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Anyone use "clicker training" for a new puppy?


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After it was suggested to me here, I've been reading about it and have tried it some last night and today! Our new little maltese puppy seems to be catching on to sitting today, so I'm excited! Just wondering if anyone else has used it and if you found it effective. :)

 

Oh, and, P.S., what do you think is most effective in getting puppies to stop nipping at us? Today I've been trying yelping like a hurt puppy when she bites at me, and it seems to have cut it down drastically. I'm open to other suggestions too -- along with any other puppy advice! :bigear:

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We used clicker training with our blue healer and it worked beautifully. I loved it and it made training so easy that soon we were doing without the clicker and just using hand signals.

 

As for the nipping, it sounds like you've found a wonderful solution. The only other one I could think of is coating the surface/nip area with something bitter that won't hurt him if he does it. Maybe get some chew toys/treats. Just don't give him an old shoe that could seriously backfire. lol

 

Good luck!

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Just wondering if anyone else has used it and if you found it effective. :)

Yes, we're clicker training our pup and we've had great success.

 

For the nipping, make sure she's got plenty of chew toys. The Kong ball loaded with treats is great for keeping them busy. Also, when she mouthed us, we stuck our whole hand in her mouth and pushed a little. She didn't like that at all and quickly stopped. She's a lot bigger than a Maltese though so I don't know if that would work for a small dog.

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Yes, I have a dog with fear aggression (diagnosed 9 years ago) and he is very anxious as well. It was recommended to us by a vet school behavior clinic, and it worked very well for him. Positive reinforcement, fun, he wasn't scared by it, etc.

 

We ended up working with a trainer/behaviorist who used a lot of clicker training, and she provided a lot of guidance.

 

We read Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog book at the time.

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We still use clicker training, but yes, we used it for our latest edition. For the biting/nipping we did the 'ouch' and turning away so as not to give attention, but that only got us so far. I think what helped most was when we finally started saying 'no' then immediately giving a nubby nylabone to him and praising him for chewing it. Then he seemed to get the idea. "Oh, I bite at this thing, not them."

 

Also, as soon as he knew sit, I would ask him to sit as soon as he started nipping. Then I'd praise either with a treat or my voice. Basically the bone or the sitting are all redirecting and teaching the behavior you want to see while discouraging the behavior you don't want.

 

Oh yes, we also found that the less fuss we made with our hands, the less he was likely to nip. Dd was not always so good about keeping her hands still, which led to nipping at times.

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We used it for our dog and our parrots which are notoriously more hard headed than dogs!

 

I would just suggest watching your kids if they get ahold of the click. Kids, and some adults, seem to confuse the click with a remote control. At least, my kids did.....never mind. Maybe my kids are just weird. Hmmmmm

 

Seriously, I've seen a lot of people who want to use the clicker to make the dog sit instead of using it to reward the dog for sitting. KWIM?

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After it was suggested to me here, I've been reading about it and have tried it some last night and today! Our new little maltese puppy seems to be catching on to sitting today, so I'm excited! Just wondering if anyone else has used it and if you found it effective. :)

 

Oh, and, P.S., what do you think is most effective in getting puppies to stop nipping at us? Today I've been trying yelping like a hurt puppy when she bites at me, and it seems to have cut it down drastically. I'm open to other suggestions too -- along with any other puppy advice! :bigear:

 

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the point I wouldn't train another puppy without a clicker, lol.

 

As for the nipping, what you are doing is perfect. Also, walk away or put the puppy away if he is REALLY wound up. When they go crazy pirrahna they are saying they can't handle the stimulation and need a break/nap.

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We used it for our dog and our parrots which are notoriously more hard headed than dogs!

 

I would just suggest watching your kids if they get ahold of the click. Kids, and some adults, seem to confuse the click with a remote control. At least, my kids did.....never mind. Maybe my kids are just weird. Hmmmmm

 

Seriously, I've seen a lot of people who want to use the clicker to make the dog sit instead of using it to reward the dog for sitting. KWIM?

 

OMG YES! I am a dog trainer and the men in class were the WORST about this! i have been known to take the clicker away from a student for doing this. Seriously. I warn them first, but I will take it away. I also make them practice on a stuffed animal the first class, to get the order right. (command, click, pause, treat)

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Clicker training is great! Just one piece of advice about clicker+treat training: once doggie knows the command, start weaning off of the treats. Get in the habit now of praising with your voice (hands not included) so that when you do want your dog to just do it, he/she will. We've been in training with our German Shepherd for 5 months now and he'll do ANYTHING for a treat. However, ask him to sit, lay, whatever, w/o a treat in hand and we cannot count on him to listen. We just moved to a new trainer so we could get off of the treats and learn better correction (not punishment!) techniques.

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Guest Dubuquedogtrainer

I'm a professional certified clicker trainer, and I use clicker training for all of my training and behavior modification. There is no better method of training.

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I'm glad to hear it! She's sitting &, at this morning's session, she was catching on to coming. :)

 

While I've got all you puppy experts here :) , will you tell me what you recommend for the first days & weeks of having a puppy at home? She's 8 weeks old, 9 weeks on Sunday, and a Maltese.

 

Housebreaking: We take her out about every two hours, plus after napping, eating, & playing. She's mostly going outside, but we still catch her squatting some and take her outside right away. Also, I've been getting up once in the night to take her out, just setting an alarm. Is this what you recommend? It's been 2 am twice, 4:30 (when I accidentally overslept), & 4 last night (on purpose since she hadn't wet in her crate at 4:30 the previous night). Should I be doing this? Any other tips are welcome.

 

Crate: Should I be using this more often than night, when she's sleepy (about twice a day), & when we all leave the house?

 

Gated area: we don't have this yet, but we're getting it today! We've been keeping a close watch on her in our tiled area, but it gets exhausting keeping her off the carpet. It's an open room and a baby gate won't work. I could gate her in the laundry room, but it seems better to keep her in the center of the house where we are. Once we get the gated area, how exactly would you use it? Some might have the dog in there almost all the time, until the dog is housebroken, unless we are outside with her or have her in our laps. What do you recommend?

 

:bigear:

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Seems like you already got LOADS of good advice here. I will add though, that I see some suggestions for toys with treats inside. I have seen too many overweight small breed dogs come in here from those. After all, those treats have a lot of calories in them, and every treat they eat, is putting basically candy in them, instead of the nutrition that they need from their food. I don't even use actual dog treats with my clicker training. I get semi moist dog food, or something along those lines. Then they are still getting something nutritious, but it's different from their usual, so to them, it's great.

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I'm glad to hear it! She's sitting &, at this morning's session, she was catching on to coming. :)

 

While I've got all you puppy experts here :) , will you tell me what you recommend for the first days & weeks of having a puppy at home? She's 8 weeks old, 9 weeks on Sunday, and a Maltese.

 

Housebreaking: We take her out about every two hours, plus after napping, eating, & playing. She's mostly going outside, but we still catch her squatting some and take her outside right away. Also, I've been getting up once in the night to take her out, just setting an alarm. Is this what you recommend? It's been 2 am twice, 4:30 (when I accidentally overslept), & 4 last night (on purpose since she hadn't wet in her crate at 4:30 the previous night). Should I be doing this? Any other tips are welcome.

 

Crate: Should I be using this more often than night, when she's sleepy (about twice a day), & when we all leave the house?

 

I use the crate for my dogs whenever I can't supervise them, or an exercise yard. By the time my dogs are a few months old, they actually voluntarily lay in their crates (with the door open) to have naps. It becomes their spot. I also have a rule in this house that the kids are not allowed to disturb the dog when they are in their kennel. I want the dog to know that it can go there to get away from everyone if it's feeling overloaded.

 

Gated area: we don't have this yet, but we're getting it today! We've been keeping a close watch on her in our tiled area, but it gets exhausting keeping her off the carpet. It's an open room and a baby gate won't work. I could gate her in the laundry room, but it seems better to keep her in the center of the house where we are. Once we get the gated area, how exactly would you use it? Some might have the dog in there almost all the time, until the dog is housebroken, unless we are outside with her or have her in our laps. What do you recommend?

 

I allow puppies onto carpeted area if they are being played with/ held by someone. They are NEVER allowed on there unsupervised until they are consistently house trained for a few months.

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Seems like you already got LOADS of good advice here. I will add though, that I see some suggestions for toys with treats inside. I have seen too many overweight small breed dogs come in here from those. After all, those treats have a lot of calories in them, and every treat they eat, is putting basically candy in them, instead of the nutrition that they need from their food. I don't even use actual dog treats with my clicker training. I get semi moist dog food, or something along those lines. Then they are still getting something nutritious, but it's different from their usual, so to them, it's great.

Good point.

 

I often load my pup's Kong with her kibble, sprinkling in a few small pieces of pepperoni, then sealing it with a little peanut butter. When she's really rambunctious, she gets most of her meals that way. :)

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Seems like you already got LOADS of good advice here. I will add though, that I see some suggestions for toys with treats inside. I have seen too many overweight small breed dogs come in here from those. After all, those treats have a lot of calories in them, and every treat they eat, is putting basically candy in them, instead of the nutrition that they need from their food. I don't even use actual dog treats with my clicker training. I get semi moist dog food, or something along those lines. Then they are still getting something nutritious, but it's different from their usual, so to them, it's great.

 

Great idea! Thanks!

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I'm glad to hear it! She's sitting &, at this morning's session, she was catching on to coming. :)

 

While I've got all you puppy experts here :) , will you tell me what you recommend for the first days & weeks of having a puppy at home? She's 8 weeks old, 9 weeks on Sunday, and a Maltese.

 

Housebreaking: We take her out about every two hours, plus after napping, eating, & playing. She's mostly going outside, but we still catch her squatting some and take her outside right away. Also, I've been getting up once in the night to take her out, just setting an alarm. Is this what you recommend? It's been 2 am twice, 4:30 (when I accidentally overslept), & 4 last night (on purpose since she hadn't wet in her crate at 4:30 the previous night). Should I be doing this? Any other tips are welcome.

 

Crate: Should I be using this more often than night, when she's sleepy (about twice a day), & when we all leave the house?

 

I use the crate for my dogs whenever I can't supervise them, or an exercise yard. By the time my dogs are a few months old, they actually voluntarily lay in their crates (with the door open) to have naps. It becomes their spot. I also have a rule in this house that the kids are not allowed to disturb the dog when they are in their kennel. I want the dog to know that it can go there to get away from everyone if it's feeling overloaded.

 

Gated area: we don't have this yet, but we're getting it today! We've been keeping a close watch on her in our tiled area, but it gets exhausting keeping her off the carpet. It's an open room and a baby gate won't work. I could gate her in the laundry room, but it seems better to keep her in the center of the house where we are. Once we get the gated area, how exactly would you use it? Some might have the dog in there almost all the time, until the dog is housebroken, unless we are outside with her or have her in our laps. What do you recommend?

 

I allow puppies onto carpeted area if they are being played with/ held by someone. They are NEVER allowed on there unsupervised until they are consistently house trained for a few months.

 

Thanks! I appreciate the help!

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