[NAGDU] Tapering off clicker

[Tracy Carcione]

Thanks guys for the advice.
Krokus likes happy talk and pats just fine, but food is even better.
Once again I wandered out today without my clicker and treats, and he did
fine, so it's definitely starting to stick.  But I'll try to remember those
reinforcers, next time we go out.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tami Jarvis via
NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2016 11:39 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Tami Jarvis
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Tapering off clicker

Tracy,

It really depends on the dog and how many repetitions he needs for the
behavior to become automatic without needing the reward. If you start
skipping the reward and he reverts, then you need to go back to more
frequent rewards for awhile and try phasing them out later.

I like to randomize the treats associated with the click, so then I can use
the click alone to reinforce working behaviors. Others always give a treat
with the click, but it's awkward for me when we're moving, so I like being
able to use the click alone, then offer a treat when we're standing still. I
use the treats with the click almost always in our at-home obedience session
to keep the treats associated with the click. 
This way works well for me since my poodles aren't all that food motivated
but need a lot of cheerleading. It might not work as well with a really
food-motivated dog who is more interested in the treat than the
accomplishment.

Anyway, there's no set time limit or number of repetitions or magical
frequency, I'm afraid. When you start reducing the frequency of the reward,
go gradually and see if the dog is still consistently offering up the
desired behavior. After he's done that for awhile, try reducing the
frequency a bit more -- say, from every other time to every third time --
and see what happens. It might help to throw a party when he's done two
crossings without the reinforcement, since that's the most exciting thing
he's ever done. If he's not impressed by that sort of thing, never mind,
you'll just look silly. /lol/ The poodles love to impress and like it when I
acknowledge that everything they do is super awesome and amazing. Yay! When
I go ga-ga over something Zay does, she just gives me the "so where's my
treat?" look. Food is all the validation she needs. So it really just
depends on the dog, what motivates it and how it learns.

Glad you're making progress!

Tami





On 08/04/2016 04:51 AM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU wrote:
> 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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