One of my BCs is scared of the clicker

[njnovice]

So, I've started clicker training today with Beag, and she's already doing great with it. She figured it out with just a couple clicks.

 

However, Mick, is scared of the clicker noise. He's never been noise-phobic except for thunderstorms. He hears the clicker, cringes, and runs into the other room. Apparently, this is now also extended to nail clippers, which have never bothered him before.

 

Any suggestions for getting him over it? I don't want to stop using it, because Beag is responding to it really well.

[urge to herd]

You can try a couple things. Try clicking with a ball point pen or a snapple bottle lid or even your tongue. The sound is much softer.

 

Or, take a clicker, wrap it in duct tape several times and click through the tape. Every 4-5 days, peel off a layer of tape as Mick gets used to it.

 

Click/reinforce, with food or a toy or whatever you use, Beag in front of Mick, so that he sees her response.

 

Good luck - one of those ideas should help.

 

Ruth

[diane allen]

I have a very noise-sensitive old girl, and a new pup that I wanted to clicker train. I tried with the oldster for a long time (I adopted her when she was 3.5 yr old) - starting with the ballpoint pen click, and trying to work up. It NEVER worked. So, when I went to clicker train the pup, I just put the old girl somewhere else - in the bedroom, or in the house if we were outside, turned the radio up, and went at it.

 

Our biggest "issue" is sometimes at agililty trials, folks are clicking for whatever reasons....and it unsettles her. I've had to ask folks as nicely as possible to "go elsewhere" or at the very least, let me know what they're in my 'neighborhood,' and we'll leave.

 

Bottom line: If your other dog doesn't like it, there are various ways to try and "work up" to the sound. There is a particular clicker - I've forgotten what it's called - that has a 'variable' tone. I even tried chicken and steak - which my girl loves - with the quietest sound, just to try and "load" the clicker sound for her. But when she gets the least it unsettled - food is irrelevant.

 

Hope you have better luck! Sorry I don't have more suggestions or better reports from here.

 

diane

[Shetlander]

Have you tried one of the softer clickers like the iClick? My Shelties were both afraid of a regular clicker, which personally I find rather obnoxious as well. But they were both great with the much quieter snick noise of an iClick. After a while, they could tolerate a regular clicker but I think it was still somewhat aversive to them so I never used it with them.

 

The other thing you can do is use a verbal marker. I actually use "yes!" more often than a clicker. I always have it with me and don't fumble as much.

[in2adventure]

I'm clicker training Grady and it works wonderfull for him. I've never really used one before because Lucia is scared of it. When I'm training in the house with it, I just let Lucia wander around and not make a big deal of it with her. Instead, I fuss over Grady and overly praise him and give him tons of super yummy things like cheese and meat. This has started to bring Lucia around to see what's so exciting. If I click and Lucia is poking her head in the room, I throw her a treat too. The slightest bit of interest in the click gets a huge reward. Tossing the treat across the room or outside the door makes it seem better because she's not being forced to listen to it. She's coming around on her own. She'll now hang out with in a couple feet of the clicker without hiding. I'm still not using it to train her yet, but soon, I think.

 

I always used the marker "yes" when I was training her and it worked just fine. But I will admit, the clicker is much more accurate at shaping. Good luck!