FF210: Brain Benders - Cognition & Thinking Games

CLICKER MECHANICS – Nope, Not Boring At All!

GOAL: CLICKER MECHANICS (skills) – Handler understands, practices and develops clean timing/clicker/reward skills

DEFINITIONS: CLICKING/MARKING BEHAVIOUR:

• Only click when the dog has done or is doing the correct behaviour according to the criteria.
• Dog will be rewarded every time we click or mark a behaviour
• No specific marker locations need to be used.
  • Your dog is free to chase or move toward the reinforcement depending on your preferred reward option OR what is stated in lectures OR logical for the behaviour being trained.
  • No stay until released is required to chase the cookie
  • Generally, we will have the dogs return to a mat/station and assume a default position and wait for next cue.

WHICH TYPE OF CLICKER/MARKER SHOULD I USE?

We’re not going to go down the rabbit hole on markers and location-specific markers. Save all that for another class.  We’re going to keep it as simple as possible. This means using a mechanical clicker OR a verbal marker to convey to your dog he is correct, and a reward is coming whether you toss it for them to chase, you deliver it to them or they come to you for the cookie. 

For instance, if I click and immediately follow with a verbal GET IT, my dog understands she’ll be able to chase the cookie.  However, I can also simply click and without further information she will come to me or I can deliver the cookie to her.  If I use a verbal GOOD my dog understands she should stay put, that I will deliver the cookie to her.

USE the marker/reward location best suited to the type of behaviour you’re training.  In most cases for the exercises we’re teaching the dogs will be moving from their station/mat to perform the task so using a cookie toss or having them come to you will likely be the best option.   This allows for either the clicker or verbal marker to be used.  However, if you’ve trained a verbal marker word to mean your dog needs to remain in position to receive the reward you may want to opt for and train a different word to let your dog know they can move to come and get the reward from you.  If you’re stuck for a new marker word, try YES, CLICK or even BINGO to let the dog know they are free to move to get the food reward.

CLICKER RULES

As most of you who do reward-based marker training you know the clicker/marker will always lead to primary reinforcement - for this class FOOD

1 Click = Cookie

YES = Cookie

CUES we give to our dogs should always lead your dog to perform the behaviour which once completed leads to the CLICK/MARKER which is followed by the primary reinforcement – again for our purposes will be FOOD REWARDS.

MAT= dog goes to mat = Click = Cookie

TOUCH = dog touches nose to target = Click = Cookie

YOUR MECHANICS & TIMING

The hardest aspects of training with markers and food – MECHANICS & TIMING.  If these are off we can quite literally stop our dogs in their tracks, taking their focus away from the behaviour they are being marked for doing.  We can even take our training plan in the wrong direction and complicate the steps, adding frustration to the process for both parties – dog & human.

Getting your timing right within the sequence and when delivering the reinforcement after the mark is important.  We want to reward ASAP.  However, we don’t want predictors or gunslingers; that hand creeping towards or moving towards the treat pouch, pocket or bowl in anticipation of the behaviour or the click.  We only want the dogs thinking about what they are/were doing when they received the marker – verbal or clicker – not what your hand was/is about to do.

WHAT STARTS THE REWARD SEQUENCE?  Basically, the moment there is any physical movement that can possibly predict reinforcement – the COOKIE.   As I noted above, it can be as simple as your hand moving toward your treat pouch, pocket, bowl, or even toward your dog.  Even where you look in anticipation of rewarding your dog – the cookie bowl on the table – all these ” micro-movements” interrupt the flow of your sequence and thus the behaviour loop.

For “CLEAN SEQUENCING” we want each piece of the sequence to be separate: it’s important that your timing mechanics be in proper order Marker followed by Reward sequence, not as fellow instructor Shade Whitsal so eloquently puts it we don’t want a “REmarWARDkerSEQUENCE” – all mushed together and out of order.   If your hand is already moving towards your pouch as you’re about to mark where do you think your dog’s focus turns?  Yup, what your hand is doing, and not at all listening to the marker or pairing the marker with what he was doing when the click occurred.

Not only is the reward hand NOT moving important, so is your clicker hand not moving important.  It’s not necessary to move your clicker hand all around or even point the clicker at your dog.  Keep your hands as neutral and as natural as possible

Your timing sequence needs to be YES, pause, THEN the physical movement toward treat delivery. Don’t beat yourselves up this can be a hard skill to learn, especially if you’re very animated when you speak or are like most people trying to get the reward out as fast as possible.  It’ll only be evident to you – if you’re watching for it – when you play back your training videos.  I’m always surprised at the times when I thought I was “still” and find out I’m not. Don’t panic!  Speed isn’t totally necessary.  As long as you do your best to follow the marker with a cookie in the shortest time possible you’ll be fine.

Even though you may believe your “clicker skills/mechanics” are solid, humour me, and go ahead and practice clean mechanical skills before we get our dogs involved. A good solid review never hurts and will do wonders for the exercises ahead when our dogs are involved and we move about.

NO PRACTICE DONE:  Here’s an example of what can happen when we’re in the position of multi-tasking and we haven’t set ourselves up for success.  I have slowed down one small segment to highlight what happens from our dog's perspective. It was quite enlightening to see that Harbour was already back and waiting for her handler to be ready.  You'll also see a lot of indecision from the handler, especially with how to hold an object.  Notice how all the extra handler movement even draws Harbour to the bench and away from work.  Harbour was on leash due to the class setting - we needed to be able to catch her)

HOME BASE:  Something we haven’t talked about thus far but important withing the scheme of your sequence. This is the neutral location your hands will return to after feeding.  Options for the home base can be hands down at your sides if standing or resting on your thigh if sitting - your choice - except NEVER behind your back. Home base location practice should also include switching your treat pouch locations and being able to use either hand to C/T/feed.  In this example, I’m not clicking anything really from Piper as I work through neutral position, treat pouch locations and which hand I feed with.

JUST FOR FUN VIDEO:  This is a kids toy but should actually be classified as a training tool for dog trainers to develop hearing, hand, eye coordination.  The high score is actually mine.  It’s a longish video but think of this from your dog’s point of view – THINGS GOING ON that they have to filter, including us as we teach them and they learn.

HOMEWORK:  This homework exercise is an important refresher.

STEP 1:  Put your dog in another room. Get out a small bowl/coffee mug.  Click, pause and place a cookie in the mug. Change the location of the cookie; treat pouch location, cookies in your pocket, cookies in a bowl off to your side.

Video yourself practicing this exercise – all without your dog.  Then review your video before you post it.  Take special notice of your clicker or verbal marker vs. when there were physical movements/signals.   Not quite there yet?  Did your hand end up moving at the same time as you marked? Run through the exercise and video again. What happened this time? If you think you’ve got it post your video in your thread.

STEP 2:  Do the same exercise but now insert and feed your dog instead of the bowl and video.  Your dog does not have to be doing anything – they’ll just be getting cookies after every click.  What happened?  Did your timing take a nosedive with the insertion of your dog?  How did it feel?  Review and when you’re ready post your video.

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