Horse training (or dog training, parrot training, fish training, etc.) should be fun. Let me repeat, training an animal should be fun and enjoyable for both you and the animal! So, are you having fun yet? And is your horse or dog having the same amount of fun?
Many times we say an animal (or person) [...]

I’ve been watching Bob Bailey’s Fundamentals of Animal Training DVD. I’ve watched the first disc, and am really enjoying the set so far. Bob Bailey is not only an excellent trainer; he has a gift for being able to communicate ideas clearly and concisely. I plan to write a proper review after I watch the [...]

These are some of my favorite posts from 2009. I’ve picked a few of the ones I enjoyed writing the most, as well as some of your favorites–posts that got the most views and the most comments. Let me know if I’ve left any of your favorites off the list! If you are a newer [...]

I played just a bit this afternoon with the Mountain Coati at the Heard Museum. Coatis, which are close relatives of the raccoon, are found in South America and some parts of South Texas. This coati was a gregarious, agreeable sort of fellow, similar to most raccoons that I’ve met. We mainly worked on a [...]

Horse clicker trainer Alexandra Kurland often speaks of splitters and lumpers. These are funny words, but they refer to an often serious training problem!
Most behaviors can be broken down into many smaller pieces and approximations. When we break our goal down into tiny chunks and build gradually to a target behavior, we’re being a splitter. [...]