Clicker training???

[dianerae]

I hope I am puttig this in the correct spot--if not please forgive me. I have been readig about clicker training and have a few questions. First off, has anyone used it and does it work? My bunnies are not aggresive but I would like to teach them some tricks. My big boy already does several but my girl, who is a bit more high strung and younger (1.5 yrs) could use a little more training. She isn't bad--actually she is a sweety, uses the litter all the time, is never aggressive, stops doing things when told--ie. chewing on something she shouldn't. She never comes when she is called, (stubborn and knows she is the boss!!) I would like to train her to come when she is called. Is this possible? Is it possible to teach an old rabbit new tricks? Where do I get the book and clicker? Is it worth it? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Diane:big wink:

 

[Paddy Ohara]

Clicker training does work. I have trained many different species using this method including rabbits.I do not think that it matters how old the animal is. The cool thing about clicker training is the animal actually learnsand usually fast. The sessions are always positive.

The hardest part with this type of training is timing the treats and clicks at the same time. It took me longer to introduce the rabbit to the clicker than other animals since they cannot see the treat right in front of them. I had to put the treat in her month and click at the same time. You can also put it on the floor and wait until they find it and click as soon as they pick up the treat (I found this way very hard).

Once you and the animal have thisdown the clicker is exciting and very positive. I train all my new behaviors using the clicker. Once they have the behavior down, I can put a cue to it and not have to use the clicker except for review or new stuff. She has learned to come to her name, stand, sit, kiss, pet all from the clicker. I have found that it only takes a few clicks now to get her to do a new behavior, for fun last night she learned to kiss the dog.

I recommend Karen Pryor since she is one of the firsts. She has a video called clicker magic which changed everything for me when I saw it back in the early 90's.

Karen Pryor also has a great website and she teaches seminars too.

http://www.clickertraining.com

 

[dianerae]

Robin, thank you so much for the info. Sounds like it really works for you and yours. Cute that your rabbit kisses the dog!!! I am going to give this a try. Thanks for the help.:wave: Diane

 

[Paddy Ohara]

I hope it works for you. If you needhelp just let me know.