Clicker Training an Assistance Puppy

• Pan, a.k.a Shadaglen’s Pandemonium, is a smooth coated collie.
• He was born March 28, 2005 in Spokane, WA.
• He arrived at my home in Vermont, on June 1, 2005, at the age of 8 1/2 weeks.
• Filming training sessions began on June 4, 2005. This was not our first training session, only the first one we filmed. The previous ones had been brief and focused only on “sit” and “touch”. No cues yet of course, just charging up the clicker so he’d enjoy the game.
• We did not film every training session, and you will note some that we did film were weeks or months apart. Training was happening in between filming sessions. By fall, my film crew returned to college and was no longer regularly available.
• All of Pan’s training has been done using the principles of Clicker Training. Pan loved shaping games from the very beginning. That is how we built all of his skills. Very occasionally I use luring to jump start a behavior. Usually I don’t lure more than 3 or 4 times before I stop and wait for him to offer the behavior.
• The video clips are edited roughly, without voice-over or other information attached. It is my hope that they will spur discussion about how to teach assistance dog tasks using Clicker Training techniques. If you would like to ask questions about these training clips please go to: http://groups.yahoo.com and join the yahoo discussion group: tasktraining_Assistance-Dogs@yahoogroups.com

PLEASE NOTE: SOME OF THESE CLIPS ARE VERY LARGE FILES. They may take a long time (as long as 45 minutes) to download. I suggest downloading overnight, unless you are blessed with truly high-speed internet connections.

You will need the Quicktime viewer to download and view these video clips.
Free download available at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

• Bed Bugs July 7, 2005 2.05 MB
• Bed Bugs July 29, 2005 704 KB
• Bed Bugs August 22, 2005 1.48 MB
• Bed Bugs February 18, 2006 2.09 MB

• Target Stick June 04, 2005 482 KB
• Target Stick June 11, 2005 7.76 MB
• Target Stick July 7, 2005 3.78 MB
• Target Stick July 21, 2005 2.11 MB
• Target Stick August 22, 2005 1.81 MB
• Target Stick August 23, 2005 2.57 MB
• Target Stick February 14, 2006 3.38 MB

• Eye Targeting July 7, 2005 2.36 MB
• Eye Targeting July 29, 2005 704 KB
• Eye Targeting August 20, 2005 559 KB
• Eye Targeting August 22, 2005 2.29 MB
• Eye Targeting on the Job May, 2007 2.87 MB

• Foot Targeting June 15, 2005 2.82 MB
• Foot Targeting June 17, 2005 955 KB
• Foot Targeting June 30, 2005 3.87 MB
• Foot Targeting July 7, 2005 821 KB
• Foot Targeting July 21, 2005 2.09 MB
• Foot Targeting August 22, 2005 3.35 MB
• Foot Targeting 2.09 MB

• Two Grab June 17, 2005 1.21 MB
• Two Grab June 30, 2005 2.20 MB
• Two Grab July 7, 2005 1.92 MB
• Two Grab July 21, 2005 2.96 MB
• Two Grab July 29, 2005 4.66 MB
• Two Grab August 20, 2005 4.02 MB
• Two Grab August 22, 2005 3.17 MB
• Two Grab August 23, 2005 2.47 MB
• Two Grab February 18, 2006 3.92 MB

• Puppy Play Retrieve June 4, 2005

I have used the Treat and Train successfully to classically condition difficult dogs to have their nails trimmed without a muzzle or risk of my being bitten. While not currently available in the marketplace the Treat and Train machine, which was first sold by Sharper Image will be available again later this year from another vendor.

• Luca Having Nails Cut Before the Treat and Train
• Luca Having Nails Cut With the Treat and Train
• Pan and Moon Having Nails Cut with the Treat and Train

• Learning to Take Treats Gently With Dee Ganley
4.9MB
• Recall Game With Dee Ganley
2.6 MB
• Practicing Self-Control With Treats on Feet 576 KB
• Taming the Shark 1.05 MB