When I started training my 4½ year old dog as a puppie I knew of no-one that used clickertraining. It was either "traditional" correction based or lure-reward with treats and praise. (I used lure-reward)
My second dog is now 11 months old and just passed the DRK-obediencetest. There was 20 or 25 dogs present. I saw 3 owners wearing clickers and one other told me that she had clickertrained her dog. Meaning that at least 5 of us present that day used clickertraining. And I live in a part of my country where things traditionally take a little longer to implement....
Furthermore since I started clicking my older dog she has surged ahead in the conformation ring, going from getting 2nd 's (=FCI "good") to 1st w/CK (FCI= excellent) and she is now one CERT from becoming a national conformation champion!
Apart from that - and more importantly - she obviously enjoy being in the ring. I have gotten lots of comments on how well she shows - and I am getting asked how to clickertrain a dog for the ring by people with several years more experience with conformation shows than me (over here we have no professional handlers, the owner or sometimes a friend will handle the dog in the ring).
What seem to impress people the most is how responsive she is to me. I can make her move a little or shift her weight, just by shifting my own weight - this is something that more or less trained it self - I just rewarded her for following my movements, and gradually made my movements less obvious. It's like we have an invisible line between us, if I move a step, she follows with a step, if I just move my weight she will just move her weight. It is much easier than it sounds - try it, I is a fun exercise!
I have started buying clickers in bulk and having a few extra in my pocket so I can give clickers away to people showing an interest (along with a short introduction speech, and a page with references to good books/websites) - it is like the pusher's technique: give them one for free, get them hooked... LoL...
Long road!
Well, it was a long road, but Vinnie is now a finished AKC Champion, and also has his CGC! We are now persuing clicker training in earnest to get ready for agility! At last, Vinnie can have some fun.
oh and I forgot
When you train the gaiting, keep that leash loose. Yes, a dog *can* learn to gait beautifully in a slack leash. The tight leash "supporting" the dog is one of the main thigns that make dogs hate the gaiting.
"Foodmotivated" = so much easier to work with
"too smart for his own good" = no such thing. A dog cannot be too smart. ;o) Try reading some of my other blogposts and some of Lauras about Laev. Smart dogs are wonderful to work with. A challenge, but fun, fun, fun. I get outmarted by my dog regularly. And I love it. Makes it so much more rewarding when *I* manage to outsmart *her* Just kidding. Dogtraining should never be a struggle, it should always be cooperation. If your dog think of it as a chore he will try to get it over with as fast and effortless as he can.
This is my only big secret to dogtraining:
Make the dog love doing whatever it is you want it to do.
You want a retrieve, great, find a way to make the dog love retrieving. You want a conformation champion, find a way to make him love stacking and gaiting.
All the rest is pomp and circumstance.... ;o)
It's simple... but noone promised it would be easy
Hang in there. And remember ...have fun... both of you...
Christina and the chessies
Hi chuck
I followed the ideas in Click to Win.
Since the whole set up might have soured for your dog, try to create a "fresh start"
Wear a different set of clothes or other shoes, use a new different leash or something like that.
Then start over clicker training the behviours you want. use as much free forming as you can. Maybe add in a target stick too. Don't correct him, keep your hands off him (no moving the legs around manually), keep your focs on one thing at a time - start with the rearend - work with hindlegs first, then when he stacks nicely start clicking for front legs and forget the hind one, when he stands good on the front put the two together. Then add in ear erectness and the tail wag should come automatically ;o)
The same thing with the gaiting. One end at a time, and get someone else to click for you.
Don't try to work on more than one thing at a time.
Dont add in cues until the stack and gait is as you like it. And use new cues, not the old soured ones.
Remember to split and raise the criteria slowly, keep that ROR (rate of reinforcement) high - try to get in 20 click/treat in 30 seconds. (yep I mean it) Set a timer to go off after about 3 minutes, when it rings move on to something else. Keep the sessions short and fun.
Good luck in and out off the ring ;o)
PS: we got that last cert and she is now Danish conformation champion - it took about a year from our first cert to the title was earned and we got three certs in the course of four shows...
Enjoying the ring
Tasha, first congradulations on your success! I am owned (not trying to be cute)by a 16 month old English Cocker, that we show conformation here in the US. He does not, enjoy being in the ring. He stacks for examination just fine, however gaiting (and I know he can "fly" when he wants to) has become a chore for him. This past weekend he should have been winners dog, and best of breed both Saturday and Sunday, but instead was beaten by lesser dogs that moved happily. How did you train the dog so that she now enjoys being in the ring? I have clicker trained a number of behaviors, studies Karens books (Don't Shoot the Dog, Clicker Basics, and Click to Win), so I understand the basic principles, but I'm having only limited success with training for conformation.
Like all ECS, Vinnie is "food motivated", he is also "to smart for his own good", and very stuborn....he has trained me more than once, to do what he wants. I need some suggestions on how to overcome our problems.
Chuck and Vinnie
Awesome.
Nothing inspires like success. Obviously you're doing what you're supposed to do, and it's paying off for you and other people want to see those results, too. Keep it up!
Laura &
www.CaninesInAction.com