Apollo recently learned how to take a bath using clicker training. We did this completely at liberty AND with him standing in a yard full of yummy green grass. The process we used was similar to what I did when I taught Mouse about baths. Check out the video below to see exactly how we [...]
Training Your Horse to Wear a Fly Mask
Does Your horse know how to wear a fly mask? We have several young horses at the rescue who need to wear fly masks this summer. These horses are all two year olds who are halter broke but have not had a lot of exposure to strange objects and materials touching and rubbing their faces. [...]
Jason Patrick’s Free Horse Clinic DVD
Over the weekend I watched a DVD produced by Colorado horse trainer Jason Patrick. Although our philosophies and training techniques differ, I really enjoyed watching the DVD. He has a relaxed and easy going style, which seems to carry over to how he works with his horses. Jason Patrick is an innovator–willing to try new [...]
What makes something scary?
Some horses are afraid of everything and every horse seems to be afraid of at least something! Plastic bags on the ground, a rain jacket or poncho, leaves blowing in the wind, water bottles, tarps, umbrellas, bridges, a new jump in the arena, his own shadow….the list could go on forever! This can be extremely [...]
ORCA: Part 1. 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 my first page of thoughts and notes. To read more about the conference [...]
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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