How To Teach "touch" With A Clicker?

[laffi]

I was trying to teach "touch" by holding a treat in my hand but not letting them take it out with their mouth. (I teach them separately but they both behave the same). So they try to get it with their mouth but when they decide they can't they just sit and look at me (they don't try to use their paws). I was planning to click when they touch my hand with their paws but it doesn't happen.. :rolleyes: Any suggestions? (It doesn't have to involve the clicker).

[MonElite]

I place a lid od an ice cream container on the floor with a piece of food under it. They usually nose it first, I guess you can click this as well at first, but I didnt.

My dogs are very "paw-ie"anyway so they use the paws all the time.

I also think that if you were to put your hand on the floor and not have it high up they might try to paw it.

Another sugestins would be to put a treat on the other side of the door so they have to touch the door to move to get the treet, but Id start with the hand or the lid of a container. Lid is big and bright in colour.

Edited June 7, 2007 by myszka

[Erny]

Add in a "guide, show, place" method (eg. pick up the paw with your hand) and click when you do so, then treat. Repeat a few times, then go back to your original method and see if that gives him the idea.

ETA: And as Myszka suggests .... make it easy for him to start with, by having your hand low and closer to his paw.

Edited June 7, 2007 by Erny

[leopuppy04]

Yayy - I was just saying to Ness I was bored :rolleyes:

Did you want a paw or nose target?

I hope CTD doesn't mind - but she has a great vid of Tia learning to target here:

Ok - but for the breakdown - I like using a target object initially. Your hand is good but I find it harder with the paw . Does your dog know how to shake?

If so - it is easy - ask for a shake and C&T them *moment* his paw touches your hand. But don't grab the paw. As soon as you click - move your hand away and then start again. Once they have the idea - hold off on the command shake and just offer your hand. If they offer the paw, C&T, Jackpot and then repeat (only don't jackpot the 2nd time round. When they have it down pat with you simply offering your hand - start adding a cue such as "paw".

For the nose touch - have your hand in a 'different' shape to when you offer food. For example - I use a closed fist - as I don't want the dog to be constantly touching my hand when I have food! Don't pester your dog with your hand - bring it out and if they don't do anything, put it behind your back again for a second or so. If they look at your hand C&T. If they orientate toward your hand C&T - if they sniff, C&T.... gradually increase criteria until you have a deliberate 'push' against your hand. Don't cue anything until they are doing it consistently.

This is why I like to use a target stick as it is something novel - so the dog will normally naturally orientate toward it so you can quickly reward. With a hand they may be confused because you may have previously taught them to 'leave' food etc. Once they have the behaviour down pat on the stick, you can then ask them to touch pretty much anything including your hand - just make sure you go back a few steps first :cool:. Once they start to get good - move the target stick around like CTD does with Tia.

In terms of the paw if they don't know how to shake - use the same principal, but hold the object down lower - toward the dogs paw. Reward any PAW orientation. If they go with their nose - just give a simple NRM (no reward marker) so they know that that wont' get them the reward . A good object for this is a plastic lid of some kind- eg: one you use to cover tin food

I'll see if I can video mine tonight :p.

[SwaY]

Sway loves to play touch, was the first trick she learnt.

[Akitaowner]

hmm me thinks i may have to teach this to my 2

OH wants me to teach Rogue how to catch treats first tho!!

My boy isnt very quick and needs a command warning to be able to catch! it was the only thing i taught him with a clicker- it was mainly so i could get him to stay at distance and be able to reward him from a distance!

Im always looking for new tricks to teach - but never remember what to do when i get home!!

[MonElite]

I would teach the dog to touch an object not a hand, as hand is too simmilar to a shake.

In one day I have tought my girl to touch and thanto go and touch an object at the distance.

If it was my hand I wouldnt be able to teach her the send away.

[laffi]

I am having problems with the lid (and treat under) because my girls used to be quite frantic around food so I had to teach them to sit nicely when there is food around. But now it's working against me because although they know that there is food under the lid they still just sit there. Esp one of them, the other is more food obsessed so with her I might get there sooner.

I guess I just have to be patient, wait and let them explore even if it takes minutes for her to get interested? I just worry we will be sitting there and I will be reinforcing this behavior rather then encouraging her to explore the lid.

BTW they don't know shake either. So if you have any tips for this one I would appreciate it.

It took so much less efford to teach them to sit, down, stay, please, go around me and sit on the heel position or go between my legs then to do shake or touch. I must be doing something wrong

[whatevah]

Here is Tia going to a stationary Target.

Here she is learning to wave.

She now has it down pat, this one looks very cute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqhaJEOtXb4

[MonElite]

I am having problems with the lid (and treat under) because my girls used to be quite frantic around food so I had to teach them to sit nicely when there is food around. But now it's working against me because although they know that there is food under the lid they still just sit there. Esp one of them, the other is more food obsessed so with her I might get there sooner.

Hang on a sec, so how do they actually eat?

You give them the comand ot go and eat? A Release word to go and eat?

If so than give that comand/release word to go to the lid.

[laffi]

I am having problems with the lid (and treat under) because my girls used to be quite frantic around food so I had to teach them to sit nicely when there is food around. But now it's working against me because although they know that there is food under the lid they still just sit there. Esp one of them, the other is more food obsessed so with her I might get there sooner.

Hang on a sec, so how do they actually eat?

You give them the comand ot go and eat? A Release word to go and eat?

If so than give that comand/release word to go to the lid.

Thanks little mouse (myszka)! I will try that but they do behave differently when I have bowls full of food and when I have treats. Do you know what I mean? I am not sure my release commend works all the time

[Vickie]

Laffi,

Firstly do they understand that the clicker ends the behaviour?

Do they ever offer anything other than a sit & wait for food?

Can you get behaviours if you do not lure with food?

The way I taught all mine was the same (except for Zeus, b/c he's special, LOL):

Food was placed in a jar close by, out of reach. With my clicker in my hand, I walked around a room with a lid in it. As each of the dogs were following me (offering every behaviour I had ever taught), each time they placed any part of their body in the lid accidently I clicked & fed.

Once I could see that they were starting to make a connection, I added the word. Then I only clicked a paw touch. Then I sent to the lid etc.

I did this over a few days, even though they picked it up on the first day.

Zeus...was different. No matter how much I clicked the accidental touch...he just never made the connection & offered it. So with him I showed him by pointing to the lid with my finger until he touched it with his nose, then paw etc. Once he understood, he progressed as quickly as all the others.

I think the most important thing is to be using the clicker as a marker of the reward, rather than the food as a lure

[laffi]

That sounds good! What a great idea to move around (so simple, why haven't I thought of it!)

I have a feeling this might work!

m.

Laffi,

Firstly do they understand that the clicker ends the behaviour?

Do they ever offer anything other than a sit & wait for food?

Can you get behaviours if you do not lure with food?

The way I taught all mine was the same (except for Zeus, b/c he's special, LOL):

Food was placed in a jar close by, out of reach. With my clicker in my hand, I walked around a room with a lid in it. As each of the dogs were following me (offering every behaviour I had ever taught), each time they placed any part of their body in the lid accidently I clicked & fed.

Once I could see that they were starting to make a connection, I added the word. Then I only clicked a paw touch. Then I sent to the lid etc.

I did this over a few days, even though they picked it up on the first day.

Zeus...was different. No matter how much I clicked the accidental touch...he just never made the connection & offered it. So with him I showed him by pointing to the lid with my finger until he touched it with his nose, then paw etc. Once he understood, he progressed as quickly as all the others.

I think the most important thing is to be using the clicker as a marker of the reward, rather than the food as a lure

[MonElite]

Thanks little mouse (myszka)!

I am not sure my release commend works all the time

what is you release comand?

I just say OK, people say free or break.

So if your dog wants to go outside, do you make it sit than open the door than say your release word for it to go? Maybe you can practice that a bit as well it will help you in any training as well as every day activities.

[Kavik]

I taught 'dig' as an active response for scent detection. To do this I used a milk crate with food under it - so she could smell and see it but not get to it.

I clicked initially for interest in the milk crate (can't remember if I had to point it out to her first, it was several years ago), and as Zoe is very paw oriented, it didn't take long for her to then scratch at it. As I was looking for a dig response, I then waited til I got several scratches, and then an enthusiastic dig response.

[Sne]

I taught my two to "touch" my fingers by putting something smelly on my fingers (I can't remember what it was now) and clicking for sniffs and touches etc - It was the first clicker taught thing I did. I used two fingers, with the others clenched so as to distinguish from an open hand - someone else suggested that.

I'm now starting to train to an object too - and have started holding the object in my hand and moving closer to the ground, and hopefully tomorrow i'll be able to have it on the ground and begin moving it away over time. I don't know if this is the "correct" way...but its working for me so far.

[sidoney]

I'm not clear from the description exactly what you are trying to achieve. If you want to achieve a particular behaviour, you need to be clear about what you want. From there you can work out how to get it.

It sounds to me like the dog/s may not be operant in training with you. That is, may not understand how to try things in order to get you to give them rewards. (Dogs are operant in their day to day interactions with their environment but can become dependent on being shown what to do if they are not taught to be operant in training.) If you want to clicker train with an operant dog, try the "101 things to do with a box" exercise to teach the dog to be operant. This is a good starter article.

Beware what you teach the dog as its first operant behaviour as this tends to become a default behaviour. Make it something that you don't mind, or something that won't happen without the object cue (e.g. a box). I made the error with my CDX dog of shaping her bark for a radio contest to sound like a particular word. She already did "speak" but I wanted to make it sound more like this word. That became her default behaviour - I can tell you from experience that this is not something that you want. My kelpie nose touches my hand which has spilled more than one cup of tea. I had not considered this when I first trained it. From now on all my default behaviours will be ones I like the dog to offer.