did I do a bad thing?

[Malli]

Ever since I started clicker training with Oscar I've been itching to teach him something else besides target.... (we've got to the point of putting a word to target and clicking only for a touching).

Today we had a short session and Oscar gets frustrated when he thinks he should be rewarded and is not (not actually related to the clicker), he started a-roo-rooing and barking, I seized the opportunity and started clicking for it, low and behold we have a speak in the making! Let me tell you guys, this is like our holy grail - I've made a couple of half hearted attempts to teach this before but he isn't a vocal dog so its hard to mark it, but he picked it up in no time!

So, did I commit a faux pas?

I'm so excited about this, I hope not! Its like the one thing I've not been able to teach...

[iluvk9]

Well, I am no trainer, but if you can get him to bark out your phone number, I say you are all set.

[maberi]

Lol, no I wouldn't say it is necessarily a bad thing. The only way I have been able to teach my guys to bark was by capturing it like that. You may find out that this is Oscar's go to behavior when he doesn't know what you want. Often times when training new behaviors dogs will start firing behaviors to find out what you want. Kayden's go to is to bark (it's very self rewarding for him). Because Kayden knows the bark behavior on command, I just ignore the barking and he quickly realizes this isn't what I want.

[TheRedQueen]

Isn't capturing behaviors fun? It gets addictive.

Nah, it's not bad...and it can come in handy if you can get that behavior on cue, so you'll have better control of it in the future. I try and capture all sorts of noises from my guys...Ripley and Sawyer can "growl" on cue. I used to use Rip's growl in therapy work...I'd tell the kids to be really quiet because Rip was going to be "Scary"...and then I'd get him to growl (a very silly play growl)...then he'd roll over. Being that he is all fluffy and cute, it made the kids laugh...and I'd say, "Rip wants to know if you were really, really scared of him?" They'd laugh, and Rip would roll around being silly.

But yeah, I like capturing behaviors that they offer me...no matter if it's often considered a "nuisance" behavior...I like to have control of that behavior!

[Malli]

he looked quite surprised when I clicked for it

Some of the roo-roos that were coming out of his mouth were quite long and extended I hope this doesn't backfire!

[airwalk]

Hey Malli I met someone at a show that captured her speak the same way...she also then began working on and captured a "whisper". It's the funniest thing to see a big bad bull mastiff barely move her lips to "whisper" on command.

[Malli]

yeah I wanted to try and catch the a-roo-roo, the bark for speak is quite something I think he might scare whomever he did it at!

[TheRedQueen]

I love that once you start clicking a behavior, then you can start being more specific...and capture EXACTLY the noise you want, the behavior you want.

I've got a speak on cue for Xander, and a little "wuff" noise too. Score...we're working on that. Sawyer can speak and we're working on his sneezing/huffing on cue...(he sneezes when he gets annoyed during training).

[plebayo]

So, did I commit a faux pas?

It's bad in the sense you will never be able to get him to shut up! Seth used to NEVER bark, I had never even heard him. Then one day I caught him barking and started rewarding it and now he won't shut up hahaha.

[TheRedQueen]

So, did I commit a faux pas?

It's bad in the sense you will never be able to get him to shut up! Seth used to NEVER bark, I had never even heard him. Then one day I caught him barking and started rewarding it and now he won't shut up hahaha.

Nope, not if you can get the behavior under stimulus control...basically if the cue is strong enough (you say "speak" and dog vocalizes the noise you want...each and every time you say the cue)...then you should not get the behavior when it's not cued. Not that it's really ever that simple in dog training......but that's the idea. Put the behavior on cue, then don't give that cue...and the behavior shouldn't spontaneously happen.

All of my dogs can/will speak on cue (except The Wiener who just started barking on his own)...but they also know the cue to be "quiet" which was worked on at the same time that I taught them to speak.

[Malli]

I've put a word to it, and I just ignore it if he offers it. I tried just looking away, but that doesn't seem to work, so turning my back on him seems to make it clear. He hasn't used his voice more at any other time, I think its only popping up right now because we are working on it, so he offers it like he's offered everything else we're working on first in the past

Hopefully things will continue to pan out this way