[NAGDU] Tapering off clicker

Thu Aug 4 13:52:56 UTC 2016

Clicker is marking the exact moment the desired behavior occurred and then 
reinforcing that with a reward.  Food reward is the most common because it 
is quick, easy and 99.9% of dogs will work hard for it.  Any reward that is 
meaningful to the dog will reinforce the behavior, how much reinforcement 
depends on how valuable the reward is to the dog.

Think of it like incentive programs at a job.  Some folks will work hard for 
donuts at the staff meeting, some will work harder for a couple hours off on 
Friday afternoon and others might find the free sweatshirt their thing.  The 
reward has to match the desire of the individual for it to be meaningful and 
produce results.

So yes, you can click and give verbal praise only, but if verbal praise is 
only lukewarm for Crocus, then you are probably not going to see the 
reinforcement you want.  However if the behavior is firmly established and 
you are weaning away from giving that constant confirmation of desired 
behavior, then it could work.

The long and short of it is to go with your gut instinct, try it and see 
what happens.  Then adjust as necessary.  If you think the behavior will 
diminish with verbal praise only, then I'm thinking you are going to have to 
keep the treats around indefinitely, at least on an intermittent and random 
basis.

HTH
Julie
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now 
available! Get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
-----Original Message----- 
From: Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2016 8:11 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Tracy Carcione
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Tapering off clicker

Really?  I can click, but not treat, sometimes?  Krokus would be soooo
disappointed.

Quit coffee?!  Wow.
Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie J. via
NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2016 8:43 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Julie J.
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Tapering off clicker

My best answer of how and when to taper away from clicker is, trial and
error.  That probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's been my
experience.  I do exactly what you are doing...use the clicker and treats
until behavior is established.  Then randomize the c/t to 7 of 10 or two of
three or whatever feels like it might work.  Do that for a few days then
step back another notch.  Repeat until c/t is gone.  Always offer praise
though.

You can use your tongue against the roof of your mouth to make a click noise
if you forget the plastic do-dad.  It's like the sounds kids make when they
are imitating a horses clip clop hooves You can also substitute praise for
the treat when you are phasing out the clicker.  So maybe the first step is
to click every time, but only give a treat 75% and praise only the other
25%.  It might make the transition smoother to keep the click longer and
phase out the treats separately.

Hope that makes a little sense.  I quit coffee and some days I'm just not
sure if my ideas make any sense to anyone but me.

Julie
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
available! Get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
-----Original Message-----
From: Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2016 6:51 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Tracy Carcione
Subject: [NAGDU] Tapering off clicker

Krokus likes to creep up to curbs, doors, steps, ..  Occasionally, I've
tried clicking and treating at downcurbs, which fixes the problem pretty
quickly.  But then I stop, and pretty soon we're back to creeping up.  So I
guess I'm stopping too soon, or not randomizing my clicking so he never
knows when he might get a treat.

I'm trying to do better this round.  Sometimes I just plain forget to bring
the stuff with me, but I'm trying to randomize more deliberately than that.

So, how do I know when I don't need to c&t every downcurb?  Stopping at
curbs is, after all, a behavior he already knows well; I'm just trying to
tighten it up a bit.  When he's getting it well, then do I just click every
other one, or skip every third, or something like that?  How do I know when
I can stop clicking altogether?

Tracy

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