Which do you like best: Luring or Clicker training?

[nereis]

I lure to begin with, to give an initial idea of what I want him to do, and then use the clicker to adjust the trick to exactly what I want. For example, at the minute, I'm training my Alfie to weave between my legs backwards. I've been luring him through my legs but soon I will reduce the lure as much as possible and require him to remember what we're doing. The second he does something remotely related to going through my legs backwards, I'll click, and gradually ask him to do more to get the click.

 

[yoyopoodle]

I mainly lure/target to teach Charlie the concept quickly, then give him time to think it through and either click or say 'yes' with verbal/physical praise and sometimes food. For him, this seems to be the most efficient way of learning.

For my cat, I rarely lure or talk (other than praise), because he gets distracted and confused. I mainly stick with the clicker and a food reward.

 

[posie]

i do not have a clicker but i think that luring is better but that was expexted

 

[charlie palmer]

my dog gets a bit scared of the click

 

[nereis]

my dog gets a bit scared of the click

Try using the top of a ball point pen to begin with if you're having this issue, it's a much softer sound. Alternatively, you can muffle the sound by putting masking tape around the clicker, or wrapping it in some sort of material. If you 'condition' the clicker, the dog soon associates the click with good things! You can also use a word instead of the click, sometimes I use 'Yes' if I don't have a clicker to hand.

I'm not allowed to post links yet, but if you put 'clicker lessons' into google, the first site that comes up is really good.

 

[jasperaliceuk]

I voted for clicker as I love to see the dog figuring things out for itself. Of course, I use luring as well as part and parcel of clicker training.

Sue

 

[leema]

I don't think the two can really be isolated... I often lure behaviours, but still click for behaviour-acomplished during luring. Free shaping, though, provides something different. Luring probably gets better results for both my dogs, and one of my dogs does not offer behaviours to free shape. My younger dog offers behaviours like crazy and is a lot of fun to shape!

 

[welshherder]

I like shaping more. I will lure some things like a sit or down. But when I am teaching a weird behavior like a trick of walking in my slippers, that isn't necessarily something my dog would do I like shaping. You can just see her little mind at work trying to figure it out, "hum that didn't get me anything, how about if I try this. Bingo!"

 

[snooks]

I find luring simple things faster like sit. Puppy had that down in minutes wit a lure but shaping took longer. For complex things like sit, even my clicker trainer took more than a day to catch and click randomly offered leg bends etc. For lure and shape I also click both. I think a big factor is age. Puppies don't think like adults or older dogs do, they are more instinct and primary reinforcement. Food works. Their attenion span is also much shorter.

In shaping I find that my dog slows down a bit when she starts thinking ok so it's the paw that's getting clicked, what to do with the paw, or which paw. A puppy really can't do this as quickly or easily. They reach the frustration barrier sooner too.

 

[lynund]

I prefer luring as I am soooo clumsy and unco ordinated that click treat sometimes gets a little confused and i'm slow on the uptake..not like the dog!!! I don't have enough hands so its luring all the way with that tasty treat firmly grasped in my hand.