Here’s a video of Ginger and I playing from about a week ago. It shows a handful of the things we’ve been working on recently. We’ve been working quite a bit on targeting type behaviors, including touching my palm and touching the end of a targeting stick. (More information about target training.) She really understand [...]
what makes a good reinforcer?
Here’s how I’m putting theory from the classroom into my training sessions! Several weeks ago in my intro behavior analysis class we talked about good reinforcers using an acronym called DISC. This is what DISC stands for: D–deprivation I–immediacy S–size C–contengency The best reinforcers are something the animal hasn’t had in awhile (principle of deprivation), [...]
Paden Smells his Tail
Here’s a video of Paden and I playing a bit. Paden’s a paint gelding who I’ve been working with some at the horse rescue where I volunteer. He’s a nice little horse and has had some training. However, he still has lots of things to learn. He tends to carry his head quite high and [...]
ORCA: Part 3. Steve Martin
These are my notes from the ORCA Great Minds conference at UNT in March 2009. The Great Minds conference brought half a dozen top trainers together to talk about animal training, clicker training, operant conditioning and the future of training. This is the third post of my thoughts and notes and the last page of [...]
ORCA: Great Minds Conference
ORCA, one of the organizations run by the behavior analysis department at the Univerisity of North Texas is sponsoring a conference on Friday on “The Art and Science of Animal Training: Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going?” I was able to sign up to go cheaply, since I’m taking classes at UNT. They [...]
First Night of Clicker Training Classes
Ginger and I just got back from our first night of clicker training classes. She’s now completely passed out on the living room floor. Man, she says, training is hard work! The class went well. I liked the instructor and the group isn’t too huge (there are 10 of us). I think it’s going to [...]
Dog Training Begins in Earnest
So I’ve signed our dog Ginger up for some clicker training classes at a place in Dallas that offers agility, pre-agility and obedience classes. The classes start this evening and I’m excited. Ginger’s excited, too. Actually, she’s not, because she doesn’t know about the classes yet. But, if she did know, she’d be super excited [...]
What’s the best way to train an animal?
Stale Cheerios will help you learn new knowledge and techniques to take your training skills to the next level. So stick around, your animals will be grateful!
I'm a graduate student studying the science of behavior and training. On this blog I share stories of my animal training adventures, as well as tips, techniques and tricks to help you improve your training. Although most of this blog centers around training rescue horses, the ideas discussed apply equally to all species. The other animals I work with, including dogs and rats, also appear occasionally on the blog.
Mary Hunter
cheeriotrainer@gmail.com
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