When and how do I add the verbal cue?

[jacensolo]

I finally got a new clicker (lost my old one) and started teaching Jack how to play dead (or lay on his side). He caught on really fast. Before I tried not using the clicker and he couldn't figure out why he was getting a treat. So I phased out the clicker and started using the word "bam". He hasn't been catching on to the word though. He knows the hand gesture and will do that though. He knows a variety of other commands but for some I didn't use a clicker because I lost it. So when exactly do I say the cue teaching him? Before he does it? After? While he's doing it?

Also when do I start using the cue? Is it before or after I stop using the clicker for that trick?

 

[Doberluv]

Until he has made a stong association between getting a click/treat for a certain behavior, I usually hold off on giving a verbal cue. When the behavior is easy to elicit by other means and when it becomes reliable, like the dog really knows what he's doing by way of your hand signal or your luring or whatever way it was that you got him going on the behavior, that is when I begin to simultaneously use a verbal cue with the behavior and hand signal. Once the behavior is learned and the dog is complying regularily with your cue, you don't need the clicker anymore. That is only to mark the behavior during the time the dog is learning a behavior, when he may be unsure as to which behavior it is he's getting reinforced for.

If you want "bam" to be your marker word, instead of the clicker, you must "charge" or "prime" it just as you did with the clicker. Have you done that? If he is not responding to the word, not getting that expectant look like he knows a treat is on it's way, he is not primed to it.

 

[jacensolo]

Until he has made a stong association between getting a click/treat for a certain behavior, I usually hold off on giving a verbal cue. When the behavior is easy to elicit by other means and when it becomes reliable, like the dog really knows what he's doing by way of your hand signal or your luring or whatever way it was that you got him going on the behavior, that is when I begin to simultaneously use a verbal cue with the behavior and hand signal. Once the behavior is learned and the dog is complying regularily with your cue, you don't need the clicker anymore. That is only to mark the behavior during the time the dog is learning a behavior, when he may be unsure as to which behavior it is he's getting reinforced for.

If you want "bam" to be your marker word, instead of the clicker, you must "charge" or "prime" it just as you did with the clicker. Have you done that? If he is not responding to the word, not getting that expectant look like he knows a treat is on it's way, he is not primed to it.

I want bam to be the cue, not the marker. The clicker was the marker until he learned what he was doing. I bet if I try his favourite treat (hot dog slices) he will learn faster than using popcorn.

 

[Doberluv]

Oh, I see. I misunderstood. Well, just keep working on getting the behavior and when he's doing it pretty well, start saying "bam" at the same time as he does it and when he seems to be connecting that word with the trick along with your hand signal, you could try it out just beforehand and see if he does it.

 

[jacensolo]

He must not have been hungry because on our third training session for the day I used regular dog food and he worked hard for only one piece at a time. I noticed he's still confused about if his head should be all the way down so I'm going to not add the verbal cue until maybe late tomorrow or wendsday.