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Author Topic: Clicker Training  (Read 2537 times)

Offline LilyandGary

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #15 on: December 26, 2009, 16:46:07 PM »
I clickler trained my dogs, and my BSH Freddie caught on pretty quickly. He was 12 weeks old when I started with him, and I taught him to sit, turn around and retrieve (after a fashion) on command.

The downside was he would only "work" for cheese and onion crisps, which tended to pile the weight on, so I stopped.

If I get the clicker out even now, after 6 years, he still comes strolling over in hope!
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Offline Fire Fox

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #14 on: December 25, 2009, 00:04:02 AM »
I'm afraid I am still using too many prawns and Noah is still horrified when we run out! But .... we have progressed to desperation to get his nose onto the clicker (target) so he can have a treat, and he now reliably goes onto his back legs to touch his nose to the clicker! Today we tried crouching down to touch his nose to the target with varying success, paws were used when I didn't click immediately his head went down :rofl: Was trying amaterishly to shape by waiting for a slight bottom lowering: I think it's more a case of go at my pace rather than go at Noah's!
 
The book says I can simultaneously teach Noah to sit at mealtimes but I keep forgetting. :-[ I am really just trying to get us both used to the entire clicker concept/ get some practice in before I go for the 'jackpot' - hoping to get him comfortable giving me a paw so that trips to the vet are not too stressful. Bearing in mind he had infected pododermatits as a stray it may be a marathon task to get him to associate touching paws with prawns instead of pain. :scared: At present he purrs the whole way through each session which is a good start!
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Offline Den

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #13 on: November 11, 2009, 11:07:44 AM »
Ahhhhh, rightyho. It is indeed too much food. The key to clicker training is very short sessions a few times a day. So maybe 15 click-treats split over 3 sessions. Make the pieces tiny. For example - my 20kg collie gets training pieces half the size of my nail on my baby finger. For a cat I'd half that amount. You want them to taste the food, but not get full  ;) when ending a session you want to end it on a positive note ie working for the treat. So to begin with it would be a look or sign of acknowledgment to the sound of the clicker. Then reward with a jackpot .. Either a double treat, larger piece or a game of some sort.
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lay me down, let me go, feeling heavy the ground is cold,
lay me down take it slow I'm ready to stumble, sing & then swing low
~Use your mutant powers, just talk people to death~

Offline Fire Fox

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2009, 00:25:13 AM »
Quote from: Den on November 10, 2009, 20:01:26 PM
50g sounds too much for clicker training. Can't quite picture in my head exactly how much that is in reality. But 1 jumbo prawn should be able to last a couple of sessions plus jackpot reward. You want teeny, tiny pieces. The first couple of sessions should just be "loading the clicker" - click, treat, click, treat, click, treat, click, treat etc. Then next a split second wait between click and treat and thats when you should see the association between click - treat.

Hope that helps.

 :thanks: 50g is about half a pouch of wet food. It probably was a bit too much as the prawns replaced one of his three meals, tho obviously I don't feed prawns on a daily basis! That is what I was doing, click treat and repeat. As an indoor cat I thought it would be another way to stimulate his brain. The clicker might as well have not been there on this first session, Noah adores prawns! :innocent:
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:'( My beautiful Noah rescued 13/02/09, adopted 11/10/09, taken 11/02/11 :'( You deserved so much more.
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Offline Den

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2009, 20:01:26 PM »
50g sounds too much for clicker training. Can't quite picture in my head exactly how much that is in reality. But 1 jumbo prawn should be able to last a couple of sessions plus jackpot reward. You want teeny, tiny pieces. The first couple of sessions should just be "loading the clicker" - click, treat, click, treat, click, treat, click, treat etc. Then next a split second wait between click and treat and thats when you should see the association between click - treat.

Hope that helps.
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lay me down, let me go, feeling heavy the ground is cold,
lay me down take it slow I'm ready to stumble, sing & then swing low
~Use your mutant powers, just talk people to death~

Offline Fire Fox

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2009, 19:32:34 PM »
I've watched lots of clicker training of cats on YouTube and bought a clicker, and today we had the first session. Noah was quite happy, purring his way through 50g of prawns, but I don't think any association was made between the clicker (which he ignored) and the treats (which he was transfixed by). I was sat cross-legged on the floor, so tried the tub of prawns between my folded legs - he stared at them, if I waited too long between treats he attempted to get them for himself! Tried the tub behind my back, Noah tried to go round too. :rofl: Not sure if I should have tried a less smelly treat ...
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:'( My beautiful Noah rescued 13/02/09, adopted 11/10/09, taken 11/02/11 :'( You deserved so much more.
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Offline spud

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #9 on: October 30, 2009, 18:56:45 PM »
Quote from: Gill (sneakiefeline) on October 30, 2009, 11:16:08 AM
The thing to remember I thing is that cats and dogs are very different, dogs look up to you and cats look down on you  :rofl: :rofl:

lol perfect!
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2009, 11:38:46 AM »
 :rofl: :rofl:
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Offline Den

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2009, 11:28:44 AM »
Indeed Gill ...

I just had a go, but Molly heard the clicker and came running. In the end it was something like this:

Me: click
Memphis: eat treat
Molly: gives me toy

I gave up in the end after running out of space on my lap for toys
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lay me down, let me go, feeling heavy the ground is cold,
lay me down take it slow I'm ready to stumble, sing & then swing low
~Use your mutant powers, just talk people to death~

Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2009, 11:16:08 AM »
As the others have said cats do not respond very well to this and am sure we have a thread somewhere discussiibg this too  :shify:

The thing to remember I thing is that cats and dogs are very different, dogs look up to you and cats look down on you  :rofl: :rofl:
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Offline Den

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2009, 11:00:42 AM »
Quote from: spud on October 30, 2009, 10:50:10 AM
I reckon Spud would pick it up if it is in his interest ... i.e. food

He is VERY motivated by food, if we call him he will ignore you but call 'din dins' and he is your best friend lol

Mine is like that but he gets tunnel vision and only thinks about the food. He doesn't think about what he needs to do to earn the food. Dogs want to please their owners, cats want to please themselves. You can condition cats to come at the sound of food or their names. To get them to do something like touch a toy on command not so easy. With most cats I'd say impossible. Those that might do it will take a looong time to get there.

I might have another go with Memphis now even though I know it wont work lol.
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lay me down, let me go, feeling heavy the ground is cold,
lay me down take it slow I'm ready to stumble, sing & then swing low
~Use your mutant powers, just talk people to death~

Offline spud

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2009, 10:50:10 AM »
I reckon Spud would pick it up if it is in his interest ... i.e. food

He is VERY motivated by food, if we call him he will ignore you but call 'din dins' and he is your best friend lol
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Offline Leanne

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2009, 09:16:11 AM »
There is a book about this but I can't remember what it was called.

I have managed to start clicker train Jess, but it was awfully hard work and I didn't keep it up. Milo however was a nightmare and I didn't even bother.
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Offline Den

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Re: Clicker Training
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2009, 21:55:49 PM »
 I clicker train my current dog. It is so much fun and a handy tool one I would always try to use with dogs.  Just for fun I have tried clicker training my cat, he just doesn't have the motivation or attention span for it to work very well. I very much doubt I could ever get to the verbal cue stage.  I do still jokingly try to get him to sit before getting a treat.
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lay me down, let me go, feeling heavy the ground is cold,
lay me down take it slow I'm ready to stumble, sing & then swing low
~Use your mutant powers, just talk people to death~

Offline spud

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Clicker Training
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2009, 20:59:56 PM »
I've read about a cat that learnt to on command 'touch' his toys. I would like to give this ago; the theory is that as soon as the cat does his good behaviour you click and give him his treat. You are suppose to click the moment he does what it is you want to train him to do.

Does this work? Has anyone else tried it?
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