[nagdu] clicker training

Thu Apr 22 22:40:35 UTC 2010

Oh, yes, they love to celebrate things.  When we get somewhere that Lexia 
knows is a desired destination, such as the dorm or a particular building, 
she will stick her nose in the air and wag her tail.  It's so cute.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] clicker training

> Oh! D'oh!  I always love your solutions and the way you explain them.
> /smile/  Generally there so very practical and sensible that I never would
> have thought of them in a million years.  So end up mucking about and
> guessing until what I want to happen happens...  Well, not exactly that 
> bad,
> but that's not a far off description of how I seem to end up going about
> things some times.
>
> You're right about the reward to the trainer when the dog "gets it." 
> /lol/
> I call them lighbulb moments, which I'm pretty sure I got from someone 
> else
> -- maybe even you.
>
> Then again, Daisy had a very obvious lightbulb moment a couple of weeks 
> ago.
> It was right outside, and it was sunny enough that I could see her
> high-contrast coloring really well, including the glow in the eyes and the
> prick to the ears and tail and the happy dance and how much she wanted me 
> to
> come celebrate with her.  Which I did.  Happy happy joy, clever clever 
> Daisy
> how wonderful she is!  /lol/
>
> Not a clue what it was she just figured out, and I have been wondering.
> With her, to make up for her abusive past and all, I pretty much just over
> praise and have just decided that rank bribery in place of carefully
> calculated rewards is the way to go with her, especially since we're just
> wanting general good manners and happy calm.  Apparently, I said good dog
> and she figured out why and was just so proud!
>
> I can't remember why I said good dog, except that she hadn't dashed out 
> the
> door barking at the top of her lungs....  Still, it was pretty cool to 
> see.
> /smile/
>
> I think I'm going to try that bell thing for a couple of minor issues with
> both of them, though.  I really, really like that one!
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Ann Edie
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 1:01 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] clicker training
>
> Hi, Angie and Everyone,
>
> Instead of putting the bell on the dog, I like to teach the dog to touch a
> bell as a target.  Then I would put the bell in such a place that when she
> goes to touch it, she will be going to the place you want her to stay. 
> So,
> if I want her to go to her mat, I would hang the bell, perhaps on a string
> from a doorknob or nail in the wall so that it hangs close to the floor 
> over
>
> one end of the mat.  When she goes to touch the bell, she will be going to
> the mat, and because the bell is hung low, she will be lowering her nose 
> to
> the mat to touch the bell.  Another noise maker, such as a squeaker would
> probably also work.
>
> In order to get this behavior strongly established, I would first teach 
> the
> dog to touch the bell while I am holding the string of the bell in my 
> hand.
> Click and treat for each touch of the bell for at least 20 trials.  Then
> start moving the bell around in different positions and heights, but still
> in your hand, and click and treat each time the dog touches the bell so 
> that
>
> you hear it ring.  Repeat at least 20 times, or until the dog will go to 
> and
>
> bump that bell as soon as she sees it.  Don't try to teach the whole
> behavior in one session; several short sessions of about 20 tiny treats
> spread over several days usually works well.
>
> Next you can take the bell over to the mat, still holding the string in 
> your
>
> hand, and positioning the bell so that the dog has to step onto the mat to
> reach the bell and low so that she lowers her head in the process.  Ask 
> the
> dog to touch the target and click and treat when she lowers her nose to
> touch the bell.  Again repeat several times.  Then attach the bell to the
> wall, doorknob, or other object so that it will hang in position over the
> end of the mat.  Step just a couple of steps away from the mat taking the
> dog with you, and then "send" her to touch her bell.  When she does this,
> click and treat and make a fuss over her, because now she is going away 
> from
>
> you to touch the target.  Bring the dog back away from the mat and repeat
> several times.
>
> When this piece is reliable, you can increase the distance she has to go 
> to
> get to the mat, a couple of steps at a time, until she will happily go to
> the mat from anywhere in the house, or at least anywhere within your 
> ability
>
> to hear the bell and her ability to hear the click and for you to run to
> give her her treat.
>
> If she hasn't already figured out that she is to lie down on the mat, you
> can practice this piece separately.  Just go to the mat with her, ask her 
> to
>
> "down" and click and treat when she does.  As always, repeat several 
> times.
>
> (A side note:  Often people say, "Why do I have to repeat each step so 
> many
> times?  My dog already knows the "down" command, so why repeat these 
> things
> over and over?"  The reason we repeat each step so many times is that we
> want to build up a really strong "reinforcement history" or connection
> between the desired behaviors and the resulting click and reward.  And 
> this
> is why when we are teaching something new, or a behavior that we want the
> dog to perform under conditions that may present competing rewards, we 
> also
> want to use really yummy treats, not just the dog's normal kibble.  When 
> the
>
> doorbell rings, and the dog would normally run to the door, perhaps 
> barking
> and certainly in a highly excited state, anticipating the reward of 
> someone
> entering who will pat and fuss over her, or at least the excitement of
> announcing the guest and causing a great flurry of activity, we want the
> memory of those great treats or other favorite reward to be strong enough
> that the dog will come to hear the doorbell as a "green light" to go to 
> her
> mat and ring that bell to get the click and great reward that she knows 
> will
>
> follow.  Of course, we don't add the actual ringing of the doorbell with 
> an
> actual guest on the other side of the door until the dog is reliably going
> to her mat on a verbal cue and on a verbal cue after some intermediate 
> level
>
> of stimulation, such as a family member entering the room or coming 
> through
> the door without ringing the bell, etc.  In fact, clicker training is all
> about seeing how many tiny steps you can break the behavior down into so
> that the dog is rewarded for each small step and comes to think of the
> entire string of steps as the most fun thing in the world to do.)
>
> Another note:  This kind of training only works if going to the mat is
> always a positive and rewarding experience.  So, in this training method,
> going to the mat can *never* be used as a punishment.  It must always be a
> happy, wonderful place where good things reliably happen, not just
> sometimes, but *always*!  Just like the "come" command, we don't want the
> dog to have any doubts about what will happen when she gets to you, or to
> her mat; it must always be wonderful!
>
> Have fun, and let us know if you have more questions.  There is so much to
> say--sorry for the disorganized attempt to explain.  But the best part of
> clicker training is that when we see our highly enthusiastic dog dashing 
> for
>
> her mat with glee and diving into a down position, it is highly rewarding
> for the trainer as well as for the dog!  There's nothing like the feeling 
> of
>
> knowing that you have taught your dog to do something completely without
> using force, in a way that the dog understands, and that the dog enjoys 
> and
> thinks is just the greatest game ever!
>
> Best,
> Ann
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ioana Gandrabur" <igandrabur at gmx.de>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:22 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] clicker training
>
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> GDB gave an interesting tip that I have not used yet but might do with 
>> the
>> new dog. Put a small bell on something you can attach to objects the dog
>> has
>> to target. Thus when the dog touches the target, even if far from you, 
>> you
>> will know. I suppose that having a small bell on the bed might trigger a
>> sound as the dog goes on it.
>>
>> Just some brain storming.
>>
>> Take care,
>>
>> Ioana
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Julie J" <julielj at windstream.net>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:54 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] clicker training
>>
>>
>>> Angie,
>>>
>>> Some thoughts in no particular order
>>> *put a bell on her collar so you can better track where she is
>>> *practice with a fabric mat on a wood or tile floor, so you can hear the
>>> difference between her feet on the different surfaces
>>> *practice a lot very close until she has the mat concept solid, then
>>> build
>>> distance
>>>
>>> It isn't crucial that you click at the exact instant.  all of the 
>>> clicker
>>> books will tell you that it is and it will go much faster the more you
>>> are
>>> able to click the split second that she has done the behavior you want,
>>> but learning still occurs when you aren't perfect.
>>>
>>> HTH
>>> Julie
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Angie Giltinan" <rox0805 at verizon.net>
>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 7:38 AM
>>> Subject: [nagdu] clicker training
>>>
>>>
>>>> My name is Angie, and I have a yellow lab from GEB.  We were one of the
>>>> first teams to be trained to use the clicker, and I do like using it.
>>>> but after doing a bunch of reading, it seems that it's important to
>>>> click
>>>> exactly when the dog does the desired behavior, not to late, or to 
>>>> soon.
>>>> My question for all you clicker users out there who are blind, how do
>>>> you
>>>> know when your dog does the behavior, for example, I want my dog to go
>>>> to
>>>> her place, I can get an idea when she's on the mat, but i can't know 
>>>> for
>>>> sure, unless I have her on a leash, and am farely close to her and the
>>>> mat.
>>>> The books say, click when she puts a paw on the mat, I certainly can't
>>>> tell that very well, so i'd apreciate any thoughts about this.
>>>> Thanks much
>>>> Essence And Angie
>>>> P.S. even my cat is getting in to the clicker action! though he is a
>>>> glutten, so anything that involves food, he's there!!
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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> net
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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