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

Happy Anniversary

By Mary Hunter on March 30, 2013 in Rat (and Mouse) Training

Last weekend marked the one year anniversary of when I adopted my three SPCA rats. The girls (Amy, Chloe, and Izzy) got a small dish of chocolate cake on Monday to celebrate and I was able to capture some fun photos of them chowing down. Rats love sweets and they were quite happy to get […]

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Michele Pouliot platform lab at ClickerExpo

Michele Pouliot: Step up! Beyond basic platforms

By Mary Hunter on March 24, 2013 in Conferences and Clinics, Dog Training

This post is part one of my notes from the 2013 Stamford, Connecticut ClickerExpo. ClickerExpo is 3-day conference for positive animal trainers that is organized by Karen Pryor Clicker Training. For the rest of the notes in this series, please visit my Conference and Clinics Notes page. I had a fantastic time at ClickerExpo this […]

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ClickerExpo 2013: My head is still spinning!

By Mary Hunter on March 12, 2013 in Conferences and Clinics

I arrived back in Texas late yesterday after spending three days in Stamford, Connecticut at ClickerExpo. ClickerExpo is a twice yearly conference organized by Karen Pryor Clicker Training. This year’s conference was a blast. Of course, it’s going to be a fun time when you bring 500 positive trainers together and offer three full days […]

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clicker training a giraffe to touch a target

Wordless Wednesday: Giraffe Training

By Mary Hunter on February 27, 2013 in Fun Photos, Other Species

Okay, as usual, this is going to an an almost Wordless Wednesday post! I’ve been chatting some with Linda, who works at Zooworld in Panama City Beach, Florida. In the picture above she is working on target training (using clicker training) with one of the zoo’s young giraffes. I’ve written before about why training is […]

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Isabella the rat sticking her head out of a cardboard box

Rat training: The bucket trick

By Mary Hunter on February 25, 2013 in Rat (and Mouse) Training

Here’s a fun how-to video that I found on YouTube this afternoon. (See below for video.) The rat has learned how to pull up on a string to raise a small bucket or basket that contains a treat. I’ve seen this trick on YouTube before, but this is a nice video because it does a […]

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Plateau schmateau! Why progress matters

By Mary Hunter on February 23, 2013 in Conferences and Clinics, Dog Training

This is part seven of my notes from ORCA’s 2013 Art and Science of Animal Training Conference. For the rest of the notes, please visit the Conference and Clinic Notes section of my site. Steve White’s lecture at this year’s ORCA conference was titled “Plateau schmateau! Why progress matters.” During his talk, Steve discussed training […]

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