• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

can a click not be a click?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Gilraen

Jogging around the block
Joined
11/20/09
Messages
749
Real Name
Danae
Well, I do want to clicker train(even if only a little bit) Rydia and Selphie. But I am unsure of how to do it. I don't want one to think they're being worked with when she isn't because I'm clicking for the other bird and getting mad/not listening to the click anymore because I am clicking for the other bird as well. Could I get something like a tiny squeaky toy for a dog and use that instead of the clicker for my second bird? Or can anyone think of anything that may also work as the "click" for Selphie that wouldn't be using the same clicker?
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
You can use anything you want, all it is is a bridge between the behavior and the treat, so the bird knows that it is doing what you want it to do.
 

Coco's Momma

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
3/26/10
Messages
2,002
Location
North Carolina
Real Name
Robin
I agree with Jen. And you can use two different clicks, or the same. Take turns. Think of it as if you are working with two children in a classroom. When you ask one for an answer to a question (a behavior), and they give it/you get it, you might say "good". The other child knows you were talking to the one who performed the behavior/answered the question, etc. I have not had a problem with my birds even using the same clicker. We just take turns. Or if you ask for a behavior, and one does it and the other does not, then the one that does it receives the click-treat. You can also work with them while in the same room, but working with one while the other is playing/eating/etc. Whatever is most comfortable. The easiest transition for me was to just approach it if I would if I were working in a class of children. They all hear me say good. They also hear me say their name, followed by 'good', etc.
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
One word of caution when using words as the click, choose something that you don't say often...I was using good boy and it was confusing my grey. Someone suggested "wow" was a good one to use instead.
 

ILoveTiels

Jogging around the block
Joined
3/21/11
Messages
732
Location
Upstate, NY
Real Name
Amanda T
all i say is "good boy" or "good girl". whenever charlie steps up, he repeats "good boy" and when daisy steps up, charlie (not daisy!) says "good girl". Using their name as often as possible also helps from what I've noticed.
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
all i say is "good boy" or "good girl". whenever charlie steps up, he repeats "good boy" and when daisy steps up, charlie (not daisy!) says "good girl". Using their name as often as possible also helps from what I've noticed.

When you're trying to train more complicated behaviors, words that you use every day will probably confuse them though. If you're going to use words as the "click", I highly suggest something that you don't use often.
 

Bree

Walking the driveway
Joined
8/25/10
Messages
197
As long as you can be quick/precise with it, you could use a squeakie or any other unique sound/word that would work for you as a marker to use during training... It's only function is to "mark" the exact behavior that you are providing reinforcement for so the animal knows what earned her the treat.

I do have one clicker from Petsmart (shaped like a bone) that has a switch on the back so you can adjust its pitch slightly to use for different pets. I have it adjusted to a lower pitch for my birds so it's not such a sharp sound, but I use that same pitch for all my birds. I usually have my birds separated in some way while training because they will try to take over the training session even if it's not their turn (they do know who I am trying to work with though!).

I use a verbal "YES!" as the marker when I work with my dogs. I love the suggestion of "WOW!" (unless you say that all the time!). I do prefer a clicker to a verbal marker when working with my birds, though, because they are so quick in their movements... I seem to be more quick and precise with the clicker than a verbal marker. Clicky pens work for a quiet clicker, too, and a small squeak toy is a great idea as well.
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
I use a verbal "YES!" as the marker when I work with my dogs. I love the suggestion of "WOW!" (unless you say that all the time!). I do prefer a clicker to a verbal marker when working with my birds, though, because they are so quick in their movements... I seem to be more quick and precise with the clicker than a verbal marker. Clicky pens work for a quiet clicker, too, and a small squeak toy is a great idea as well.
I really like the idea of "Wow" too but can't break myself of "good boy" which works for simple things like stepping up but try teaching them to retrieve with that phrase! LOL!
 

Gilraen

Jogging around the block
Joined
11/20/09
Messages
749
Real Name
Danae
Wow(heh.) I never expected so many answers so quickly! Thanks everyone. When I go to petsmart after work in a bit I'll see if I can find something that will work. Thanks everyone!
 

rocabird

Sprinting down the street
Joined
11/8/09
Messages
521
Location
NEPA
Real Name
dawn
There is a clicker that can make different noises- Clicker+ (looks like it's not available from Karen Pryor's site, but you might be able to find it other places online) but trainers find using a clicker around multiple animals doesn't affect the "power" of the clicker for each of them. They learn when it is directed at them and when it isn't. Here's a little article and if you go down there's a comment from someone training parrots- Training in the Multi-Animal Household | Karen Pryor Clickertraining
 

Bree

Walking the driveway
Joined
8/25/10
Messages
197
I really like the idea of "Wow" too but can't break myself of "good boy" which works for simple things like stepping up but try teaching them to retrieve with that phrase! LOL!
I very reluctantly switched to "YES!" for my dogs at my Aussie's obedience class because that's what the instructors there preferred. I tripped all over my tongue and had horrible timing at first, but I eventually improved with practice. So it is possible to switch, if you don't mind looking/feeling silly for a while. :D

I use "good boy/girl" and all kinds of complimentary phrases :rolleyes: with my animals while training as well as outside of training for general praise/encouragement, so none of those would work well for training for me. They are still good girls/boys, even if they don't do something perfectly... That's why I personally have chosen to keep "good boy/girl" as praise-only.

And that sure would be hard to teach them more difficult tasks using "good boy" as your marker! I couldn't do it, I would be tripping all over my tongue. But if it works for you, then that's all that matters!
 

4myparrots

Walking the driveway
Joined
1/23/10
Messages
221
Location
FL
If you test them out, every clicker sounds slightly different. I have several box clickers and they vary in loudness. Also, different types of clickers have different sounds.
You can use a separate clicker for each bird.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top