I try my hardest not to be opinionated but sometimes people say the silliest things and one is just plain obligated to respond!
Picture it...training hall...two experienced dog trainers...calmly discussing trainer A's current training problem. Their dog is having a problem with holding the dumbell. Trainer A describes how they have been trying to fix the problem (unsuccessfully obviously) through the use of a collar correction when the dog drops the dumbell. Trainer B (that would be me) wanting to be helpful, asks Trainer A if they had considered trying to use the clicker to shape a proper 'hold' to help the dog understand the specific behaviour they were asking for. Now wait for it...here comes the response that drove me into a tailspin.
Trainer A "Well no, I can't use the clicker because (drum roll please) I have BAD TIMING."
I stood flabbergasted (I am sure my mouth was open) trying to figure out how to respond positively to this comment. How could this experienced, well intentioned dog trainer, have 'bad timing'??? I mean how is it possible to train your dog well using any method if your timing sucks! Apparently to Trainer A, good timing was only a requirement if you were working with the clicker. Other methods of training (like collar corrections) did not require this skill. Now I know, some of you may be thinking that that is not what Trainer A really meant...but that is what they said.
I thought about it for a moment and then, in my most controlled voice and with a smile on my face asked this question..."So if you have bad timing, are you sure you are applying the collar correction at the precise moment in order to ensure that the dog understands how to avoid the correction in the future?" My observation was that the answer should be no, as they had applied the same collar correction almost 10 times in this training session and the dog was still dropping the dumbell. Instead, Trainer A responded that "..oh they know what they did wrong, they are just being stubborn." At that precise moment the dog who had been listening intently to this conversation picked up the dumbell and literally spit it at her owner...Timing is everything.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Confessions of A Clicker Addict
"Hello - my name is Paula and I am a clicker addict" Boy do I feel better getting that off my chest. Knowing you have a problem is half the problem solved as the saying goes.
It all started 12 years ago when I got my first clicker. I remember the day so vividly. I was at a dog show (where else would I be on a weekend) in Niagara Falls, New York. Browsing through the booths when I suddenly stopped - poked my Mom - "Look - there it is! A CLICKER". It was magical looking and a bit intimidating. This new 'training thingy' that held such secrets to communicating with the canine mind. I had to have it - but what colour - did it matter??? Maybe I needed more than one. You couldn't buy them in Canada yet. Ok stop rolling your eyes it really wasn't like that but you need to embellish these things :)
I got it home and couldn't wait to try it with my young dog (less than a year). Once I figured out which side was up and how to coordinate my fingers and thumbs to make it click when I wanted it to, and how to hold it and my food and control my dog all at once I was good to go. Having read "Don't Shoot the Dog" - Karen Pryor (clicker guru of all gurus) from cover to cover (several times) I felt I was armed with enough knolwedge to get started.
Well what happened next was what got me hooked/addicted - you can't stop at just one session - I dare you to try. I don't even remember the specific thing I 'taught' my dog that first day - it really is irrelevant. I just remember the feeling of sheer awe when I saw him (yes you can literally see it) 'get the game'. I saw him engaged, participating in the learning, working things out, neurons firing and most of all - enjoying the experience. No more pushing and prodding, no more collar corrections, no more 'commands', now I used 'cues'. We were a team in the true sense of the word.
I instantly called my mother. I wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise. "It works, it really works!" I am sure I was babbling nonsense but I couldn't control my excitement. I vowed from that moment on that I was converted to 'clicker training'. I would never go back.
So that is my story of how I became a clicker addict.
It all started 12 years ago when I got my first clicker. I remember the day so vividly. I was at a dog show (where else would I be on a weekend) in Niagara Falls, New York. Browsing through the booths when I suddenly stopped - poked my Mom - "Look - there it is! A CLICKER". It was magical looking and a bit intimidating. This new 'training thingy' that held such secrets to communicating with the canine mind. I had to have it - but what colour - did it matter??? Maybe I needed more than one. You couldn't buy them in Canada yet. Ok stop rolling your eyes it really wasn't like that but you need to embellish these things :)
I got it home and couldn't wait to try it with my young dog (less than a year). Once I figured out which side was up and how to coordinate my fingers and thumbs to make it click when I wanted it to, and how to hold it and my food and control my dog all at once I was good to go. Having read "Don't Shoot the Dog" - Karen Pryor (clicker guru of all gurus) from cover to cover (several times) I felt I was armed with enough knolwedge to get started.
Well what happened next was what got me hooked/addicted - you can't stop at just one session - I dare you to try. I don't even remember the specific thing I 'taught' my dog that first day - it really is irrelevant. I just remember the feeling of sheer awe when I saw him (yes you can literally see it) 'get the game'. I saw him engaged, participating in the learning, working things out, neurons firing and most of all - enjoying the experience. No more pushing and prodding, no more collar corrections, no more 'commands', now I used 'cues'. We were a team in the true sense of the word.
I instantly called my mother. I wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise. "It works, it really works!" I am sure I was babbling nonsense but I couldn't control my excitement. I vowed from that moment on that I was converted to 'clicker training'. I would never go back.
So that is my story of how I became a clicker addict.
My First Blog - An Introduction
Welcome - for the 3 people who might be reading this! I have decided to delve into the world of blogging if for no other reason than curiosity. As my blog title would suggest - the primary topics of this blog are intended to be around the trials and tribulations and joys of being a "positive dog trainer".
So a little bit about myself. I have ALWAYS been involved with dogs. I attended my first dog show 'in utero' and have never looked back. I grew up in a house filled with dogs (from Dobermans, to Rough Collies, to Smooth Collies - with a few odds & sods thrown in like a Miniature Pinscher and an English Cocker Spaniel). I think the lowest number of canines ever in the house is the 3 we now have sharing our lives. I have trained our own dogs and/or competed in various canine sports including confirmation, obedience, rally obedience, agility and most recently tracking.
My biggest source of knowledge and inspiration is my mother. Her love for and committment to our dogs has shaped (hey good clicker word) my passion for canines and all that goes with them. She has taught me more than any amount of books, seminars, DVDs, teachers, etc. ever will. Although we sometimes have healthy 'discussions' around training methodology we always agree on one thing. Positive Dog Training is where it is at.
For those who know me well, I enjoy the training more than the competing. My joy comes from watching the learning (for both me and the dog). There is nothing more exciting and rewarding than those 'ah ha' moments when the light bulb goes on and you know that your canine partner has 'got it'. I also love to teach. I have taught more classes for new puppy owners than I can count as well as beginning clicker skills for agility as well as some basic starting agility levels. Helping people both new to the sport and those more advanced develop a partnership with their dog makes all the volunteer hours worth it (yes I did say volunteer). :)
Well that is likely enough for the introductions. I will share some best and worst experiences in my future blogs. I also plan to give some book reviews of some of my favourite selections of positive training 'gurus'.
Cheers and happy clicking
So a little bit about myself. I have ALWAYS been involved with dogs. I attended my first dog show 'in utero' and have never looked back. I grew up in a house filled with dogs (from Dobermans, to Rough Collies, to Smooth Collies - with a few odds & sods thrown in like a Miniature Pinscher and an English Cocker Spaniel). I think the lowest number of canines ever in the house is the 3 we now have sharing our lives. I have trained our own dogs and/or competed in various canine sports including confirmation, obedience, rally obedience, agility and most recently tracking.
My biggest source of knowledge and inspiration is my mother. Her love for and committment to our dogs has shaped (hey good clicker word) my passion for canines and all that goes with them. She has taught me more than any amount of books, seminars, DVDs, teachers, etc. ever will. Although we sometimes have healthy 'discussions' around training methodology we always agree on one thing. Positive Dog Training is where it is at.
For those who know me well, I enjoy the training more than the competing. My joy comes from watching the learning (for both me and the dog). There is nothing more exciting and rewarding than those 'ah ha' moments when the light bulb goes on and you know that your canine partner has 'got it'. I also love to teach. I have taught more classes for new puppy owners than I can count as well as beginning clicker skills for agility as well as some basic starting agility levels. Helping people both new to the sport and those more advanced develop a partnership with their dog makes all the volunteer hours worth it (yes I did say volunteer). :)
Well that is likely enough for the introductions. I will share some best and worst experiences in my future blogs. I also plan to give some book reviews of some of my favourite selections of positive training 'gurus'.
Cheers and happy clicking
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