Eighteen month old Tootie is super smart, but also a super mugger when it comes to treats. I stopped working with him last Spring because I didn’t really have the skills to keep up with him (or his teeth!). We recently had our first clicker session in months. I kept him behind a barrier so we could work on targeting and backing. When he understands these pretty well, (and he’s starting to get it, if you watch the video below,) I’ll have two positive ways to keep him out of my space.
The problem with Tootie’s mugging is that it is very self-reinforcing. He doesn’t care at all if he never gets a treat. He’s just happy that I’ve come to be his life-sized play toy. So, if I wanted to work on just manners while he’s sill this bad, it would be hard to extinguish the bad behavior without also using negative reinforcement (which I don’t want to use). At this point, if he nuzzles me looking for treats I ignore it, but if he starts biting, I walk away.The barrier helps him stay out of my space and lets him focus less on me and more on the target.
As soon as I click, his current mindset is to head straight for me. When I treat him, he has to back a few steps to get the treat. This creates a nice cycle:
target –> click –> back 2 steps –> treat –> target –> etc.
Then, when I click, his first thought will be stay still or back up, rather than barge forward. Also, he starts to learn that when I move into his space, he should back up. This was our first session with this. If you watch, towards the end he starts to get the hang of the rhythm of the cycle. So, I’m starting first with teaching him the fundamentals of how to respect my space, but the means I’m using to accomplish it are targeting and backing.
I really like the way you make him back up in order to get the food. I’d never thought of doing it that way before…..I might have to try that with my Blitz who can be a bit of a mugger.
When I actually started clicker training Minnow 6 years ago he started to get grabby after several days of training. I tried a similar way to what you were doing that completely fixed the issue. He NEVER mugs now.
I actually placed him a stall so he could put his head out. I stood infront of him with a big juicy apple in my hand – just in his reach. Everytime he grabbed for the apple I pulled it away. When he started offering other behaviors (turning his head or anything else) I rewarded him with a different treat right under his lips. Took several days but he eventually figured out if he grabs he gets nothing, if he performs (does something) he gets rewarded…and can only have it when I offer it to him.
anyway good luck with the mugging pony. I know how frustrating that can be sometimes to break a pony of that habit.
Best of luck with that mugging pony! It can be hard sometimes!
Thanks Jim!
He’s learning, but it does take some time for good manners to become habit.
Mary