Clicker Training Adventures: The 20 Minute Wonder

Clicker Training Adventures

This week I had a break from the rescue group and headed up to my place to run some errands. A few days before I returned to the San Bernardino Mountains, a local producer from that area contacted me to see if I had a dog that could help her with a commercial. She wanted a dog that could sniff a carpet and wipe it’s face.

Early in my career, and intermittently through out it, I trained both wild and domestic animal actors. These are the animals you see in movies and television. (We used clicker training about 15 years before it become popular with the general dog training world.) There are different tricks of the trade used to get some shots that can come in handy–and that did in this particular case, which was a good thing.

The producer had previously helps on a series of videos for me, including training a dog that needed a home, and so remembered how great the animals did and how happy they were to work for me.

Despite being surrounded by a number of animals here at the rescue, they are novices to training. I tested five dogs on site and they all failed miserably. However, the desert winds were howling and most of the animals were jumpy because of it.

When beginning to clicker train, you first train the animal to associate the clicker with the food. The clicker then becomes a secondary reinforcer that can be used to mark a behavior and so can communicate to the animal just what the right response is.

The best strategy is to start in a low level distraction area and then move into other areas. This allows the animal to focus and learn quickly so rapid progress is possible.

However, none of these animals had good focus nor did they have an interest in the learning process. They were distracted and not motivated at all.

It was more of a breed issue in this situation, although sometimes it can be the treats, since if they are not a highly valued resource, they might not be a good enough motivator. But none of these critters were motivated by the treats or any other items such as a toy, petting, etc.

Normally prepping an animal is ideal. So, I emailed the producer and said that I did not have any candidates that were appropriate. But instead of taking no for an answer, she suggested we use one of my dog pals, Cheyenne–a dog I had not worked with in about two years.

Cheyenne was a dog I trained in my spare time in between my classes I taught at one of the local animal supply stores in Big Bear. She always showed an interest in my training by hanging around the perimeter of the training arena. (She belonged to the store owner.)

One day I asked Cheyenne, “Do you want to go to school?” And then began her training–all done in “cracks of time” which kept us both occupied and challenged.

Cheyenne is a cattle dog and they happen to be high energy, high responsive animals. She learns quickly and easily–and enjoys the challenge of clicker training.

Those who saw the progression were stunned. First, because Cheyenne was a learning machine and very enthusiastic. Second, because the area tends to have mostly non-professionals training dogs.

These people are really nothing more than hobbyists and sadly are not either skilled or schooled in progressive training methods.

In face, most rely on archaic and aversive training methodology and tools. Sadly, I’ve had to go in to clean up and see if I could salvage some of the damage done to different dogs. (Read about one of those dog training examples here.)

Anyway, my point is that the difference is striking. I train animals how to learn and encourage thinking. Most dogs get really excited about the process.

They are rewarded for choosing a response versus reacting to prevent a negative consequence. This makes the dogs in training more confident and trusting. Plus, it allows them the freedom to experiment and to get creative.

This freedom to experiment can be entertaining. But the other difference is that if the animal is not interested, or not progressing in the right way, the session is simply ended.

This means the opportunity to earn reinforcement is lost but that there really isn’t a negative consequence otherwise.

Anyway, I asked Cheyenne’s mom if we could use the dog to get the shot and she approved. Then we asked Cheyenne! The dog enthusiastically responded to the standard phrase I use with my students, “Are you ready to go to school?”

Now I know better than to doubt the retention of an animal, but I had not worked with her in a couple of years and so, I wasn’t sure if she would remember much.

But true to form, when I asked, she responded with so much vigor that the producer laughed.

Since I had not trained her to wipe her face, and we had only 20 minutes to get the shot, I got creative.

First I experimented, since Cheyenne tends to over think things. Eventually I resorted to an old trick and got a piece of cellophane tape and placed it on her muzzle.

As she pawed at it, I clicked.

She stopped dead and looked at me.

Think, think, think…

We tried it again but she was thinking too hard.

Next, I moved the tape so that it was touching both her upper and lower lips.

She pawed, I clicked–again and again.

She got it and in 20 minutes we had filmed a number of shots.

Happily, the next day the producer informed me that she got what she needed.

This was exciting and everyone was happy…Cheyenne because she was learning again, mom because now she can brag, the producer because her vision could be realized, and me–because I always like a challenge and a great ending.

How fast do your animals learn? What is your biggest challenge? Your biggest brag moment? Share them in the comments!