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

Around the round pen

By Mary Hunter on November 29, 2012 in Horse Training

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 […]

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StaleCheerios featured on Talent Hounds!

By Mary Hunter on November 25, 2012 in Dog Training

Recently, Talent Hounds featured their 5 top blogs about dog training. And, they included StaleCheerios in their top 5 list! You can check out the whole list here, it looks like there are some other great blogs that are also on the list. Talent Hounds is a one-hour documentary that explores the history of the […]

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photo by: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemaynor/126644178/">NatalieMaynor</a>

Quick judgements about herding training

By Mary Hunter on November 23, 2012 in Dog Training, Other Species

My friend Aimee, who blogs over at mymegaedog, does herding training with her German shepherd dog Shelby. She trains all her dogs using positive reinforcement. Unfortunately, most herding trainers still use pretty aversive training methods, including lots of punishment and other tactics designed to scare, force, and intimidate the dogs. Even more unfortunate, as Aimee […]

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Life with rats (is always fun!)

By Mary Hunter on November 19, 2012 in Rat (and Mouse) Training

My four pet rats, Georgie, Amy, Izzy, and Chloe, make sure that things are always pretty interesting around here! My rats have an insatiable need to explore, so they are always getting into something. They keep me quite entertained with their acrobatics and antics. Amy especially is my little rat adventurer and she makes sure […]

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photo courtesy of <a href="http://theponyfairy.com/ ">Monty Gwynne</a>

Why train with protected contact?

By Mary Hunter on November 12, 2012 in Concepts and Terms, Horse Training

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 […]

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Wordless Wednesday: Amy comes when called!

By Mary Hunter on November 7, 2012 in Rat (and Mouse) Training

Here is Amy’s latest “trick,” which we’ve been working on for awhile now. When I call her, she comes running! Training a rat (or any small animal) to come when called is a great behavior to teach because if you were to loose the animal in your house, you could just call the animal. Of […]

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