I watched a video awhile back of someone working with an animal who did not like having his ears touched. The trainer started by touching the animal’s neck, then touching close to the ear, touching near the base of the ear, touching the ear briefly, and eventually touching the ear for a little longer. The […]
Author Archive | Mary Hunter
Horse agility obstacles: The noodle walk
This year, Apollo and I have been working on some horse agility training. Horse agility is similar to dog agility. The horse and trainer must navigate a series of obstacles with teamwork and precision. One fun obstacle that is often used for horse agility or horse obstacle courses is a pool noodle obstacle, sometimes called […]
Building behaviors: Teach the pieces before you assemble them
I’d like to share a quote with you from behavior analyst Dr. Beth Sulzer-Azaroff. I had something else planned for my blog this week, but I learned recently of the passing of Dr. Sulzer-Azaroff. I first came across Dr. Sulzer-Azaroff’s work a handful of years ago when I was redesigning an undergraduate class that I […]
Do you really need a clicker?
A clicker can be used as a “conditioned reinforcer.” You may also hear dog trainers, horse trainers, or other animal trainers refer to the clicker as a marker signal, bridging stimulus, or secondary reinforcer. When the animal does the correct behavior, the trainer clicks the clicker and then follows the click with something the animal […]
how punishment can make things worse
I’ve been getting ready for our next animal training and behavior analysis science camp, which is happening this weekend. I’m looking forward to spending three days with Alexandra Kurland, Dr. Michaela Hempen, Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, Anita Schnee, and what I know will be a wonderful group of attendees. I’ll be giving a presentation about the […]
From good enough to Grand Prix
Several years ago, I wrote a post about Grand Prix clicker training. This was a concept that we discussed at a 2014 clinic that I attended with Alexandra Kurland at Cindy Martin’s ranch in Arkansas. “During our discussion, Alexandra offered another perspective on ‘Grand Prix’ that was not limited to top level competitions. Instead, think […]