By Jan Bragoli
Dear WOOF:
Recently I noticed my guardian taking MY clicker
and carrots out to the barn. I also noticed that she was
spending a lot of time with our new pony. What
do you suppose she could be doing out there?
Your friend,
Arielle the Leonberger, BDWW, CGC, TDInc, LTA, SD
Dear Arielle,
If you can get a pair of binoculars, which may
be difficult for you to use since you don't have thumbs, you
will probably see that your guardian is clicker training your
pony. Clicker training is not just for dogs! In
fact, clicker training is used for many other animals including
whales, dolphins, marine animals, and yes, equines: horses,
mules and ponies.
The principles are the same.
First you charge the clicker using a food reward
that the animal really likes (you probably remember that from
puppy class). Ponies LOVE carrots! Ponies are also very
smart!!! It doesn't take long before they associate the
sound of the clicker with the delivery of a delicious snack.
Then you begin to shape the behavior you are
teaching. Do you remember when you learned to sit? The
principle is the same. Using food as lure, your guardian
is teaching the pony to do a behavior. I suspect she is
not teaching the pony to sit since this is not as easy for ponies
as it was for you. She is probably teaching him to 'come.' She
is doing this the same way she taught you. Using food
as lure, she moves back a few steps and says `Pony come.' The
greedy and clever pony follows her to get the treat. Your
guardian clicks and rewards the pony.
After just a few repetitions, your guardian will
remove the food as lure and simply take a few steps back saying
the word `come' one time. The pony will offer the behavior of
`come' when he hears the word. Your guardian will click
and treat.
The principles are the same… what is different
is how long it takes for the student to learn. Ponies are very
food motivated and consequently learn quickly.
There is a lot of information available on clicker
training. There are also classes for puppies and adult dogs.
But, really, ANY animal can be trained using the same positive
reinforcement techniques.
Oh, one last thing...don't be surprised if your
pony doesn't eventually learn to sit. It is not the easiest
thing for ponies to do but this behavior can also be shaped
and taught.
Sincerely,
WOOF
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