[Scott Harris]

Aussie
The problem with praise is almost everyone muttles it.
even if their timing is precise during training,,,,all the rest of the time they are talking or praising the dog for stupid stuff the rest of the day. So the praise becomes almost meaningless.

I have never trained a persons dog where I didn't have to re-condition the dog to praise. So that the dog can now understand what praise means. and that is to continue the behavior it is being praised for.

Thats why talking to a dog can be harmfull for training even if your not training.
And its why people see good responses using clickers. People don't go around clicking to their dogs all day long like they do talking and making silly sounds to their dog.

If a person can discipline them selves not to talk so much to their dogs,,,you will see just how effective praise can be. Dogs are silent communicators and everything means something or all this stuff means nothing,,,depending on how you have consistantly applied your method.

Pete

Nice post, interesting topic as any tool in your box helps.

 

[Scott Harris]

Darrine
thats looks good on paper but can you throw a cookie 300 yards

There are so many ways to train a dog and get results. Every persons skill level is different,,,so if someone profits from the clicker method then thats good for them. There is no big secret to clickers and how they work they use the same principles of OC.

The bottom line in training dogs is what works best and is most efficient for the trainer.
everyone finds their own groove or( rut)

But another way of looking at training or anything in life is what is the least amount of work for the most amount of gain.

Each persons decides whats best for them.

My question would be what do you do with a dog with low food drive,
do you click and offer prey object?



Pete

Another nice post Pete and Eug. Oh and for the record I have never used one. I do plan to work with a gal that uses them and just started e-collar work and does both with the same dog. I figure that is the kind of person I want to work with, willing to see all sides and try different things. I used to tell clients that a voice was a clicker..........then it hit me that I have been telling those same clients for years that the collar is consistent communication all the time, and if the dog was trained right he knows that language for me, mom, dad, and the kids, of course the level and timing are still a factor. I preached that they all have different tones, body language, leash work etc but using my collar system that they all speak the same language. So if I thought my voice was a clicker and I talk to the dog and others do as well it hurts the teaching, and then forget about frustration in my voice, to happy, to quiet, louder, and on and on. Cool topic. I had a client ask me about force fetch one time and he asked which method I like best and I said the one that works. I told him I would sing to them or read them a book if it worked. I think my big problem will be marking a small step to get to larger ones. I watched her work and you praise for some pretty small things. This is not field work she does, but it was cool to see the final result.