Clicker training - Ballpoint retracted pens

[Fordinand]

I bought some retracting ballpoint pens. One to use as a clicker for training my rabbit, but then I thought, I can't use the other ones infront of the rabbit as I'll confuse him won't I?

I'm really excited to train my rabbit. I think this'll help us bond more too with the whole spending a lot of time training him and reinforcing positive behaviour with treats ;P

By the way, I separated the bunnies a tinier bit earlier (was supposed to do it Saturday) as one of the rabbits started humping the other rabbit from behind and I was pretty sure it was the boy... I didn't want to take any risks :|

 

[RogerRabbit999]

My bunnies are clicker trained and you are definitely right about it improving your bond with them. I sometimes think people don't realise how happier bunnies can be with more mental stimulation. I'm not sure your pens will do the job though, because I have been trying it out this morning, and with my bunnies already clicker trained, they didn't respond to the pen at all. I didn't think it was actually anywhere near loud enough to really get their attention, and was just a back ground noise. The proper clickers are only about £1 on ebay, and I bought a book also from ebay called 'Clicking With Your Rabbit'. It was only about £8, and really great, easy book to work through. To be really successful, you need to find something that your buns love with a passion, that they don't usually have, one of my friends used pellets and really got no response from her bun at all :lol: keep your commands very short as well, 2 words ideally. Bunnies name and what you want them to do. Mine are all house bunnies, 2 couples, and 1 single bun, and they have their own rooms. When they have been free-ranging and I want them to go back to their respective rooms, I would only say 'Paddington, home'. It is amazing to watch because Paddington and Buster's room is on the far side of the house, but I only have to tell P and Buster then follows him anyway, and of they go down the passageway, right turn, 2nd door on the left, straight in, no problems. With the other couple, I only have to give the same command to Dipsy and Pippa follows him, because she is blind, and he is her eyes. My friend turned up one evening and I had told her to come straight in, and she encountered P and B flying round the corner, straight past her and into their room, didn't pay any attention to her whatsoever because all they were thinking of was their herby leaves and parsley. I only started off with 5 minute sessions, and never did more than 15 mins just once a day. Good luck, and I guarantee you will be so happy you decided to do this with your bunnies

 

[tulsi]

My bunnies are clicker trained and you are definitely right about it improving your bond with them. I sometimes think people don't realise how happier bunnies can be with more mental stimulation. I'm not sure your pens will do the job though, because I have been trying it out this morning, and with my bunnies already clicker trained, they didn't respond to the pen at all. I didn't think it was actually anywhere near loud enough to really get their attention, and was just a back ground noise. The proper clickers are only about £1 on ebay, and I bought a book also from ebay called 'Clicking With Your Rabbit'. It was only about £8, and really great, easy book to work through. To be really successful, you need to find something that your buns love with a passion, that they don't usually have, one of my friends used pellets and really got no response from her bun at all :lol: keep your commands very short as well, 2 words ideally. Bunnies name and what you want them to do. Mine are all house bunnies, 2 couples, and 1 single bun, and they have their own rooms. When they have been free-ranging and I want them to go back to their respective rooms, I would only say 'Paddington, home'. It is amazing to watch because Paddington and Buster's room is on the far side of the house, but I only have to tell P and Buster then follows him anyway, and of they go down the passageway, right turn, 2nd door on the left, straight in, no problems. With the other couple, I only have to give the same command to Dipsy and Pippa follows him, because she is blind, and he is her eyes. My friend turned up one evening and I had told her to come straight in, and she encountered P and B flying round the corner, straight past her and into their room, didn't pay any attention to her whatsoever because all they were thinking of was their herby leaves and parsley. I only started off with 5 minute sessions, and never did more than 15 mins just once a day. Good luck, and I guarantee you will be so happy you decided to do this with your bunnies

It is around 20.00 on amazon. Where did you get yours from?

 

[RogerRabbit999]

It is around 20.00 on amazon. Where did you get yours from?

Really?? Got mine off ebay was actually £8.99 just had a look but I got the paperback version back last year.

 

[tulsi]

Its 22.49 plus postage. 'Getting Started. Clicking with your rabbit Joan Orr and Teresa Lewin' Is that the same one you got???

 

[tunnelwell]

Its 22.49 plus postage. 'Getting Started. Clicking with your rabbit Joan Orr and Teresa Lewin' Is that the same one you got???

I've ordered that book too. If you buy the multi-clicker it comes with an instruction book. After you've gone through the basics it's just a matter of training the rabbit yourself. I'll see if that book is of any use.

 

[RogerRabbit999]

Its 22.49 plus postage. 'Getting Started. Clicking with your rabbit Joan Orr and Teresa Lewin' Is that the same one you got???

Yes it is. Very good just what I needed, like an idiot's guide kind of thing :lol:

 

[*Funny*Bunny*]

RAW have put up some information on clicker training, could be good! I'm going to have a read through it before starting with my two!

http://www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk/behaviour/how-to-clicker-train-your-rabbit

 

[RogerRabbit999]

RAW have put up some information on clicker training, could be good! I'm going to have a read through it before starting with my two!

http://www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk/behaviour/how-to-clicker-train-your-rabbit

I've just had a read of this and I don't understand it to be honest, and can't see how it would work without talking to your bunny at the same time. I don't agree at all that rabbits don't understand words, because all 5 of mine certainly know their names and respond to them, and when I click them and want them to return to their rooms for whatever reason, so I click, bunny comes to me for reward, then I click tell bunny to go home, and they go back to their room, which for Buster and Paddington is out the lounge, down the hallway, turn right, 2nd door on the left. How could they learn to do that without me talking to them, and how could they possibly know what I what them to do if they don't understand the words. For me I use the clicker to either make bunny come to me, send bunny home (back to their room), tell bunny to stop (only used for very aggressive bunny, and stops him attacking). It says a common mistake to make whilst clicker training is to talk to your bun at the same time??

 

[*Funny*Bunny*]

I've just had a read of this and I don't understand it to be honest, and can't see how it would work without talking to your bunny at the same time. I don't agree at all that rabbits don't understand words, because all 5 of mine certainly know their names and respond to them, and when I click them and want them to return to their rooms for whatever reason, so I click, bunny comes to me for reward, then I click tell bunny to go home, and they go back to their room, which for Buster and Paddington is out the lounge, down the hallway, turn right, 2nd door on the left. How could they learn to do that without me talking to them, and how could they possibly know what I what them to do if they don't understand the words. For me I use the clicker to either make bunny come to me, send bunny home (back to their room), tell bunny to stop (only used for very aggressive bunny, and stops him attacking). It says a common mistake to make whilst clicker training is to talk to your bun at the same time??

I haven't actually read it through properly I just thought it may be good at first glance. It is a bit strange to suggest not talking? Maybe they mean not to continuously chit-chat whilst training and to only use words when you're using them as commands? Bunnies definitely know words, mine know what breakfast and dinner mean, they may know their names too, they seem to face me and pay attention if I say their names more than if I'm talking to them about other things :lol:

 

[vee-jay]

I've just had a read of this and I don't understand it to be honest, and can't see how it would work without talking to your bunny at the same time. I don't agree at all that rabbits don't understand words, because all 5 of mine certainly know their names and respond to them, and when I click them and want them to return to their rooms for whatever reason, so I click, bunny comes to me for reward, then I click tell bunny to go home, and they go back to their room, which for Buster and Paddington is out the lounge, down the hallway, turn right, 2nd door on the left. How could they learn to do that without me talking to them, and how could they possibly know what I what them to do if they don't understand the words. For me I use the clicker to either make bunny come to me, send bunny home (back to their room), tell bunny to stop (only used for very aggressive bunny, and stops him attacking). It says a common mistake to make whilst clicker training is to talk to your bun at the same time??

Are you clicking to ask them to do something? thats not the way clicker training works. You are supposed to click while the rabbit is doing the desired behaviour. The click is supposed to tell the rabbit that they have done a behaviour that is going to get them a reward. This means that the rabbit is more likely to try doing that behaviour again.
You dont used words enitially as first you are just trying to get the rabbit to do the behaviour. After the rabbit knows that when it does that behaviour it gets a click (so a reward), you can start using words to create a command.
The best way I have found to do this is to say the word at the same time the rabbit is doing the behaviour (just before you click to reward it). And then you can move on to saying the word and seeing if the rabbit does the behaviour in response to it

 

[RogerRabbit999]

Are you clicking to ask them to do something? thats not the way clicker training works. You are supposed to click while the rabbit is doing the desired behaviour. The click is supposed to tell the rabbit that they have done a behaviour that is going to get them a reward. This means that the rabbit is more likely to try doing that behaviour again.
You dont used words enitially as first you are just trying to get the rabbit to do the behaviour. After the rabbit knows that when it does that behaviour it gets a click (so a reward), you can start using words to create a command.
The best way I have found to do this is to say the word at the same time the rabbit is doing the behaviour (just before you click to reward it). And then you can move on to saying the word and seeing if the rabbit does the behaviour in response to it

But surely you have got to get them to do what you want first and then give a treat as you click?? If I didn't talk to my buns, how on earth would I ever get them to go right over the far side of the house to their rooms, and a lot of the things that people teach like spinning round, jumping up etc, how likely are you to see your rabbit doing that that often to then click and reward. I started of sat on the floor and calling Dipsy, when he came to me I clicked and rewarded, so then he soon started coming to me every time I called him for the reward with the click. When he is about to attack, I click and reward because it then distracts him from attacking and he focuses on the reward, not biting me. I've probably done it all wrong but it is certainly working. All my bunnies come to me, Dipsy doesn't bite me, and when I want them to return to their rooms, I call them, click and reward and then I used to walk in front and they would follow me, and then when they got there it was a click and a reward, but now I can just say the bun's name, 'home', and off they go, and then click and reward them. I've maybe done my own thing but because my bunnies all have very traumatic pasts, I didn't ever want to run after them to catch them kind of thing, and at least with what I do, they now come to me

 

[vee-jay]

But surely you have got to get them to do what you want first and then give a treat as you click?? If I didn't talk to my buns, how on earth would I ever get them to go right over the far side of the house to their rooms, and a lot of the things that people teach like spinning round, jumping up etc, how likely are you to see your rabbit doing that that often to then click and reward. I started of sat on the floor and calling Dipsy, when he came to me I clicked and rewarded, so then he soon started coming to me every time I called him for the reward with the click. When he is about to attack, I click and reward because it then distracts him from attacking and he focuses on the reward, not biting me. I've probably done it all wrong but it is certainly working. All my bunnies come to me, Dipsy doesn't bite me, and when I want them to return to their rooms, I call them, click and reward and then I used to walk in front and they would follow me, and then when they got there it was a click and a reward, but now I can just say the bun's name, 'home', and off they go, and then click and reward them. I've maybe done my own thing but because my bunnies all have very traumatic pasts, I didn't ever want to run after them to catch them kind of thing, and at least with what I do, they now come to me

thats fine then I think i must of read your previous post wrong as it sounded like you were clicking before the behaviour, and using it as a command, so I just wanted to explain why that wouldnt work.
You can use various method to try and get the rabbit to do or start doing the behaviour. When I was teaching mine to come to me when called I encoraged him to come over by showing him I had food. I then gradually stopped showing him the food, and by then he had learned that if he came over to me he would get a click and a treat. I used a similar method to teach him other things like spinning, standing up, going through a tunnel etc. I tought him how to rattle a toy by just giving it to him and he would rattle it himself :L .