Clicker Training Journal

[Bobbalou22]

So, I recieved my clicker training kit from Amazon.com the other day for my dog. After seeing how much improvement he has shown in just a few days, I decided to try it on Alex last night.

I have been using a small handful of sunflower seeds ((about the amount he would get per day anyway, just I took them out of his seed mix)).

I startyed with something simple, to come. Last night he was so enthusiastic about it, we hd a 1.5-hour long session. I did conditioning, which got him used to the clicker and associated clicking with getting treats. Basically, I would click him fopr nothing, and give him a seed. i did this about twenty times and rthen gave him a break. Later, I did it about three times, and he seemed to understand that.

So I set him in the middle of our table, and started clicking everytime he came toward me. Then I increased the amount of space he would have to come closer, until he wasn't getting clicked untill he was right infront of me. Then I started to include a hand signal, then a word. He now comes to the handsignal 90% of the time, and the word 50%.

I think he is pretty far along for only doingit a little while.

One question I do have is, what else can I use as treats? I really don't want to keep giving hime sunflower seeds all the time, and it has to be something that won't fill him up or take forever to eat. Any suggestions?

[Jojo's zoo]

Good for you!! I clicker train my birds, too. Actually that's basically what I do for a living, only on dogs. But birds work similarly! I use tiny peices of cheese (like, what I scrape off with my fingernail, it only has to be a taste) to reward, they love pepperjack, or seeds (I break the sunflower seed in half - they don't seem to notice! ) or slivers of peanut. Mine also love almonds, cut up into tiny pieces. Hmmmm. I wonder what other people use??

[baaaad_kitty]

i use peanut butter on a spoon! but i always make sure they don't get anything bigger than a tiny nibble or else they take too long in eating it. then the whole training momentum is lost. also cooked pasta, millet (for the smaller birds)

[BareFootAviary]

Peanut butter and safflower seeds. I tried you use anything else, but it takes too long for them to eat most things.