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

Can you unsaddle your horse while cantering over jumps?

By Mary Hunter on June 4, 2009 in Horse Training

This is an incredibly impressive video. Watch the Metropolitan Mounted Police perform at the London International Horse of the Year Show in 2006. See three horses jumping in sync over a jump, horses jumping through fiery obstacles, riders taking on and off their jackets while jumping, and at the end, even taking off their saddles while […]

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Going Back to Kindergarten

By Mary Hunter on June 2, 2009 in Concepts and Terms

I’ve been reading Karen Pryor’s first book on training, Lads Before the Wind. Written in the 70s, it’s her personal account of how she learned the principles of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement training by training dolphins in Hawaii. Her park was one of the first to do this, and the book is filled with […]

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Which comes first, the behavior or the cue?

By Mary Hunter on May 25, 2009 in Concepts and Terms

This post is part of a series of several posts on cues. When teaching a new behavior, we have control over when we introduce the cue. Many clicker trainers advocate getting the behavior before ever introducing the cue. Here’s a bit about each teaching method. (more…)

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Overcoming Fear and the Power of Cues

By Mary Hunter on May 22, 2009 in Book and DVD Reviews, Horse Training

This post is part of a series of several posts on cues. I recently watched one of Alexandra Kurland’s DVDs, Overcoming Fear and the Power of Cues. It was a fascinating look at positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, desensitization, fear and cues. Learn more about the DVD or purchase it on Alexandra’s website. Horseflix subscribers can […]

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Waterhole Ritual 2: Saying Hello

By Mary Hunter on May 20, 2009 in Horse Training

I’ve been discussing Carolyn Resnick’s 7 waterhole Rituals. (Read more about Carolyn here.) The second ritual, Saying Hello, deals with how we approach and greet our horses, especially at the beginning of the relationship. Many people are incredibly unobservant of their horse’s body language. They barge in with halter and lead, get the horse, and then […]

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Training is a Mechanical Skill

By Mary Hunter on May 19, 2009 in Concepts and Terms

Much of training is an art. However, mechanical skills are a huge part of training and can make the different between a decent trainer and a great trainer. It’s tough to be a great trainer if you’re still struggling with basic mechanics. Holding a lead rope or leash while trying to manage a clicker and […]

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