Did you know that horses could be trained with clicker training? In this section you’ll find lots of information about how positive reinforcement training methods can be used to create horses that are smart, brave, athletic and enthusiastic about training. If you’re skeptical, I recommend starting with this blog post, which summarizes a research study that examined whether clicker training causes horses to bite.
Well… no. A recent research study, which was featured on theHorse.com, found that when the horses in the study were given a choice, they would rather not work. The article concludes that horses would rather hang out in the pasture with their buddies, than be ridden by a person. (You can read the article here.) […]
This is part three of my notes from ORCA’s 2013 Art and Science of Animal Training Conference. For links to the rest of my notes (which will be posted over the next few weeks), please visit the Conference and Clinic Notes section of my site. Alexandra Kurland’s lecture was one of my favorite talks at […]
First, you may be asking…. What’s a zonkey?! A zonkey is a hybrid equine — half zebra and half donkey. A zonkey looks a lot like a donkey, but with stripes. Hannah Dawnson, a clicker trainer from England, recently posted a video on her Facebook page of the latest additions to her barn, two zonkeys. […]
Large breed dogs (such as great Danes) and miniature horses are often used as mobility service animals. These animals are trained as service animals for people who have mobility-related disabilities. The person uses the animal to lean on while walking. As well, the animal can be trained to perform lots of other tasks to help […]
Recently I posted on my blog about protected contact. During protected contact training, the trainer and animal are separated by some sort of physical barrier. Protected contact can be a very helpful tool in certain training situations. I encourage you to read my recent post Why train with protected contact, for more information about when […]
Many horse clicker trainers advise using protected contact when teaching a new horse about clicker training or in situations that could be unsafe for the trainer. I’ve also met some horse clicker trainers who never use protected contact. They feel that they know their horses and they know how to keep themselves safe. However, I […]
