Something New

Very big, handsome and smart Vida learned to walk on a narrow teeter-totter  by me using the clicker and  shaping and rewarding every small effort.

I'm teaching a new class in March.  It's called Tricks 'n Clicks.  It will be one hour per week for 7 weeks.  I have to design and write the course syllabus and training manual.  I've been telling my current students that if they have ever wondered how dogs are trained to open a refrigerator door, take out a can of beer, close the door, and carry the beer to their owner, then this class will provide the answers.  There are so many cute behaviors that can be taught like sneezing and having your dog bring a kleenex to you,  dogs pushing shopping carts, playing a piano, turning lights on or off in the house, besides the usual paw tricks or the bang! you're dead trick.  It's all based on operant conditioning using a clicker to mark behaviors and rewarding those behaviors.  It's a lot of work to design the course but it is so much fun to watch owners and their dogs enjoying  and learning something new that it is worth the effort.  I hope enough students sign up for the class so it can run.  I've got so many ideas that the difficult part is deciding what can fit in 7 weeks.    Any cute tricks that your own dogs do that you want to share?