[texasblackrose]

i tried to click train my pup tonight to touch my hand with his paw.
I had a few issues..
If i didn't have a piece of chicken in my hand, he wouldn't stay interested
and if i did have a piece, he would only lick
after about 2 mins of licking and trying to bite my hand, he finally used his paw, which i clicked and treated him. he continued to keep licking though and still had no interest in my hand if i didn't have chicken in it.

anyone have some suggestions of how to get him to only paw my hand right now and do it without the treat in my hand he is pawing? thanks

 

[petpeeve]

Not sure, but it sounds like your first venture into the world of clicker training ? ... have you 'formally' loaded the clicker ? That might be a good start if you haven't done it yet, then work up to basic eye contact/attention just to get him into working mode, and then onto simple tricks such as shake, etc. Spread this out over the course of several short sessions.

Are you holding the chicken in a CLOSED fist ? .... (#1) << do that, (#2) be very VERY patient, and when he does eventually (#3) paw your fist, (#4) "click", then (#5) immediately OPEN your fist to give him the hidden treat from that same hand. A good number of repetitions will likely be required before the lightbulb finally goes on in his head and he realizes "Hey! So THAT'S what gets the fist to open! Well heck I can do THAT easy enough!" And upon that realization, giving him a "jackpot" is a wise idea to try to cement it into his brain, lol.

Again ... not sure ... but is this how you are already doing it, generally speaking ?

 

[texasblackrose]

yes, that is how i did it. he did catch on to the "paw" then click + treat - but still licking my hand like a crazy pup he is. should i not clcik / treat tell he does it without licking?

Also, i have done the 3 sessions of 10 treats/clicks - he has learned to sit already so i know he understands what the click means and all.

 

[doxiemommy]

How old is he? Very young pups get bored super easily and have a limited attention span. You might try exercising him before training so he is a bit calmer and ready to focus.

 

[hanksimon]

Just outta left field - what happens if you sit on the floor and ignore the puppy. Does he eventually bark at you and paw for attention ?

 

[petpeeve]

OK, a few ideas ...

Only c&t for the paw touches without the licking, if at all possible. Seperate out 'what you want' from 'what you don't want', otherwise you run the risk of creating an unwanted behaviour chain. However, you may have to accept the licking ONLY in the very beginning just to get him started, but get the licking outta there asap.

You can try withdrawing your hand for a moment or two, if the licking is present.

You could also consider using a well-placed verbal NRM (no reward maker such as "oops") to try to stem the licking, if you feel that an NRM is appropriate.

Once you get to the point where your dog is reliably performing the desired pawing behaviour without the accompanying licking, you can then start to work on fading the lure (ie eliminating the chicken from your closed fist). Remember ... break everything down into tiny steps. And only tackle one step at a time.


Also, doxiemommy has a good point ... how old is your pup ?