Are you interested in animal training?

On this site I share stories of my animal training adventures, information about the science of animal training and behavior, and tips and advice to help you improve your training.

Join me as we explore the best training strategies for creating fast learning, effective communication, and enthusiastic, willing animals.

If you’re new to Stale Cheerios, I recommend that you start by visiting this page to learn more about Stale Cheerios and that you visit my Top Posts page.

~Mary Hunter

wait, you mean you didn’t know a goldfish could play a set of handbells?

By Mary Hunter on April 14, 2009 in Other Species

A fellow fish blogger has made a video of her goldfish Jor Jor learning to play a set of handbells. It just proves that good training is really only limited by the creativity of the trainer! She attached strings to the handbells, then taught the fish to pull on the strings. Currently, she’s working with […]

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What makes something scary?

By Mary Hunter on April 14, 2009 in Horse Training, Research Studies

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 […]

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Why do animals exhibit stereotypies?

By Mary Hunter on April 9, 2009 in Concepts and Terms, Enrichment Ideas, Research Studies

Stereotypical behaviors (abnormal repetitive behaviors) are commonly seen in animals kept in captivity. Polar bears and other large carnivories are notorious for repetitive pacing type behaviors. Grazing animals kept in unnatural or confined environments often resort to chewing on bars or fences or obsessive licking. Other animals rock back and forth, obsessively groom themselves or engage […]

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a picture from last fall. Ginger sitting attentively watching me, and waiting for a treat.

Ginger gets a gold star!

By Mary Hunter on April 8, 2009 in Dog Training

Well, not really. If we gave her a gold star, she’d probably eat it. But, we are really proud of Ginger because she passed her pre-agility level 1 class Monday night! The last time I wrote about our training classes, I had just increased our reinforcers from measly dog treats to hot dogs and string […]

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What Do Animals Need?

By Mary Hunter on April 7, 2009 in Book and DVD Reviews, Horse Training, Research Studies

I’ve just started reading Temple Grandin’s lastest book, Animals Make Us Human. I’ve read other books by Temple Grandin, and enjoy her writing style and insight. In the first chapter, she talks about what an animal needs for a good life. This is an incredibly complex question, which has enormous implications for how we manage […]

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Teaching new skills using targeting

By Mary Hunter on April 5, 2009 in Concepts and Terms, Dog Training, Horse Training

Targeting is a great way to teach a horse or a dog (or a goldfish!) new skills or tricks. The animal learns to follow a hand, a stick, or any other sort of object where ever the object might lead. (For the horses, I usually use an empty plastic water bottle duct taped on the […]

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