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What each of my animals have taught me so far

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My rats:

I clicker trained my rats last year. Charlie and Sparticus.

Fear can be overcome. They started off really scared of the clicker. It taught me that with patience they were able to overcome that fear and look forward to hearing that oh so scary sound.

Supersticious behavior is really easily developed if you are not careful. Spart absolutely would not take food outside of his cage. Charlie would only offer behaviors if he was on the chair, the table would not do.

To plan ahead with behaviors and know where I am going when training. Rats learn really quickly, it was not uncommon that a behavior would be learned in five minutes. If I wasn't prepared beforehand they would actually learn slower

Be flexible. I was trying to capture a behavior of cleaning themselves as it was really cute. But I miss clicked somewhere and it turned into a behavior of backing up. Works for me!

 

My chinchillas:

People have predujuces and you should make your own judgements. I have taked about clicker training chinchills to respected people whom own chinchillas. They said, "You can't train a chinchilla, I've tried, it won't work." I heard that one from many people. And "The click will scare them as that is the sound a chinchilla makes before it attacks." The last one is a valid concern and the main reason why I had my chinchillas a year before I started with clicker training. But, as it turns out, the click is fine and doesn't frighten them. In fact, my rats were more scared then the chinnies.

Patience pays off. In the beggining it took forever for my chinchillas to actively participate in the training. They wandered around and I would wait 20 mintutes for a behavior that was rewardable. It took them about a week to learn that they control when I click. It was amazing when I first saw that lightbulb go on. Bing did a behavior, I clicked, Bing did the behavior again, I clicked again. Big moment!

Breaking behaviors down. Wheras rats are geniouses at training and love to predict what might come next and will continue trying if not rewarded for something they thought they should, chinchillas are the opposite. If the steps aren't broken down enough to where there is a really high rate of sucess, they stop trying and go play. With the rats I had to plan ahead completely, but could be slightly messy with how I got there. With the chinchillas I have to sit down and think 'How am I going to break this behavior down for them enough.' Both really valid lessions.

Find what they find challenging and observe natural behavior. While some behaviors are necessary, especially with dogs, with my chinchillas and rats I am just training for fun. Chinchillas like to jump and run around a lot. I found that those behaviors, obviously, that they did naturally are what they are most attentive at in learning. If I am having trouble teaching something, maybe it is because I am not teaching it in the right way for them. There are a ton of different ways to train a behavior.

Even if you can't vary the type of reward you can change the amount given. Chichillas have very senitive digestive tracks, they absolutely cannot have too many treats. The only option I have for training is giving their pellets as a reward and only 1 rose hip a night. The rose hips I use if they make a major break through. However, I can still give a few pellets at a time or just one, and this has shown to be almost as powerful as varying the types of rewards. And I can still use jackpots by giving them many pellets at a time.

 

All the lessions I have learned from each species are very valuable and carry on to all species so I can communicate even more effectiley. Thank you to my animals for making me a better trainer, and I look forward to learning more about training from you in the future,

Nay

What my animals teach me

  I had to laugh when I read your article because it sounds exactly like me describing the difference between training my JRT and my mastiff.  The JRT offers 50 behaviors in 5 seconds and the trouble is clicking the right one.  The mastiff offers a behavior, waits, then offers another behavior, waits, then offers another behavior and if this one isn't right, she gives up.  You have to make sure the mastiff suceeds in something or she gives up.  The JRT persists long aftershe's told "free dog", the training session is over.  It's amazing that clicker training shows how universal learning is, no matter what the species.

How to success with mastiff like dogs...

How did you succeed with your mastiff? I am new to clicker training, I have a 2,5 years old westie that already has classical positive education and begin to respond very well to clicker ! But I also have a 5 months old spanish mastin that I begin to train, how to start with this big and calm dog and to be sure to success?  What are the best orders or cues to start with and get his full attention?

 

NayNay's picture

Clciker training

I will start off by saying I have never had a mastiff or even trained one!

However, this does not make my post irrelevant.

What does your mastiff like? Does he like his kibble, treats, bits of chicken... exct. Start with that, a highly motivating reward. That is how you are going to get his full attention.

Next, you just 'charg' the clicker. This way, he knows that the clicking sound means a treat is on its way. One of the easiest things to teach any animal is that of targeting. Put your hand out flat and when he touches his nose to your hand click and treat. Move your hand around so he follows it. He will soon get the idea that his behavior influences when he will or will not get the treats, and that the clicking sound means thats the behavior that got me the treat.

Nay

thanks for the response, it

thanks for the response, it is very hard to find a higly motivating reward, at home it is ok, but where you are out, you or your reward don't exist anymore.... even the good smelling garlic susage we have here...

but now I think he has well understood that click = reward, and that is a first good point because after I could "run" after him to give him his reward, like "heey, you've done something great, wait, wait, don't run, here is your reward...." and know he waits / search for his reward

I will follow your advice and try targeting to make him understand his action makes the click to happen.

Thanks again

NayNay's picture

You might be asking too much

If, when you are in a distracted area, he just can't pay attention, you are probably asking too much. Slowly work up the distractions. You said that training him inside the house is good, perfect, now try to graduate to your back yard maybe on the patio. Backyards to have some distractions, birds, smells, wind, but not like the front yard with cars and people and other animals. If the back yard is still too much the go back into your house but maybe turn on the t.v. and work by a window. Go at his pace. You will progress faster.

Another thing that can happen is supersticious behavior. If you train in the same area of the house every day and thats the only place you train, he might associate only that spot with training. So when you go somewhere else and try to train its like, "You want me to do what? Here? Oh no, that just isn't possible!"

Nay