[nagdu] Clicker training

[Tami Jarvis]

Hi, Leye, and welcome back!

I am a blind owner-trainer who used clicker training almost exclusively, 
and I have been very happy to see the schools begin to incorporate that, 
along with other aspects of positive training methods. I learned a lot 
about clicker-training from other blind clicker-trainers.

So that tells you something about the notion that blind people can't use 
clicker-training! As with anything else, we simply have to adapt some 
things to use it successfully. The dogs can deal, believe it or not! /smile/

The clicker is simply a means to reward the dog for doing what you want 
it to do, called "capturing behavior." It works like verbal praise, 
really, except that the click can come more immediately and capture 
behavior more exactly. So your dog stops spot on at the curb. Click! The 
click is given with or closely followed by a treat. Some people always 
use the click and the treat together. Others condition the dog to 
associate the click with the treat then use the treats only sometimes.

That's the very basic. It's very simple, really, although you can go 
nuts with applied operant conditioning, which is more complex. But 
essentially, you are simply communicating to your dog that it has done 
the right thing and rewarding it for doing so. You can tell your dog 
stopped at the curb, blind as you are, so you know when to click. /smile/

If you have more questions about it, some of those super 
clicker-trainers I learned so much from are also on this list, so you 
can always get answers!

Tami

On 07/18/2013 06:39 AM, Leye-Shprintse wrote:
> BS"D
>
> Hello,
>
> What I understand some guide dog schools in Northern America use clicker training to train their dogs and the method are taught to their students during training. In Sweden, we do't use it since blind persons can't use this method of training. I wonder if someone has the time to tell me how it works, how do you use this method and when? As an example, can you use it when you work the dog in harness, when the dog shall 'find the stairs/kerb/lamppost'? Thank you for taking the time to read this!
>
> Kind regards,
> Leye-Shprintse Öberg
> Sweden
>
> Courriel : leyeshprintse at ymail.com
>
> Envoyé de mon iPad
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