Darley is an older Arabian. He was skin and bones when my friend first rescued him. But, he’s a happy horse now! I’ve been doing some clicker training with Darley, and he enjoys our training sessions. However, at first, Darley wasn’t really catching on. Sometimes, he would do several behaviors in a row. Then, he […]
Spring has arrived in north Texas and with spring comes spring grass! The arena at our barn has grass all along the edge. Delicious, yummy grass. Tempting grass…. Apollo and I have sometimes struggled with the spring grass in past years. This year, we’ve been working on a new reinforcement system in the arena with […]
I regularly hear trainers say that you should end a training session on a good note. This phrase can mean a few different things. However, I find that people often mean that you keep training until your animal does several good repetitions of the behavior you’re practicing. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have […]
Happy Birthday, B. F. Skinner! Yesterday, March 20, was Dr. B. F. Skinner’s birthday. In honor of Dr. Skinner’s birthday, I shared the following quote on my Stale Cheerios Instagram account and Facebook page. Skinner writes: “The implication that learning occurs only when errors are made is false.” This quote comes from his 1968 book, […]
Behavior multiplies. Let me explain what this means. When you have a well-designed shaping program that is appropriate for your learner, behavior change can happen exponentially. Imagine you are teaching your horse (or dog or other critter) to walk next to you without a leash or lead rope. On the first day, you may start […]
Want to improve your training sessions with your horses, dogs, or other animals? Start by practicing without your animal! What is a dress rehearsal? In my Shaping Skills Workshop courses, I encourage my students to do dress rehearsals without their animals before their training sessions. Here’s how to do a dress rehearsal: Step 1: Get […]
