Clicker Training Chianti (or "She's an Akita, You Know")
by Bonnie Fortier

It seems like only yesterday my husband and I sat waiting at Tucson International Airport for our Akita puppy to arrive via Delta Airlines. Is it possible it was six years ago?

The anticipation and joy I felt were tempered by the fact we had lost our eight year old Akita, Chodo, just a few weeks before. She had been the light of my life and taught me more about dogs than I ever dreamed I'd need to know. Training her was one of the motivating factors in my decision to become a dog training instructor.

Chianti, as I had already named her, soon arrived. Seven weeks old, red with a black mask, floppy ears (when my son first saw her he asked if I was sure she wasn't a St. Bernard) and scared to death. At our van, I opened the crate door, took her out and picked her up in my arms. Once there, she wrapped her front legs around my neck and wouldn't let go until she arrived at her new home.

I was excited. This would be the first dog I'd clicker train from the first day with our family. I had already trained three of my dogs: Chodo, my Akita; Jiminy, a border collie mix; and JD, a rough collie. You knew by the look in their eyes, they thought they had died and gone to heaven. No more choke or prong collars. No more jerks and pulls. Only praise, the sound of the clicker and the taste of a delicious treat.

Akitas, unfortunately, have an unpleasant reputation. Dog and people aggressive, stubborn, won't listen, mind of their own, untrustworthy. Need caretakers to dominate them, show them who's boss.

When I had Chodo in training classes I one instructor told me an Akita was the only dog that had ever bitten her. Another instructor preceded her answers to most any question I asked with, "She's an Akita you know."

Could clicker training tame these disturbing traits?

From day one, Chianti knew the sound of the clicker declared, "You did it right, a treat will follow." I delivered her first meal in her new home by holding the food bowl slightly above her head, When her rump started towards the floor, well click. lunch is served.

We also bought a child size inflatable boat shortly after her arrival, so we could get her accustomed to our pool. We placed her in the boat and I held the side to keep it steady. Click/treat for getting in the boat. I walked beside her. Click/treat for riding in the boat without being scared. Click/treat for letting me splash water on her.

When I felt Chianti was comfortable with all aspects of the boat, it was time to try the pool itself. I taught her to stand on the top step of the pool. Next, I held on to her and let her splash in the pool. She never showed any fear from beginning to end. Soon, she was swimming in the pool on her own.

House training was a breeze. I went outside with her each time I knew it was time for her to relieve herself. When she squatted, I told her what she was doing. My word(s) "Hurry up." Click/treat just as she finished. After a few days, I took her outside, told her " Hurry up" and she would eliminate on cue.

The next step was teaching her to ring bells to tell me she had to go outside. First, I taught her to touch a touch stick with her nose. Every time she touched the stick, click/treat. I soon added the word "touch." Then I took it near the bells and had her touch. Next, I placed the clicker on bells, and told her to "Touch." When the bells rang, I click/treated. I told her how wonderful she was and "Outside." I then went outside with her. Soon, Chianti was telling me she wanted to go outside by ringing the bells on her own.

Each day, Chianti and I spent a few short training sessions in our fenced in back yard. Clicker training philosophy is based on "Always leave them wanting more." It was quiet there and the two other resident canines remained in the house. We started with sit, let's go and responding to her name.

Once she was responding to let's go, sit, and name response well in the back yard, we went to the front yard. What rude awakening! Sit, let's go, Chianti? "How can you expect me to pay attention when there's this whole new world out here?" Cars, trucks, kids, leaves falling, insects crawling. Akitas are notorious for wanting to see everything that's going on around them. Why not? They're supposed to be watching all that's transpiring. They're guard dogs aren't they?

So, what was I supposed to do with this pooch who wasn't paying any attention to these words I was sure she understood. I'd go into the house ready to tear my hair out. Couldn't jerk and/or pull. What was the answer?

My husband, seeing my distress said, "Go back to using a choke chain or pinch collar." Later I learned he felt that clicker training would never work. Has anyone reading this heard that before? I refused, telling him that was the last thing I would ever do.

I'd read Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog" years before and thought, "If I could only figure out how to train this way." I told all my clients to read the book as it was the best book I'd read on training. But I couldn't grasp the concept thoroughly enough to be able to use it in my classes. I needed someone to train me so I could teach it to my clients.

When the chance came for me to learn clicker training, I was ecstatic. I wasn't going to go back to the old way, ever. I had to figure a way to get over this bump in the road with Chianti.

Then one morning, inspiration came. Instead of getting angry and tearing my hair out, I calmly took Chianti back into the house, crated her and proceeded to take another dog out and train him. When it was Chianti's turn again, what a change in attitude she displayed. " Hmm, maybe I'd better pay attention to mom after all." From then it was all uphill. Well almost.

I signed Chianti up for a clicker training class at a park. Again a whole new world to contend with, and a mom who says you have to pay attention wherever you are. One of the students in the class made the comment that Chianti loved everyone. Even other dogs. Hallelujah!

Now it was time to teach Chianti to retrieve.

When I was training Chodo, an instructor told me Akitas were not retrievers and I would never be able to teach her to retrieve. Never tell me never. But I made up my mind, I wouldn't do an ear pinch no matter what. There had to be a better way.

I finally found a book on training that described how to teach it without the ear pinch. It wasn't all positive but it was more humane than anything else I'd found, and you rewarded with food. It took awhile, but eventually she retrieved everything I wanted her to.

How long would it take Chianti with clicker training? She was approximately four months old when we started. I used the traditional dumbbell. I'd been taught to back chain the retrieve. For those who aren't familiar with back chaining, you teach the last thing the dog is going to do in an exercise first. Dog smells dumbbell, click/treat. Dog licks dumbbell, click/treat. Dog puts teeth on dumbbell, click/treat. Dog takes dumbbell in mouth, click/treat. And so on until the dumbbell is lying on the ground and the dog picks it up. Then you start moving it farther away.

Chianti and I trained the retrieve one time per day approximately five minutes each time. In five days, Chianti was running across the yard, picking up the dumbbell and bringing it back to me. YES!!

Then I made a critical error in judgment.

To be Continued...

Questions and/or comments are welcomed. Please e-mail me at SWChianti@aol.com.