had a really short session (one minute?) since I was running out of her breakfast. And she did really well, didn't need this period of getting into it and was offering nice eye contact for 5-6 seconds, although If I delayed my click for a bit longer, she would wander off.
dinner time was much more interesting (I wanted to work during the day but I wasn't at home...). I wanted to take her out but again saw our neighbors in their yard and was a bit skeptical but still decided to go on with it, although I put a harness and a leash on her... The moment we went out, she started barking. I just pushed my hand with treats in front of her nose. she started sniffing. kept giving her treats as me moved away into another part of my yard. Not the best method but it works.
I decided to make it more interesting for her and started moving a bit after I tossed the treat so she would have to find my eyes... seemed as she liked this better than me just standing there. On our way back to my door, I decided to reward her voluntary attention, rather than doing the easy food in front of the nose. Neighbors were further away and I had high hopes. When we stepped into the part of the yard where she could see them her ears went up and she went still. I moved in front of her. she looked at me. click and treat. I move a step backwards, she follows, she looks at me, click and treat. step by step, we were in the house.
another session. neighbors still in the yard. I move out. I click and treat as we move on. She ignores the neighbors (although her ears were up and listening all the time). I'm soo happy. Now she gives eye contact up to some 7-8 seconds, rarely glances at my hand (mostly if I make sudden movements with it which is understandable) and looks at me the moment after she eats the treat.
third dinner session same as second one, although she was giving shorter eye contact, I recon because it was getting darker and there was more noise in the street.
generally, I was very happy with the day. I'm afraid that I'm trying to move to fast just because I would ask for so much more before and she would often give it, and she would heel for 10-15 meters while looking at me in areas with quite a lot of distraction, in the house, she's awesome and listens to every single word I say etc. But I really want this to be some kind of zen for her, and also I want her to get into looking for eye contact with me when she gets outside. Hope that with enough practice, she'll get into it the moment we get out, instead of becoming this crazy dog she turns into right now.. and then, we'll start moving it to the street.
I also started working with her on a relaxed down since I realized that so many times I'm rewarding her excited behavior. When I let her in the house for example, she does lie down, but when I say OK she burst in, running like crazy. She won't touch the food until I tell her to, I can heel her around it, call her away from it etc, but she's so tense all the time than when i tell her that it's OK to eat, she attacks the bowl and eats up the whole thing in 3 seconds. and I realized that the more I'm delaying her getting the food or sth else, more tense and excited she becomes and I'm rewarding more and more excited behavior, while wanting to establish some control over her.
So from few days ago onwards, she has to be relaxed/not showing interest in something to get it. I tried it with her dinner yesterday evening. first, i took half of her dinner and clicked for her laying down on one side (not the sphinx down but the relaxed one). i was just waiting for her to lie down since for her 'down' is a cue that puts her into this exciting mode and I didn't want that. After some time, she did lie down (boredom?) and I clicked. Took her some time to grasp what i wanted and she was offering relaxed downs. I was also asking for relaxed facial features and less panting (had to use more than half of her dinner for that though). when it seemed like she got it, I put the food bowl in front of her... I knew it wasn't the best thing to do, but I counted on her history of repeating the last thing she did in order to get the food in the bowl (I would often finish a successful trick training holding a food bowl in my hand and waiting until she performs what we've been doing right before and then giving her food. Had really great successes with it, seems like it made the behavior really stick with her. so, instead of holding the food, I put the bowl in front of her. she laid down since it's what usually gets her the 'OK'. she tried to cheat, using her paw to get the food closer. I moved the food a bit further away. she looked at me, and then turned to the side. she yawned (a calming signal. i was soo happy!) and her face changed into a more relaxed one, panting slowed down a bit. 'OK' and she started eating.. Maybe it was my imagination, but she seemed to eat a bit slower than usual.
So, well that's my beginning. I'll see how it goes. It's quite a new filed for me actually. I got really good in making my dogs excited and really into performing lots of tricks and I got really good in teaching them those tricks, but this.. ah well hope all the mistakes that I'm making will show soon! :-)
