| Archive for The Brittany Forum For all friends of the versatile Brittany |
| Mugi |
ArousalToday I have one absolutley shattered ickle Brittany.I am lucky enough to live near a leading exponent of Clicker Training and as previously mentioned Mugi is doing the Clicker Gundog course. There are elements of gundog work where I can't see the place for a clicker but as the dog learns about cause and effect more I can see things slotting into place for Mugi and I. Today I demonstrated where we are with retrieve. My trainer was thrilled to see that Mugi had gone from a dog who would run out well but totally blank the dummy to a dog who will run out faster still, pick up and carry the dummy straight back to my vicinity  . The problem then arrives that his rabbit dummy is so much more valuable to him than anything I have on offer  . As I neither want to play tuggy with a dummy or ruin this fast recall to me I had just lured him to drop the dummy with a piece of garlic sausage practically forced into gobbette and maintained his desire while I waited to see what would be advised.
Helen my trainer initially thought that when I said Mugi would start humping me if I took his beloved dummy away he was actually confused and using humping as a displacement activity. Now she agrees that Mr Bunny Dummy is an object of desire and Mugi's arousal level is sky high  . So now to find a reward I can use that is worth him letting me have the dummy while he learns that delivery to hand means the whole thing will start again!!!
So his new toys are - a driving whip with a rabbit skin tied on the end which we play chase with, a little tuggy and then it is withdrawn and he has to sit calmly. We progressed well with this although it is a real novelty . Another rabbit skin is then to be tied onto a toy so his reward for a retrieve will be a thrown rabbit fur toy for him to chase, catch and play with before he then returns to a sit at my side for the formal dummy throw. It was amazing to see him learn to manage himself and to learn which thing is work and which is toy.
We then went on to do directional work to target mats but adding now the visual cues to get the dog moving off left, right and back. Lots of the work we are doing is foundation stuff to put into the fieldwork so all very valuable whether I choose to use a clicker with pup or not. Poor Mugi is sound asleep now .
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
This sounds brilliant. Where are you going for these training sessions Sue?
Jan |
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| Mugi |
Hi Jan
I have popped in the link to the website http://www.learningaboutdogs.com/ with the venue being Mickleton - between Evesham and Stratford ish. |
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| Annie as admin |
I wish I could get the hang of this clicker stuff. It just seems to me that you have to wait till the dogs does something then click and treat and I don't have the patience to wait. I guess I've got it wrong so how do I start - it just doesn't make sense to me. I can't read books and learn, I learn by example and personal explanation. I will check the link you gave though, Sue.
Annie |
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| Mugi |
In a sense Annie you are right, the first thing being that the dog needs to link the click to a reward (almost always this starts as food but that can develop to include toys/physical contact or being allowed to continue a rewarding activity as the dog becomes more skilled). Once the dog understands the C = T then you move on by luring, shaping or targetting the dog to perform the behaviours you are looking for, keeping criteria low and so the reward ratio is high. For the trainer you need to practise certain things without the dog (handling clicker, treats, other stuff like target sticks) and you need to have both a clear plan of where you are going and very good observation/timing skills. For a novice dog and handler you initially think you are getting no-where (well I did) but once you get going there is no end to what you can do and the dog learns faster too. I do not use my clicker for all my training and once the behaviour is reliably on cue I expect my dogs to respond without a clicker and with only random rewards to keep them sharp. Freddy and Mugi have both come to clicker training as adults and both have caught on well (although Fred does find some aspects scary). Brice the deerhound loves his time with a clicker - his best training came at Crufts 2006 where he was very unhappy, I took treats and clicker and sat on his bench with him in front and spent the time shaping him to flick his right ear, it gave him something to concentrate on and even in a very scary place he managed well. There is loads that I could waffle on about  but won't as it does get confusing. The best way to learn is to be taught hands on by someone who has a clear idea of the skills rather than by trying alone. My first attempt at it ended in me being very disillusioned but having been to LAD's regularly now for a few years it is all coming clearer!!!
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| Liz |
Just remember Mugi's no spring chicken - don't wear the poor lad out 
It goes to show you CAN teach an old dog new trick, doesn't it. |
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| Mugi |
Mugi takes his beds with him and has power naps throughout the day . He has special dispensation to do lots less than all the other dogs but telling him to slow down is not that easy!
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| Victoria |
Sue, what does the word ickle mean?? I have never heard it before
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| Annie as admin |
Just a UK slang word for 'little' | ||
| Victoria |
Thank you 
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| .:HayleyH:. |
I like the word ickle, its such a cute little word
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| guy |
but is it in the OED??
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| johnhod |
Not this time. However,
..ickle Adj. Small, little. A mock juvenile shortening of the word 'lickle'. Cf. 'lickle'. http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/i.htm |
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| .:HayleyH:. |
Show off
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| Annie as admin |
Aha, Daddy managed to get a shot of the computer I see - welcome back John, we've missed you.
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| .:HayleyH:. |
My dad has a computer in work to, he should use that, i use the school ones
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