Last week, I did a webinar for Animal Training Academy about the topic of multiple markers. (The webinar replay is available for ATA members on the Animal Training Academy website.) Positive reinforcement trainers often use a clicker as a marker. However, many other types of auditory and visual signals can also be used effectively as […]
Author Archive | Mary Hunter
Chewie’s Diary Week 81: More mutual grooming (video)
It’s hot here in north Texas! I’m hot. Chewie’s hot. Liberty’s hot. We’re still doing a little bit of training every day, but we’re definitely ready for some cooler weather! I wrote several weeks ago in Diary #78 about how Chewie and Liberty have started mutual grooming with each other. Since that post, I’ve seen […]
Chewie’s Diary Week 80: Scary hoses
This picture may not look like much, but it’s a bit of progress! Chewie drinks from the water trough Chewie and I worked a lot last summer on sponge baths. However, Chewie still doesn’t like to be hosed off. She thinks the hose is pretty scary. So, for now, I don’t give her baths with […]
Chewie’s Diary Week 79: Stay with duration
Chewie and I are making a lot of progress with her new stay behavior. (You can read about the beginning of this project in Chewie’s Diary #76.) We first gradually increased the distance until I could walk about 12 feet away. Why twelve feet? It’s about as far as I can walk away from Chewie […]
Chewie’s Diary Week 78: Mutual grooming
We’re officially in the dog days of summer now. It’s hot and yucky outside, even in the morning and even in the shade! Chewie and I are still doing a little bit of training, but I can tell that she’s wishing for cooler days. Chewie and her buddy Liberty, the donkey, are both pretty itchy, […]
Chewie’s Diary Week 77: Distractions
As I wrote about last week, Chewie and I have started to work on stay. Currently, Chewie can stay on her platform while I walk about ten feet away. I am expanding this behavior by adding more distance. We are also increasing the duration of time that I can wait when I walk away. Here’s […]