Housetraining Basics

By Peggy Tillman on 01/24/2012

Filed in - Skills for Every Day

Editor's note: Experienced dog owners who are new to clicker training are often heard to say, "I wish I started clicking when my dog was a puppy." Clicker training is a powerful method of molding a puppy's attitude and capacity to learn. When a puppy knows right from the beginning that it can earn rewards—whether a treat or a chance to play with you—by paying attention and learning new behaviors, it matures into an extraordinary canine companion. Clicking will give your puppy confidence and comfort through positive experiences and clear communication. Here's how to get started housetraining the clicker way.

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If your puppy came from a knowledgeable breeder, his mother may have already trained him to eliminate outside. When breeders provide a way for the mother dog to take her puppies out, the mother dog will often housetrain her puppies. However, if you're reading this, you probably have to do the housetraining yourself.

The potty spot

Your goal is to teach your puppy the right place to eliminate. The first thing you must do is choose one spot that will be his permanent bathroom: the "potty" spot. When you take your puppy out to potty, always use the same door and go to the same potty spot.

Watch your puppy carefully in the potty spot. Plan on waiting for him. Let him sniff around. When he begins going, quietly say your potty cue—a word that will tell your dog that this is the place and time to go. (Be careful in choosing your "potty" word. You will want to use this word in public. This cue will come in very handy when you're away from home.)

Click and treat just as your puppy is finishing his business. You want to click while the behavior is still happening, but not so early in the process that your puppy stops eliminating prematurely in order to get to his treat. With a bit of practice you'll quickly learn to time your click and treat so that your puppy associates his reward with eliminating in the right place—yet isn't interrupted before completion.

Soon your puppy will know that: potty in house = no reward; potty in potty spot = really great rewards!

Bell signal

Click here for video on
housetraining your puppy

A bell can be a useful tool for your dog to tell you he wants to go out. Because he can't speak to you in your language, he must use a signal to tell you he needs to go out. You must learn to recognize that signal. Put a bell on the door that leads to the potty spot. The bell rings every time someone goes in or out that door. Remember how fast a dog learns what a doorbell means? Well, your puppy will learn that the bell means that the door is opening. Many puppies will go to the bell and ring it without any special training. However, to speed up the process, take him to the bell. If he touches it, click and treat him. Then quickly open the door and run outside, praising him. If he shows no interest in touching the bell, you can rub cheese or peanut butter on it.

Crate training

It is a good idea to put the puppy in a crate at night and during the day when you can't watch him. Most puppies don't want to eliminate in their nest. If your puppy is very small and you have a large crate, divide it up so the puppy has just enough room to stand up and turn around.

Depending on the age of the puppy, you may have to get up in the middle of the night to take him out. Some people like to keep their puppy's crate in their bedroom at night, so they can easily hear when he wakes and can take him out before he eliminates in his crate. Always take your puppy out when you first get up in the morning.

Accidents

If your puppy has an accident, try not to be angry or upset (this is sometimes hard), because if he fears you it will slow his learning. This is not an instant process, but if it's done properly your dog won't fear you and he will learn what you want.

When the puppy has an accident in the house (and he will), remain as calm as possible. If you're lucky, you will catch him before he finishes. Quietly get the puppy and take him out to his potty spot. Use your potty cue, and if he goes, click and treat him. (If he doesn't eliminate, try again later. When he does go, click, make a fuss over him, and reward him with a treat or play.)

Go back into the house and use paper towels to pick up the mistake. Place the towels in the potty spot. Leave the towels there as a signal to your dog that this is the correct place for him to eliminate. Don't let the place get dirty; just leave enough to mark the spot for your puppy.

Clean up the area your puppy used by mistake with white vinegar. Vinegar will help eliminate the odor. You can also buy products at pet stores to help remove the smell. Removal of the odor is important in discouraging the puppy from using that spot again.

If you understand when your puppy needs to go out, then you can eliminate many accidents. The following suggestions will help your puppy succeed with his housetraining.

1. Always watch your puppy. You can tie him to you in the house. You can confine the puppy to the room you are in with puppy gates. You can also crate train him.
2. Feed on a fixed schedule. Usually he will need to go right after he has eaten.
3. Always take him out after eating, playing, or any excitement. He will need to go out after exercise, after waking up, and before going to bed at night.

For more detailed information on crate training, teaching sit, down, stay, leave it, and many other key behaviors, see Clicking with Your Dog, by Peggy Tillman.

Fifteen Tips for Getting Started with the Clicker

By Karen Pryor on 04/01/2002

Filed in - Fundamentals

Clicker training is a new, science-based way to communicate with your pet. It's easier to learn than standard command-based training. You can clicker train any kind of animal, of any age. Puppies love it. Old dogs learn new tricks. You can clicker-train cats, birds, and other pets as well. Here are some simple tips to get you started.

1. Push and release the springy end of the clicker, making a two-toned click. Then treat. Keep the treats small. Use a delicious treat at first: for a dog or cat, little cubes of roast chicken, not a lump of kibble.
2. Click DURING the desired behavior, not after it is completed. The timing of the click is crucial. Don't be dismayed if your pet stops the behavior when it hears the click. The click ends the behavior. Give the treat after that; the timing of the treat is not important.
3. Click when your dog or other pet does something you like. Begin with something easy that the pet is likely to do on its own. (Ideas: sit; come toward you; touch your hand with its nose; lift a foot; touch and follow a target object such as a pencil or a spoon.)
4. Click once (in-out.) If you want to express special enthusiasm, increase the number of treats, not the number of clicks.
5. Keep practice sessions short. Much more is learned in three sessions of five minutes each than in an hour of boring repetition. You can get dramatic results, and teach your pet many new things, by fitting a few clicks a day here and there in your normal routine.
6. Fix bad behavior by clicking good behavior. Click the puppy for relieving itself in the proper spot. Click for paws on the ground, not on the visitors. Instead of scolding for making noise, click for silence. Cure leash-pulling by clicking and treating those moments when the leash happens to go slack.
7. Click for voluntary (or accidental) movements toward your goal. You may coax or lure the animal into a movement or position, but don't push, pull, or hold it. Let the animal discover how to do the behavior on its own. If you need a leash for safety's sake, loop it over your shoulder or tie it to your belt.
8. Don't wait for the "whole picture" or the perfect behavior. Click and treat for small movements in the right direction. You want the dog to sit, and it starts to crouch in back: click. You want it to come when called, and it takes a few steps your way: click.
9. Keep raising your goal. As soon as you have a good response-when a dog, for example, is voluntarily lying down, coming toward you, or sitting repeatedly-start asking for more. Wait a few beats, until the dog stays down a little longer, comes a little further, sits a little faster. Then click. This is called "shaping" a behavior.
10. When your animal has learned to do something for clicks, it will begin showing you the behavior spontaneously, trying to get you to click. Now is the time to begin offering a cue, such as a word or a hand signal. Start clicking for that behavior if it happens during or after the cue. Start ignoring that behavior when the cue wasn't given.
11. Don't order the animal around; clicker training is not command-based. If your pet does not respond to a cue, it is not disobeying; it just hasn't learned the cue completely. Find more ways to cue it and click it for the desired behavior. Try working in a quieter, less distracting place for a while. If you have more than one pet, separate them for training, and let them take turns.
12. Carry a clicker and "catch" cute behaviors like cocking the head, chasing the tail, or holding up one foot. You can click for many different behaviors, whenever you happen to notice them, without confusing your pet.
13. If you get mad, put the clicker away. Don't mix scoldings, leash-jerking, and correction training with clicker training; you will lose the animal's confidence in the clicker and perhaps in you.
14. If you are not making progress with a particular behavior, you are probably clicking too late. Accurate timing is important. Get someone else to watch you, and perhaps to click for you, a few times.
15. Above all, have fun. Clicker-training is a wonderful way to enrich your relationship with any learner.

101 Things to Do with a Box

By Karen Pryor on 03/01/2009

Filed in - Fun & Handy Tricks - Karen's Articles

This training game is derived from a dolphin research project in which I and others participated, "The creative porpoise: training for novel behavior," published in the Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior in 1969. It has become a favorite with dog trainers. It's especially good for "crossover" dogs with a long history of correction-based training, since it encourages mental and physical flexibility and gives the dog courage to try something on its own.

Step one

Take an ordinary cardboard box, any size. Cut the sides down to about three inches, and put the box on the floor. Click the dog for looking at the box. Treat. If the dog goes near or past the box, even by accident, click. Next, after you click, toss the treat near or in the box. If the dog steps toward the box to get the treat, click the step and toss another treat. If he steps into the box, great, click again, even if he is eating his previous treats, and offer him another treat in your hand.

Sometimes you can cook up a lot of "box action" in a hurry this way: click for stepping toward or into the box. Alternately toss the treat in the box and hold the treat out in your hand so the dog has to come back to you. If the dog is reluctant to step into the box, and so doesn't eat that treat, it doesn't matter: he knows he got it. If treats accumulate in the box, fine. When he does step into the box, he'll get a jackpot. If you decide to stop the session before that happens, fine. Pick up the treats in the box, and put them away for a later session. Remember, never treat without clicking first, and always click for a reason: for some action of the dog's.

If you need more behavior to click, you can move yourself to different parts of the room so the box is between you and the dog, increasing the likelihood of steps in the direction of the box. Don't call the dog, don't pat the box, don't chat, don't encourage the dog, and don't "help" him. All of that stuff may just make him more suspicious. Click foot movements toward the box, never mind from how far away, and then treat. If you get in five or six good clicks, for moving in the direction or near or past the box, and then the dog "loses interest" and goes away, fine. You can always play "box" again later. In between sessions, the reinforcements you did get in will do their work for you; each little session will make things livelier the next time.

You are, after all, teaching your dog new rules to a new game. If you have already trained your dog by conventional methods, the dog may be respecting the general rule, "Wait to be told what to do." So the first rule of this new game, "Do something on your own, and I will click," is a toughie. In that case, the box game is especially valuable, and the first tiny steps are especially exciting—although they would be invisible to an onlooker, and may right now seem invisible to you.

End the first session with a "click for nothing" and a jackpot consisting of either a handful of treats, or a free grab at the whole bowl. Hmm. That'll get him thinking. The next time that cardboard box comes out, he will be alert to new possibilities. Clicks. Treats. Jackpots.

"That cardboard box makes my person behave strangely, but on the whole, I like this new strangeness. Box? Something I can do, myself? With that box?"

Those are new ideas, but they will come.

If your dog is very suspicious, you may need to do the first exercise over again once, or twice, or several times, until he "believes" something a human might phrase thus: "All that is going on here is that the click sound means my person gives me delicious food. And the box is not a trap, the box is a signal that click and treat time is here, if I can just find out how to make my person click."

Step two

Whether these things occur in the same session or several sessions later, here are some behaviors to click. Click the dog for stepping in the box, for pushing the box, pawing the box, mouthing the box, smelling the box, dragging the box, picking up the box, thumping the box—in short, for anything the dog does with the box.

Remember to click WHILE the behavior is going on, not after the dog stops. As soon as you click, the dog will stop, of course, to get his treat. But because the click marked the behavior, the dog will do that behavior again, or some version of it, to try to get you to click again. You do not lose the behavior by interrupting it with a click.

You may end up in a wild flurry of box-related behavior. GREAT! Your dog is already learning to problem-solve in a creative way. If you get swamped, and can't decide which thing to click, just jackpot and end the session. Now YOU have something to think about between sessions.

On the other hand, you may get a more methodical, slow, careful testing by the dog: the dog carefully repeats just what was clicked before. One paw in the box, say. Fine—but right away YOU need to become flexible about what you click, or you will end up as a matched pair of behavioral bookends. Paw, click. Paw, click. Paw, click. That is not the way to win this game.

So, when the dog begins to offer the behavior the same way, repeatedly, withhold your click. He puts the paw out, you wait. Your behavior has changed; the dog's behavior will change, too. The dog might keep the paw there longer; fine, that's something new to click. He might pull it out; you could click that, once or twice. He might put the other paw in, too—fine, click that. Now he may try something new.

And? Where do we go from here? Well, once your dog has discovered that messing around with the box is apparently the point of this game, you will have enough behavior to select from, so that you can now begin to click only for certain behaviors, behaviors that aim toward a plan. It's as if you have a whole box of Scrabble letters, and you are going to start selecting letters that spell a word. This process is part of "shaping."

Step three

Variations and final products: What could you shape from cardboard box behaviors?

Get in the box and stay there

Initial behavior: Dog puts paw in box. Click, toss treats. Then don't click, just wait and see. Maybe you'll get two paws in box. Click. Now get four paws in box. Get dog in box. Options: Sitting or lying in box; staying in box until clicked; staying in box until called, then clicked for coming.

Uses: Put the dog to bed. Put the dog in its crate. Let children amuse themselves and make friends with the dog by clicking the dog for hopping into a box and out again (works with cats, too). One third-grade teacher takes her papillon to school on special events days, in a picnic basket. When the basket is opened, the dog hops out, plays with the children, and then hops back in again.

Behavior: Carry the box

Initial behavior: Dog grabs the edge of the box in its teeth and lifts it off the floor.

Uses: Millions. Carry a box. Carry a basket. Put things away: magazines back on the pile, toys in the toy box. A dog that has learned the generalized or generic rule, "Lifting things in my mouth is reinforceable," can learn many additional skills.

Behavior: Tip the box over onto yourself

I don't know what good this is, but it's not hard to get; it crops up often in the "101 Things to Do with a Box" game. If the dog paws the near edge of the box hard enough, it will flip. My Border terrier, Skookum, discovered that he could tip the living-room wastebasket (wicker, bowl-shaped, empty) over on himself, so that he was hidden inside it. Then he scooted around in there, making the wastebasket move mysteriously across the floor. It was without a doubt the funniest thing any of our dinner guests had ever seen a dog do. Since terriers love being laughed with (but never at), clicks and treats were not necessary to maintain the behavior once he had discovered it—and he learned to wait until he was invited to do it, usually when we had company.

How Cats Display Affection

Whether or not your cat is affectionate depends on her personality, her breeding, and her upbringing. Some cats are aloof; some can't wait to shower affection upon you. When a cat chooses to express affection, she's more likely to show you than tell you, so understanding the feline lexicon of love requires that you understand feline body language and how they interact with fellow cats as well as humans.

Slow Eye Blinks

When cats encounter strangers or other cats, they usually greet them with an unblinking stare. Slow eye blinks - often called "Kitty Kisses" - are a sign of contentedness and affection. You can make a game of this by slowly blinking back at your cat and see how long the interchange can last.

Grooming

Grooming is not all about hygiene. Cats groom each other both as a stress-reliever and as a bonding mechanism. If your cat grooms you, it's a sign that she accepts you as part of her feline "family." It can also be a way of claiming "ownership" of you.

Head Rubbing and Butting

If your cat rubs her face on you, she is "marking" you as her property. There are glands on her face that secrete pheromones which act to mark territory as well as signal comfort and familiarity. Each cat's pheromone signature is unique, just as our fingerprints are. When she leaves behind this calling card, she's saying "MINE!"

Proximity

If your cat follows you from room to room and hangs out wherever you are, it's a sign that she's interested in you and wants to be where you are. Some cats who otherwise do not display affection can still express their love just by "being there for you."

Bringing You "Gifts"

As repugnant as it is to find that Fluffy has left a mutilated mole or dead bird on your doorstep, do not yell or hurt her when you find it. She has bestowed a cherished gift upon you and is hoping you'll be pleased with the offering, just as a child seeks approval from his parents. The best way to discourage this behavior is to keep her indoors.

Excitement at Your Return Home

You may not witness this, but your spouse or roommate might. Most cats who are bonded to their owners will respond with excitement when they hear your car in the driveway, or when you make distinctive sounds (like jingle of the key in the lock) when returning home. If they run for the door when you come through it, they've missed you and are relieved that you've returned safely home to them.

Belly Display

When your cat rolls over and exposes her belly to you, she is signaling that she trusts you and loves you. Exposing her belly exposes her vulnerability. If she did that in the wild, she'd be toast. She's comfortable enough with you to let down her guard.

Tail Position

Many cats use a question mark-shaped tail to greet someone they like. A tail in the full upright position also indicates familiarity, trust and affection.

Kneading

This instinctual gesture originates from birth, when your cat kneaded her mother to stimulate milk flow. In later life,kneading signifies contentment, pleasure and adoration, especially if accompanied by drooling. This is one of the greatest expressions of love that your cat can bestow upon you.

Cat Love Can be Subtle

Unlike dogs, cats usually won't shower you with sloppy kisses, but that doesn't mean they don't love you. In their own subtle way, cats will let you know where you stand, and petting a purring, head-butting cat in your lap is a quiet pleasure that can make your day.

Cat Behavior (BodyLanguage)

Cat Body Language

Cat Body Language: Decoding the Ears

It might be hard to believe, but cat ears contain over two dozen muscles, enabling them to do an Exorcist-like 180-degree swivel forward, backward, up and down. Although they pan around like radar dishes scanning for sounds, they're not just for hearing.

A cat's ears and tail (as we'll discuss later) are a vital part of cat body language, and proper interpretation can help you better understand Fluffy's moods and in some cases, keep you safe from injury.

The Relaxed Cat - Normally, a relaxed cat's ears will point slightly to the side and slightly forward as shown in Figure 1 (below). This indicates contentment and sense of well-being. She's neither fearful nor aggressive.

The Alert and Interested Cat - When your cat is alert and something has captured her interest, her ears will assume a straight-up orientation, and a forward posture as in Figure 2 (see chart). She'll usually greet you with ears erect, offering a friendly greeting.

The Nervous Cat - If your cat's ears are twitching, she's agitated and nervous, as shown in Figure 3. This might be a cue to offer her reassurance and a safe embrace. Persistent twitching could be a sign of a medical problem.

Signs of Aggression - A cat's ears moving from a forward posture to a backward posture indicates increased aggression. A cat's ears moving from an upright position to a full horizontal position indicates increased fear, annoyance, or submissiveness -- a warning for you to leave her alone. If you notice that your cat's ear are maintaining a horizontal orientation on a regular basis, she could have an ear infection or ear mites, and a trip to the vet is warranted.

Attack Mode - When the ears flatten against the head in a defensive position as in Figure 4, your cat is frightened and may attack. She instinctively keeps her ears flat against her head in attack mode to protect her ears from claws and teeth during a fight. Ears that are pointing backward somewhere between the "alert" and "defensive" positions indicate an aggressive cat who may attack.

Understanding when a cat might attack can save you from injury. When the ears are back (the telltale sign of aggression), you should never try to touch or pick up a cat because you're at high risk of being bitten or scratched -- injuries that could require hospitalization.

The Ambivalent Cat - The cat's ears are also able to move independently of one another. When they're in different positions, the cat is ambivalent and unsure of how to respond. She's likely to withdraw to assess the situation. As she does so, her ears may shift as they interpret stimuli and consider how to react.

Understanding Cat Body Language: The Tail

Your cat's tail is like a big old apostrophe at the end of her body that puts a fine point on affection, aggression, fear and happiness. One of the most primal tail movements is the violent back-and-forth swish, sometimes called a Sword Tail. Whether it's a wild cat stalking a zebra, or a house cat stalking a gopher, she'll swish her tail to prompt the prey to move, which allows the cat to zero in for the attack. In the house, either leave her be until she relaxes, or toss her a toy to attack. It's usually not a good idea to pick her up when she's in "swish mode", because the object of her attack will likely be you.

You also don't want to mess with your cat when her tail is in a position of defensive aggression. In this orientation, the tail is lowered, but the tip is curved upward. This indicates that something has attracted her attention, and she is very nervous, defensive, and unsure of her surroundings. If you try to pick her up, she may attack.

A happy cat holds her tail high, and if she greets you at the door with her tail quivering, she's happy to see you. That's the time you want to shower her with affection.

If you're introducing a new cat into your home, reading your cats' "tail language" can be helpful in breaking up fights before they start. You don't want to pick up the aggressor at this point, but a few squirts with a squirt gun can persuade him to beat a retreat.

A tail is a perfect extension of feline expression. There's poetry in the way a contented cat will artfully wrap her tail around her, or in the way a Balinese will proudly strut her tail like a flame behind her.

Cats even use their tails when asleep. The flicking tail on your snoozing Snowshoe? She's dreaming of her life as a mighty lion on the Serengeti, stalking a wildebeest.

A Catster Article:  I did not write it, but thought it was interesting.

Mr Chewy Review...

www.MrChewy.com Review...

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