Clicker training a rabbit

[ImoT]

I would like to start clicker training Winston. I've read up as much as I can and I was just wondering what your opinions were and if anyone has tried it and/or succeeded??

I spent about 40 minutes after work today introducing him to the clicker (ie. A clicking pen) by doing clicker/treat clicker/treat etc etc. I'm not entirely sure he got it! I would eventually like to train him to get into his carrier and use it to help him with being handled. I haven't managed to pick him up at all since I've had him (just over a week) so I was thinking of using clicker training to get him used to each stage of being picked up....I don't know of that makes any sense?

 

[elmoandfern]

yep i've done it! it's really easy if you get it right :thumb:

when you load the clicker (click treat etc.) are you feeding him the treat or tossing it on the ground? if you drop it just in front of him then you should notice after a while he will look around for the treat when he hears the click - then you know he's made the association. after that you can either capture behaviours (click when he does a behaviour spontaneously such as rearing up etc) or shape the behaviour. to get him into the carrier i would shape the behaviour in tiny steps so start by clicking if he approaches the carrier, then after a while click for looking in or nosing it etc in tiny steps. once he is getting into the carrier as soon as you place it on the floor you can introduce the cue word and phase out the clicker. the most important thing to remember is the timing of the click - the treat can be delayed but the click always needs to capture the exact behaviour you want!

it is a bit harder in rabbits than in dogs because they don't naturally follow food so don't always get the hang of it as quickly since the treat doesn't follow the click instantly if the can't find it!

sorry if thats repeating anything you already know but basically yes i am a bit clicker training advocate :lol:

 

[ImoT]

yep i've done it! it's really easy if you get it right :thumb:

when you load the clicker (click treat etc.) are you feeding him the treat or tossing it on the ground? if you drop it just in front of him then you should notice after a while he will look around for the treat when he hears the click - then you know he's made the association. after that you can either capture behaviours (click when he does a behaviour spontaneously such as rearing up etc) or shape the behaviour. to get him into the carrier i would shape the behaviour in tiny steps so start by clicking if he approaches the carrier, then after a while click for looking in or nosing it etc in tiny steps. once he is getting into the carrier as soon as you place it on the floor you can introduce the cue word and phase out the clicker. the most important thing to remember is the timing of the click - the treat can be delayed but the click always needs to capture the exact behaviour you want!


it is a bit harder in rabbits than in dogs because they don't naturally follow food so don't always get the hang of it as quickly since the treat doesn't follow the click instantly if the can't find it!

sorry if thats repeating anything you already know but basically yes i am a bit clicker training advocate :lol:

Thank you that's really helpful info! I was feeding him the treat from my hand, should I put it on the floor in front of him instead? Also I haven't been using specific treats for the clicker training, I've been using some herbs and dried forage that he tends to get at other occasions e.g. At mealtimes and at the moment when I spot him in the litter tray as a reward for using it. Should I get some specific treats for clicker training sessions?

Also, is a pen clicking a good enough clicker? Or should I splash out on ones used for dogs etc?

One more question....how long each evening should I spend on training? I spent 40 mins today. I'm not sure he really made the association between the clicker and the treat but I don't want to bore him with hours and hours of training or make him really fat from all the treats!

Okay I lied I have another question...I would like to teach him to go into his run when I use the word 'in' and then when he is free range I would like him to go to the kitchen (where he will live) when I use the word 'in'....is this a feasible thing to do? I got this idea from a colleague at work who says 'in in in' and sort of herds her rabbit into his pen. It works really well for him but he's a much bigger rabbit so it's a bit easier. I'm not sure if this is something I would be able to do with clicker training either!

 

[elmoandfern]

do you feed pellets? if so i'd use his daily food portion as treats since they're easily noticeable, equal size pieces. herbs and forage might be a bit 'bitty' and also ideally you want something that can be eaten quickly. you could use the forage or herbs as a 'jackpot' reward to signify the end of the training session.

clicking a pen is fine, you can use any noise really as long as its consistent which i guess a pen clicking definitely is! the dog ones can sometimes be a bit loud for sensitive bunny ears so you have to then gradually introduce them and it makes the whole process longer.

i would keep training sessions a max of 10 minutes long with a break in the middle - but you can do a few a day. there aren't any studies on rabbits but there have been studies on dogs to show that they actually learn quicker if trained one every few days rather than every day (quicker in terms of how many sessions though, so technically would learn in a shorter space of time if trained every day). rabbits are a bit harder to read than dogs but you want to stop before he gets bored or frustrated. if you use his daily food maybe split into am and pm then that will dictate how long the session is and will stop accidentally overfeeding

you can definitely teach 'in' with a clicker - just do it in tiny stages. its helpful to write yourself a plan before you start of what steps you will do. so for example i would start with clicking and treating when he heads in the direction of the run, then when he is next to the run, then when he puts his head in, then feet in etc etc until you are only rewarding when he goes in entirely. you can also then extend it so he only gets the click after being in the run for say, 5 seconds (so he doesn't learn to dart out again!). it will depend on the bunny as to how quickly you can progress from stage to stage but you will be able to tell when he understands what is expected of him. also, the more things you train him to do with the clicker the more readily he will offer new behaviours and learn things. i wouldn't add the cue 'in' until he is reliably offering the behaviour of going in the run and waiting for a click/ treat.

 

[ImoT]

do you feed pellets? if so i'd use his daily food portion as treats since they're easily noticeable, equal size pieces. herbs and forage might be a bit 'bitty' and also ideally you want something that can be eaten quickly. you could use the forage or herbs as a 'jackpot' reward to signify the end of the training session.

clicking a pen is fine, you can use any noise really as long as its consistent which i guess a pen clicking definitely is! the dog ones can sometimes be a bit loud for sensitive bunny ears so you have to then gradually introduce them and it makes the whole process longer.

i would keep training sessions a max of 10 minutes long with a break in the middle - but you can do a few a day. there aren't any studies on rabbits but there have been studies on dogs to show that they actually learn quicker if trained one every few days rather than every day (quicker in terms of how many sessions though, so technically would learn in a shorter space of time if trained every day). rabbits are a bit harder to read than dogs but you want to stop before he gets bored or frustrated. if you use his daily food maybe split into am and pm then that will dictate how long the session is and will stop accidentally overfeeding

you can definitely teach 'in' with a clicker - just do it in tiny stages. its helpful to write yourself a plan before you start of what steps you will do. so for example i would start with clicking and treating when he heads in the direction of the run, then when he is next to the run, then when he puts his head in, then feet in etc etc until you are only rewarding when he goes in entirely. you can also then extend it so he only gets the click after being in the run for say, 5 seconds (so he doesn't learn to dart out again!). it will depend on the bunny as to how quickly you can progress from stage to stage but you will be able to tell when he understands what is expected of him. also, the more things you train him to do with the clicker the more readily he will offer new behaviours and learn things. i wouldn't add the cue 'in' until he is reliably offering the behaviour of going in the run and waiting for a click/ treat.

Yes I feed pellets, I shall use some of those this evening during his training. He's a bit of a scaredy bun so I thought a dog clicker would be too loud for him, i'll stick with the pen!! I think during the week I will do one session a day and then at the weekend when I have more time I can do 2 or 3 sessions a day.

I can't quite get my head around not adding the cue in until they are reliably performing the behaviour, but I shall trust everything I have read and what you say!

 

[elmoandfern]

Yes I feed pellets, I shall use some of those this evening during his training. He's a bit of a scaredy bun so I thought a dog clicker would be too loud for him, i'll stick with the pen!! I think during the week I will do one session a day and then at the weekend when I have more time I can do 2 or 3 sessions a day.

I can't quite get my head around not adding the cue in until they are reliably performing the behaviour, but I shall trust everything I have read and what you say!

haha yes i know its hard to believe things that sound crazy and when i first did it i just used the cue straight off but it definitely works better if you don't good luck! I'm looking forward to videos of your progress

 

[ImoT]

haha yes i know its hard to believe things that sound crazy and when i first did it i just used the cue straight off but it definitely works better if you don't good luck! I'm looking forward to videos of your progress

Thanks I did some more training tonight and I'm not entirely sure he has picked up the association between the clicker and the treat. He is quite hard to read! How long should it usually take?

Also, because you don't introduce the cue word until they are demonstrating the behaviour reliably, does that mean you should focus solely on one behaviour at a time? For example, focus solely on 'in' and then when he has picked that up go onto something else like 'come'.

 

[elmoandfern]

Yea definitely focus on one behaviour at a time - I would start with something really simple like an up or something just so they learn that something they do can 'earn' the click.

The length of time to make the association can differ, I would stick with a few short sessions a day - even just one click when you scatter meals

 

[ImoT]

Yea definitely focus on one behaviour at a time - I would start with something really simple like an up or something just so they learn that something they do can 'earn' the click.

The length of time to make the association can differ, I would stick with a few short sessions a day - even just one click when you scatter meals

Okay thank you for all your advice I'll keep you updated with how it goes!