Light Bulb Moment

[corvus]

I've been clicker training kind of sporadically with Kivi since I got him and have struggled a little with it. He has this habit of abruptly getting frustrated just when we are starting to do really well and I'm a moment away from putting what I'm after on cue. Then suddenly he's lying on the ground whining and chewing on my foot or something. I was feeling a bit spastic, sure that I was doing something wrong but not sure what. I eventually asked a clicker trainer I know from another forum about it and she said her Aussies do that sometimes because they get bored very quickly. I didn't really think Kivi was getting bored because I was being an idiot and thinking that he should be happy to keep at it when treats are coming thick and fast and our training sessions were only about ten minutes long.

Anyway, today instead of persisting with something, trying to improve it, I switched between a few things and added a few different treats and I saw that I'd been getting caught up in my goals so that I didn't realise Kivi was telling me "Yep, did that already. Let's do something else." rather than "I don't get it." or "Clicker training is terribly stressful for me and I need to take a break." It's just that his idea of what he's meant to do is not the same as my idea and he doesn't want to sit there doing the same thing over and over with slight variations. I also didn't realise that "repetetive and boring" for Kivi means "I did it three times in a row already" which was not what I was really expecting to be his idea of boring.

So that was my light bulb moment for today. I realised Kivi likes clicker training, but I'm just painfully slow and tedious about it to him. He's shutting down on me because he's bored. I need to refine my technique a bit to keep up with him and I also need to vary things more.

Anyone else had a light bulb moment themselves?

[Shakti]

When I started doing clicker training I was very enthgusiastic and probably a bit evangalecal about it! I had a very very smart dog with a high prey drive who was eager to learn and I was all set. (or so I thought1)

One day I had an AHA moment and it was to do with me and not him. I realised that I was actually a little hazy on what EXACT PRECISE behaviour I wanted. I was sending slightly mixed signals in when I reawrded and for what and he was getting very confused which translated into his doing things *sloppilly* and me getting very frustrated.

I realised then that no matter what tool you use (clickers, e-collars, pinch collars, luring) they are ALL only as good or as useful as the person using them!

[milzi09]

I have found that the biggest mistake people make with clicker training is making their sessions too long and yes the dogs do get bored.

I only ever do 1 minute sessions at one time. For example I might do 10 different sessions throughout the day - while I'm cooking tea, in between ironing work shirts, a couple sessions during tv ad breaks, a couple on our walk, some out in the garden while I'm watering etc. In each session I would do two different exercises.

By keeping the sessions so short my dogs never get bored and ALWAYS want more.

[OSoSwift]

Short and sweet for clicker training here as well.

I LOVE it when I start clicker training a new baby puppy and all of a sudden - bing- light goes on! I have seen it many times and never ever tire of it.

I think my defining moment was starting clicker at all, to be honest