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Clicker VS Voice

8K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  Criosphynx 
#1 ·
Im just curious to hear what methods everyone using to train their dogs.

I took Roxy to obedience lessons when she was just a little pup, and our instructor used the methods of clicker training, but instead used a bridge word and release word, rather than using the clicker itself. Roxy (and the other pups) responded to this quite well, and I used that for over 18 months with Roxy. We accomplished alot of the basic obedience including automatic sits, heel on leash, finish, come for, sit stay, drop stay etc etc. I was pretty happy with how she was going obedience wise, but I could not (for the life of me!) teach Roxy tricks using my voice. I dont know what it was, whether it was me or her, but we just could not get the tricks happening. You would think it was the exact same thing as teaching obedience- but it just wasnt working. So I went out and bought a clicker and have been using it for a total of 3 days- with some AMAZING sucess. Although Roxy and myself already knew the system of training, the clicker itself has made the world of difference in the way she picks up the concept of the tricks- something she found difficult before.

Now we have shake, high five, spin and beg pretty much under control- just need to tune up the signals from me and make it all a little cleaner.


Just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience or have something to add when it comes to clickers VS voice? I always knew that the clicker was more efficient than voice, but figured it wouldnt be THAT big of a difference between the two, but I was mistaken.

Share your thoughts :D
 
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#2 ·
The clicker is great for tricks because you need a more instant reward/bridge. And your voice is usually okay for things such as sit or down, but with things like beg, where the dog might only be in the position for a spilt second you need to get that sound out ASAP.

Does that make sense?

I always found the same with my dog, so you're not alone.
 
#5 ·
i've used both, but i think the clicker is more effective. it has a sharper sound. i've read that the clicker sound alone stimulates something that makes it work more effectively. i've also read that in group training the clicker can cause confusion because there will be a bunch of them clicking all over so in classes they use the voice.



 
#6 ·
If you have a massive reward history behind your marker word It works pretty well...but I completely agree the clicker is much much much faster.

Especially for shaping behaviors...sit/down etc are pretty straight forward....go open the fridge and bring me a beer ....is not :)

If Iam doin' any shaping I always use the clicker.



 
#7 ·
If you have a massive reward history behind your marker word It works pretty well...but I completely agree the clicker is much much much faster.

Especially for shaping behaviors...sit/down etc are pretty straight forward....go open the fridge and bring me a beer ....is not :)

If Iam doin' any shaping I always use the clicker.
i think i'll work on this when we are done with "take a bow" :)



 
#8 ·
I can see what you all mean- shaping can be difficult with your voice and I'd say thats where Roxy and I found it difficult with a few tricks. I remember giving up trying to teach her to beg with my bridge word, as she is just so clumsy and would fall over backwards or jump a mile high in the air etc- but as soon as I bought the clicker in, I managed to get her doing it properly. Such an improvement.


Nobody that I know of at my kennel club use a clicker, so when I go back it shouldnt be a problem ;) But I can see how it would be confusing in a room full of them. haha.

Thanks for your input guys!
 
#9 ·
The clicker is becoming popular b/c it really works-and the reason? Because it's sooo consistent-in how it sounds and timing (course-that's your job so you have to be good on the timing).

To confess-I am a clutz and do have trouble coordinating the clicker, motion for the command and a treat-I often have my SO hold and click for me :p LOL
 
#10 ·
omg, know what i did yesterday????:eek::eek::eek:i clicked AT my dog.:eek::eek::eek: for some reason, i was trying to get his attention and i pointed the clicker at him and just clicked it a couple of times til he looked at me. what a dork!!!!! i mean that is one of my pet peaves and here i am doing it!:eek::eek::eek: oh well, if only i were perfect....
 
#11 ·
When I was at the pet shop getting dog and rabbit food I asked for a clicker too but they had run out :( I want to do clicker training as it seems to be the best way to go for more complicated tricks. Hey, I am a bit confused though, do you say the command first, like for instance 'beg' then when they do it click and give them a treat? Or do you do it a different way?
 
#13 · (Edited)
there are all sorts of links online to learn clicker training. but here it is briefly:
step 1) click and treat-its that easy just click and treat right away after...this teaches the dog that click=reward
step 2) figure out what you want to teach and which method you are going to use ie luring/capturing/shaping etc a good example is "sit" it is commonly taught by luring and then phasing out the lure and using a hand signal-hold the treat in front of your pups face, make sure she knows it is there then move it back over her head slowly, she should sit. as soon as she sits, the second her bottom touches down, click then give her the treat.
step 3) add your cue: once she is doing what you want for the lure getting it...you can start adding in the cue and fading out the lure.
http://www.dogforum.com/dog-training/thoughts-training-food-1219/ this thread will give you hints on how to do that.

make sense?
 
#12 ·
You don't add a cue (the word) until you are 100% positive the next thing the dog is going to do is the trick...you don't want to say "beg" and then the dog does the wrong thing and thinks "beg" means walk away, or lay down...etc etc.

The clicker simply bridges the moment from the trick to the treat...so they do the trick...you click (as they are doing the trick, not after)...and you have a second or two to get the treat to them. :)

Since the sound is consistant, they learn faster using the click vs your voice. Dogs brains are not built to process language, but sharp, crisp sounds they can process instantly. :) :)



 
#14 ·
Puppy love-I clicker trained my bunneh's-you could do that with them too!

The clicker 'marks' the behavior that's desired. Here's the scenario's:

Without a clicker
Dog is asked to sit. Dog sits. You say good and fumble a cookie in his mouth.

To the-> Dog? "Was it the sit? Or that I looked at her when sitting? Or that I wagged my tail after I sat?" etc.

Dog is asked to sit. You click at the exact second he sits, then give him a cookie.
Dog knows that the sit was the right thing, not a couple of behaviors in the few seconds it took to get the cookie in his mouth.

The click simply marks the behavior when it occurs (especially think about target training, or teaching them to jump. You can't give a cookie until well after the behavior. But you can click at the exact second it occurs)

Remember-click at the exact second of the desisred behavior. And every 1 click= 1 treat.

It works extremely well but it's hard to get the hang of clicking exactly at the right time ;)
 
#16 ·
Especially when there are RAISINS involved :p heheh
 
#18 ·
I am a bit confused.

How do you phase out the clicking with the keyword such as "sit"? If I understand what you all wrote, it sounds like you get the dog to perform the action FIRST and then you click at the exact second the dog does the action. So I would click when the her butt hits the floor, she lays all the way down, tilts her head, answers the phone, etc. How do you introduce the keyword? How do you get the dog to understand "sit" means "butt on the floor"?
 
#21 ·
yes and no

you can work on multiple tricks in a day, but perhaps one per session is a good idea at first. :)

most people use a hand signal first...then they change that to a word...the hand signal would be whatever body language you have to use to convince the dog to do the behavior....for example most people teach down by luring the dog to the floor with a treat, thats why the hand signal for down that most people use loosely resembles touching the floor. You can slowly change the hand signal so its easier, or you can do away with it completely.



 
#23 ·
depends....if you are trying to capture som'thing cute (lets say a sneeze or a head tilt) and you don't know when your dog is going to do it...you may want to carry a clicker...

I also condition them to a verbal marker ("yes") so I don't have to carry a clicker with me.

I only use the clicker for training new concepts, or cleaning up old ones. No need to use a clicker once the dog gets what you want, then you can go to the verbal marker (most people use "good boy/girl")



 
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