Are you interested in animal training?

Mary Hunter and her horse Apollo


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



Recent posts from the StaleCheerios blog


clicker training puppies at a veterinary clinic

Wordless Wednesday: Smart pups!

Last week’s wordless Wednesday photo featured some Canadian school children who were learning about clicker training at a young age. This week’s photo is another group of lucky youngsters who are getting an early start learning about positive training. Veterinarian Tracy Johnson sent me this GREAT photo of a litter of pups who recently visited […]

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IMG_1096

Herding 101 (+R Edition)

This is a guest post by Aimee Davis. If you are interested in writing a guest post for the StaleCheerios blog, please check out the guest post guidelines. My 15 month old German shepherd dog Shelby is a wonderful dog. Wonderful, but not extraordinary. She isn’t Rico the border collie or Einstein the parrot or […]

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The Science of Consequences book cover

The mice are in control!
(The science of consequences: part 1)

I’ve recently started reading Susan Scheider’s fascinating new book, The Science of Consequences. Susan Schneider is a biopsychologist who has spent years studying learning and behavior in both people and animals. (You can read more about her background on her bio on her website.) The Science of Consequences is a fascinating journey through the science […]

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tonka - mobility service horse

Mobility service animals: Meet Tonka

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 […]

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