One of the most common arguments I often hear against clicker training for horses is that we “can’t use dog training methods for horses.” However, clicker training wasn’t originally invented for dogs (or dolphins either, as many people falsely claim). The principle of reinforcement, on which clicker training is based, was originally described and researched […]
Your horse is lazy. Your pony won’t go. Your mule just isn’t motivated. Many equines are masters of conservation of energy. They do what they have to or do just enough to avoid trouble and get the job done. Helen, of New Beginnings, has recently written an excellent article about motivation for Smallholder magazine. Here’s […]
This is a follow up post to Do I have to treat every time I click? The clicker is commonly thought of as one or more of the following: –a marker signal –a bridge signal –a secondary reinforcer –a cue The clicker is often thought of as a marker signal, meaning it marks good behavior. […]
A recent discussion arose on a forum as to whether or not it’s best to delivery a treat (or other form of primary reinforcement) every time we click when clicker training. Part of the discussion stemmed from the fact that eventually, we want to fade out those treats. Random treats are more interesting and besides, […]
Welcome to the third edition of the clicker carnival. This month’s edition of the carnival has links to some great training articles from the month of November. From good books to clever tricks, these articles will inspire you and (hopefully!) give you a few new things to think about during the month of December. Happy […]
Going Gaited is a new online magazine for gaited horses. What’s neat about Going Gaited is that they support positive training and clicker training! Cheryl Ward will be writing a monthly column for the magazine on positive training and what she calls training with attraction. Here’s a quote from this month’s column: Although I do […]
