Two short video clips today of Tex, the pony who I recently started riding. The first is a clip of him getting his ears scratched. He was absolutely LOVING this! I wish I had the camera zoomed in a bit more, it was pure bliss on his face. However, you’ll get the idea. I think [...]
Does Clicker Training Work with Cats?
Does clicker training work with cats? Of course it does! I often hear people say that clicker training works with dogs (or a different species) but they are still skeptical about it working with certain other species (such as cats or horses). Cats, of course, have a bit of a reputation for being independent and [...]
10 tips to improve your clicker training
Clicker training is GREAT for dogs, cats, and horses. (And even lobsters and goldfish!) With clicker training, animals learn fast and are generally more interested and engaged in the training process. However, like anything else, clicker training is a skill. Being skilled at clicker training takes time and practice. Here are 10 tips that will [...]
A Survey about Switching Species…
I have two new rats. I’ve had them two weeks. I have a couple of books on rat care and training and I’ve been surfing the web. But really, I have no idea what I’m doing! It’s like starting all over again. How do I deliver a reinforcer? What’s the best way physically (and temporally) [...]
Are You Having Fun Yet? (video)
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 [...]
Mountain Coatis and Training Mechanics
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 [...]
What’s a good reinforcer for an elephant?
Regarding finding valuable reinforcers: “One keeper I met learned that an elephant will perform for a single miniature marshmallow.” This is from Temple Grandin’s latest book, Animals Make Us Human. (I also blogged recently about her discussions on introducing scary objects and stereotypical behaviors.) I find many people object to adding a clicker to their training [...]
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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