[little blue]

Hello dog-owners...
Anybody have experience of Clicker training?

As you may know, we have a 2 1/2 year old rescue german shepherd. She has quite alot of 'emotional issues' and so really her training in the year we've had her has been about teaching her that people aren't all bad, outside is ok, and food is a right not a privelege.
She finds being off our property really stressful, which of course makes it hard for me, being tied up in lead, or trying not to be dragged behind her!  She gets loads of exercise, we try and keep her life nice and calm and build up her confidence with all the things she should have been socialised to as a puppy (but wasn't)

I was wondering if something like clicker training would help her focus, and improve her recall and 'obedience' so when we're out and about, she's as attentive as she is in the house (or better!)

Share your knowledge, please!  Or anything else that might be good...   
                           

[doganjo]

I think you are doing a wonderful job so far! well done!
I know a lot of people who clicker train but I'm afraid I have had little success with it.  It seems to me that you have to wait for the dog to do something then click, then treat.  If she is not food focussed then you would need to find a reward that she really really likes for clicker training to work.
There are various websites which describe how its done but I've not got the patience to read through it all.  Perhaps if you went on a CT course you might have more success - quite often there are day courses.  Sorry if I appear negative, perhaps I'm too much of a traditionalist.

Focussing is an art form.  One of my friends got her working gundog to focus on her using a bit of cooked chicken held in front of her own nose with the command watch me.  When the dog turned to look at her and eyeballed her he got the chicken.  The way I do it is have the dog sat in front of and facing away from me, give the command 'watch' and if he turns to look at me I throw him a treat to catch.

Hope that helps.

[JulieS]

I only have experiences of clicker training with basset hounds....Who are not know for being easy to train.

It worked well with my first, who I had from a puppy and learnt to use the clicker at puppy training classes.  Even though the 'teacher' laughed when I walked in, and couldn't believe I wanted to 'train' a basset.

We showed her!!!  (Although maybe she was also laughing because I'm 6' tall and I was with a basset puppy!!! lol)

My other basset I got when she was 1, and it took a little time and a lot of patience, but we got there in the end.

[little blue]

Huh, nobody said yet how beautiful she is!!
Thanks so far, she is a handful outside of the house but great inside, cos we've learnt together what she can deal with and what she can't (like cats...)
I'll do some more reading, keep bringing on the suggestions please

Little Blue and Sheba - Shoo    x

[doganjo]

Why not start a new thread - Sheba's Shoos

[little blue]

Its one of her many, many names.  Luckily she answers to most of them ("Lump" or "oy y'bugger" being the most derogatory, she knows the last one best I think!)
Have thrown away a trainer today she's killed but it was one I let her have.  Think thats the limit of her shoes, so a short thread on my part....

[Rosemary]

She is beautiful - and very lucky to have you. I like GSD - mind you, if I had one of every breed I liked, there woudl be no room for us in the house!

[little blue]

Thankyou Rosemary. I'm very proud of her good looks, though more people have seen her picture than have dared to meet her! 

[doganjo]

Once upon a time, a looooonnnnnnggggg time ago, in Annie childhoodland, there was a very tall lamp-post and a very small child and they had a big, big argument one day, when small child was looking lovingly and longingly at big hairy Alsation across the road, and tall lamp-post refused to move out of they way.  Fortunately there wasn't an awful lot of damage except to the eardrums of said child's Mother

I still love 'em even with their changed name! (but NOT the banana backed ones! Gross!)

[Touchwood]

Hi Little blue

We foster for a local animal rescue and at the moment I've got a 6mth old GDS which I'm clicker training with good results. The rescue has it's own website and a section on clicker training. If I've done this right you should be able to follow the link.
  http://manytearsrescue.webs.com/clickertrainyourdog.htm

Good luck, let us know how you are getting on.

[little blue]

Thanks touchwood, can't get the link to work, or as a search but I will keep trying!
Would love to hear more about your foster pup, I cant imagine life without our Sheba now..

[doganjo]

Don't google 'manytearsrescue' - it is an attack site

[HappyHippy]

Hi Littleblue,
I can't give any advice on clicker training, but can sympathise with what you're going through.
Boris, my big fairy (shown below  ) was from a rescue centre, we got him at 9 months, he had been getting fed on bread and milk and was a skinny runt of a dog with HUGE ears  and HUGE problems  He was very anxious and every time he was alone whether for 5 minutes or a couple of hours he would trash whatever was lying around - and I really mean trash, he destroyed (amongst other things) an iron, tumble dryer and a solid wood bookcase ! and we would ALWAYS get a mess, even if he'd just been - it was a nervous thing. I backed off from trying to train too hard to begin with and just let him settle - I'd say it took a good 15-18 months before he actually calmed down and he was younger than your girl so she may well take longer. Luckily he's okay on or off lead, but our other GSD wasn't, we tried a halti with a fair bit of success (up til the point when he figured out how to reverse out of it !) it might be worth a go just to get her to stop pulling. The other alternative I tried was a long lead (or horses lead reign) and just stand in one spot and let her run/walk in circles, gradually decrease the length of the lead until you are walking beside her round the circle. Once she gets used to that you can bring in changes of direction, stops etc (try having a bag of wee chunks of chicken or treats in your pocket on the same side as she walks, give her a reward each time she does as she's asked and eventually she'll get the idea)
It might take a while but IMHO once you get her sorted she'll be the most loyal and happy dog you've ever owned 

[JD]

]Don't google 'manytearsrescue' - it is an attack site

Hi Annie what does that mean?
JD

[doganjo]

]Don't google 'manytearsrescue' - it is an attack site

Hi Annie what does that mean?
JD

It means that the website is set up so that if you click anything on it there is a trigger reaction to attack files on your computer.  I don't know how it works just read a bit about them.  Wikipedia has a description here although not everyone agrees with it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Attack_sites