How do you hold your clicker?

[Polarn]

This might be in the wrong forum however I do consider it quite relevant to training birds since the most common excuse used for not using a clicker is that it gets in the way. Personally i go in ups and downs using the clicker although I have no problem using it but occationally I dont go grab it before practising recalls etc. Anyways thought this thread might actually serve as an aid for anyone having trouble using a clicker while working with their birds, so how do you hold your clicker?


I hold mine with the pinky finger, and the pinky finger only wich means I got four remaining fingers to use for anything else, hold a targetstick as an example:

enough training and you can actually move your pinky without the other fingers following (I learnt this quicker and better with my left hand than I did with my right) Might be due to occationally playing the guitarr making my lefthand more controllable in finger positioning. But I now can do this with both hands.

[marie83]

I'm a lil weakling but my little finger is no way strong enough to actually press the clickers button in that way. It depends what else I'm doing/holding during a training session as to how i hold itt.

I train both with and without a clicker, I trained ollie step up and play dead without and everything else with the clicker and I don't think it matters too much whether I use it or not.

I don't use the clicker with Harlie anymore as she is still terrified of the noise it makes even if I muffle it.

I've never used a clicker with any of my other pets, bird or mammal, and have had no issue training. I don't think there are any excuses not to use a clicker, its just personal preference. I don't care much either way but at this moment in time I've only used it with 2 birds in my 22 years of keeping pets.

[Polarn]

Absolutely is down to personal preference, however the most common reason given not to use a clicker is the restraint of a hand I think.

[truste]

My pinkie is also not strong enough to click my device, haha! I generally hold it the same as you, except use my index or middle fingers to click. It depends on the trick, though, because sometimes I need to hold a prop with that hand, and I often wish I had a third hand just for the clicker.

I've wondered before whether it would be possible to put it on the floor and click it with my toe? Or something? Haven't tried yet, but it's a thought:D

[Eurycerus]

I have the chopstick stuck under the clicker and I hold both like a spatula and click the clicker with my thumb

[Michael]

Eurycerus, you're going to run into trouble when you need to hold a treat in the same hand because you want to target the bird someplace (like onto or off of your hand), click, and reward. This is how I hold so that I can get the most out of that one hand. Even without the target stick I hold the clicker the same way because it frees the tips of my fingers to hold treats or props.



I just realized, you have one of those bigger clickers so it may be hard to impossible to hold the way I recommend. So I suggest you get a smaller sized clicker and it will be easier to press.

[Polarn]

yeah my previouse clicker was big like that, and not only that it was round as well so it was impossible to hold it with anything except for your thumb, oh btw normally I use my indexfinger and thumb to hold treats and I just put my wery small target stick between the other two fingers left, but it looked stupid in the picture I took and since the question was about the clicker I thoguth that picture looked better, but thats the way I hold the targetstick if I got my right hand free though, since i then treat with the right hand.
Anyways this is the way it looks if my right hand is occupied elsewhere.

[Eurycerus]

I've wondered before whether it would be possible to put it on the floor and click it with my toe? Or something? Haven't tried yet, but it's a thought:D

I totally tried that, unsuccessfully I might add. I couldn't get it to click right. It made a pathetic, muted click noise.

Michael I'll have to try that method. In general she just waits an extra second while I grab the treat under the clicker and then give it to her after she does whatever I want. EXCEPT, and this is a big one, I remember I did originally try to give her a treat with the same hand that had the clicker and stick and she did not like the stick moving around her like that. That's actually the reason that I always treat with the hand not holding the stick, therefore, it's not problematic to click with the thumb.

[Polarn]

mine didnt like the stick at first either wich is why i originally ended up with the stick like that and a smaller stick in order for it to not be tediouse holding it like that, that way I could just close the fingers having the stick along with my arm, however now their (atleast polarn) fine with things i hold in my hands etc, when i thought polarn to turn around (did this pretty early) I couldnt move my ahnds or the stick above him so i turned my stick below him, wich has caused him to have a really crouched turn around, the major problem I had was to convert the turning around under into a reasonable que.. until I figured I only had to use the vocal one then it got alot easier introducing another handgesture to it and he will now do it if presented with either (usually do both though).