[nagdu] clicker training

Tue Aug 30 20:21:27 UTC 2011

Hi, Lora,

It sounds as if you are doing fine with the clicker training method, and 
that your dog likes the treats he is getting and they are helping to 
establish the behavior you want.

So now, if you want to start moving on past this phase of the training, you 
can do so by adding to the behavior chain which you have established.  So 
far, your dog is understanding your cue to move over to your other side when 
going through certain types of doorways, and he understands that he will be 
rewarded for doing this by getting the click and treat after he does the 
desired behavior.  So now, you can add another behavior to the chain rather 
than clicking and treating as soon as he moves over to your right side.

For example, when you ask him to move over and he responds correctly, you 
can reward him by saying "good boy" in a happy but not too exciting voice, 
and then give a further cue, such as "heel," if you want him to follow you 
through the doorway, or perhaps, "Go on" or "let's go," if you want him to 
precede you through the doorway.  As soon as he responds with one step or 
even a look in the direction that you want him to proceed, click and treat. 
Gradually add to that behavior so that he is taking a full step forward when 
you give the "let's go" cue before clicking and treating, then 2 steps, then 
three steps, then eventually, as many as necessary to get through the 
doorway.  If he truly understands the clicker game, he will know that if he 
doesn't hear the click at the point in the behavior chain when he is used to 
hearing it, that it means that you want him to do something more in order to 
earn his click and treat.  You can cue him with words that he already 
understands or with a little guidance of the leash in the desired direction 
in order to help him understand what action you want of him at this point. 
And when you do click and treat, you will be reinforcing the entire chain of 
events which have preceded the click and treat.

Once this part of the behavior is established, you can then add the next 
part of the chain, which I imagine is having the dog return to your left 
side.  Again, during the training process, you can click and treat for 
intermediate points in the chain as needed.  But eventually, you will 
approach the door, cue the dog to move to your other side, cue the dog to go 
through the doorway in the manner you prefer, cue the dog to return to your 
left side, and cue him to resume guiding you, before clicking and treating 
at a point which is convenient for you to stop and reward him.  Still later, 
you will fade out the click and treat for this entire behavior chain, as it 
will become integrated into his known maneuvers, and you will stop, praise, 
and reward at whatever time and in whatever fashion is your habitual way of 
showing appreciation for his work.

(I would practice this extending of the behavior chain at home or in another 
place where you do not have to hurry to get out of other people's way at 
first, and where you know what is on the other side of the doorway, so that 
you and the dog can learn the entire sequence of maneuvers before practicing 
in a more public place.)  Then you will need to practice in a number of 
different locations in order to generalize the behavior.  You might have to 
drop back a bit and reward smaller parts of the whole chain as you move it 
to new locations, in order to maintain his confidence that he is doing what 
you wish.

I hope this description is clear enough to be useful.  It may sound 
complicated, but it is really quite intuitive once you have gone through the 
process with a few different behavior chains.

Best of success,
Ann

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lora" <blindhistory at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] clicker training

>I am waiting to treat after clicking. I am giving him Royal Canine
> treats. It is a little difficult to treat and click when going into a
> building but it's better than having a hurt dog from getting hit by
> the door. He's picking it up pretty well.
>
> On 8/30/11, Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Wouldn't that be kind of hard if you are going into an establishment?
>>
>>
>> On Aug 30, 2011, at 9:15 AM, Sherry Gomes wrote:
>>
>>> Some dogs don't seem to respond as well to clicker as others.  My 
>>> current
>>> guide almost shut down in that part of our training, even though she was
>>> fully clicker wise.  I don't bother to use it at all.  Some dogs respond
>>> very well to play rather than clicker or even food.  Have you thought of
>>> bringing one of his favorite toys and playing a little with him as a
>>> reward?
>>>
>>> Sherry
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Lora
>>> Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 8:00 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: [nagdu] clicker training
>>>
>>> Hello
>>> My dog's foot got caught in a door about three weeks ago. I was
>>> heeling him like I thought my school wanted. I later found out I was
>>> doing it slightly wrong. I am now wanting my dog to go to my right
>>> side for right handled doors. I have been teaching this to him. He
>>> understands the concept but unless I have treats he will not complete
>>> the task. I have been clicking and treating for about two to three
>>> weeks now. How long do people click and treat with their dogs? Any
>>> suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.
>>> --
>>> Lora
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
> -- 
> Lora
>
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