We haven’t done much training with food up to this point because Chewie wasn’t ready.
Chewie needed time to settle when she first arrived and when she moved pastures a couple of weeks ago. I’ve also been gone some at conferences, and we dealt with a spell of nasty weather in February.
Chewie is now very comfortable and happy in the new pasture. When I arrive each day, she comes over to greet me. She enjoys hang out with me for lots of scratches and grooming. She’s also curious and brave about any enrichment items I bring with me.
Just recently, I’ve started teaching Chewie a reinforcement system that involves me giving treats in a large bucket.
For this training, we are using protected contact. I stand on one side of a fence, and Chewie and the bucket are on the other side.
Protected contact is a really underrated training tool. Many people don’t see the benefit of training with protected contact.
However, protected contact makes it a lot easier for the horse to do the right behaviors. For example, Chewie isn’t practicing nibbling at my treat pouch or walking up right next to me and stepping on my toes.
Protected contact can also give the horse more choices. If Chewie is unsure about something or doesn’t want to participate in the training, she can leave. She can go eat grass or hay, hang out with her horse friends, drink water, or take a nap.
Want to know more? Several years ago, I wrote a lengthy post about protected contact. You can find it here: Why train with protected contact?
I’m excited to see how our training progresses as we start working on some more new behaviors over the coming weeks!
No comments yet.