# Does Clicker Training make your horse a treat monger?



## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Heya,

I am interested in clicker training for my horse, but I am worried that it will make him a frantic treat hound (more so than he already is!!)

Has anyone tried this method?

Thanks in advance!


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

ANYTHING programmed into a horse will have them look for the reward every time.

My pet peeve is horses I've had horses in for training that stop everytime I said "good boy/girl". The only time they were ever praised was after they were done.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

I don't clicker train but I do give treats (usually a carrot or a piece of alfalfa cube). Only one horse in the many years of treating was a problem and she came with it - after I discovered the problem, I stopped giving treats from my hand.


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## Hidalgo13 (Dec 24, 2010)

It depends on the horse, but I think with clicker training you're suppose to slowly decrease the treats after a while, and only click and praise with a pat instead, so they learn they don't always get something yummy when they do a good job, just a little love. 

One of the horses I sometimes ride is too bossy and a treat hound, (but only when he knows I have some), so I don't give him any. If we had a good ride I'll put it in his bucket.
I always give treats though to the mare I am now riding because she behaves. I don't give her the treat if she is nosing me, only when she respectfully pulls her head away and waits. She caught on so fast that now she always waits for me to hand her the treats, and doesn't bombard me.
The gelding doesn't seem to get it. Maybe with some more work. :/


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Actually, in my experience, Clicker Training can be especially useful with food orientated horses.

My mare absolutely LOVES treats but she's learnt, through clicker training, that mugging me gets her no where. Its part of the training process, teaching horses to be polite and look away if they want to get rewarded.

I can see my mare looking away but watching me out of the corner of her eye, she knows she has to wait till I click before she'll get her reward.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Oh, on one more note, I don't decrease the treats as my horse is not one to be motivated by pats. Instead, you increase what they have to do for the reward. 

For example, when using clicker training for lunging, when asking a horse to drop its head on the lunge, initially you click and reward the moment the horse drops its head, then you extend it to asking them to drop their head for half a circle for example, before clicking and treating.

I'd be glad to try and help if you have any other questions about Clicker Training.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

I was going to ask about moving rewards, actually.  So do you just stretch it out to 1/2 a circle, full circle, etc?

We started today and he got the target down very quickly, then the 'Touch' command.  He is a smart guy.

What treats do you use?


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

I use chopped up carrots and apples. Pony nuts are easier but my mare loves them a little too much and since she doesn't normally get concentrates, I prefer the apples and carrots.

As for moving rewards, you mean asking them for more before treating? I'm going to assume that's what you mean 

I can't give you a set number as it varies, I think I used immediately, 3 strides, 5 strides, half circle, full circle. If they seem to be struggling to extend it and made the connection, then only ask for a little more before rewarding. You have to keep them motivated 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Yes, sorry, I meant while lunging and eventually riding.
My horse is an adoption horse who was an abuse case.  I am working on getting him 'rewired' to be ridden and handled gently. 

I used a riding crop as my target because he was afraid of it. It took about two bumps into the crop and he was no longer afraid. 

I was using GiddyUp Girls sugar free treats, but they go fast!

I am really excited about starting this with him, he seemed to have a lot of fun.

He did try to mug me a few times, but I just stood there and ignored him.

He also seems to want to go for the treat dispensing hand...


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Well if you chop up carrots and apples into bite sized chunks, they last a long time! Just not too small!

Well done on ignoring him for mugging, that's a good idea! If you can, have a training session just about correct treat handling. 

My mare likes to extend her nose and nuzzle for treats but I wait for her to look away, which is usually an accident at first, before treating. As for going for the treat dispensing hand, as long as he doesn't nip you, just keep ignoring him until he looks away and then treat and reward. The key is consistency! As long as you never reward for going for your treat hand, he will eventually stop doing it. Horses, like all animals, do what works for them.

I'm so glad you're doing clicker training, it really is a wonderful training method to add to all other methods.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Thank you so much for the advice on this...I am excited to do this! Brandon seemed to really enjoy it.

It was 'click' and he'd go for my hand. I should stop that then and make him look away?

I will chop up carrots/apples then, and see how that goes. 

Thanks again! I am so proud of how smart he is.


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

He must not get the reward if he goes for your hand. My mare is allowed to ***** her ears for the treat when she hears the click, that's all. Its always good to have a 'how to take treats'/pretty face (think that's how they refer to it online) session. If my mare forgets, which she seldom does now, I simply wait for her to back away and then dispense the treat. But, please, do look online and search for other techniques, as mine is by far not the only one! And though I've done a lot of research on Clicker training, I'm by no means an expert!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Thanks again! There is a mishmash of info out there, do you have any links you recommend?


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

I'm on my phone right now but tomorrow when I'm back on my laptop, I'll try find the links I use and post them for you 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Thank you! <3

I have this book, and that is all: Amazon.com: Clicker Training for Your Horse (9781890948351): Alexandra Kurland: Books


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I clicker train. One horse is very polite, the other a bit of a mug. I ask him to back and may reinforce by tickling his leg with the dressage whip. He can get a treat but must respect my space.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

He has stopped mugging already, for the most part.
Funny story, we had a training session where I was getting him to touch his bit, take it in his mouth (he has bit issues, long story). It was a pretty long, successful session. I turned him out afterward and was just standing on the fence watching him and the other horses. He came over to me and was looking for a target, when he didn't see that, he tried giving me kisses. No reward because I didn't ask. Then he BOWED. I sure didn't teach him to bow, someone else must have. It was very cute. I ran and got the clicker and treats and reinforced it.


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## spoetryinmotion (May 3, 2011)

I'm not a fan personally. My horse was taught it as a young stallion and he is incredibly treat grabby, even after a year of consistant work with it. He only gets treats after I'm completely done with him because he gets so distracted by it. He is instead rewarded with praise. It is only this way because the clicker training wasn't done right. As long as you make him respect your space and yourself, you should be fine.


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## marybonus (Apr 27, 2011)

What an interesting post!!! I am a dog trainer and I have just started using clicker training for the first time with a client and it is going fine. Of course I am sure there are things I could be doing better. I really want to start clicker training 'my' (I hope she will finally be mine, she had her pre purchase exam today, waiting for blood test results) mare Yapa. Any advice on how and where to start would be great. I know a lot about dog behaviour but I am new in the 'horse world', so I am not that confident about how to go about it.

Thanks in advance!


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## ledge (May 23, 2011)

This would be the first time i've heard of using a cricket to train with..... not sure its safe.

As far as horse cookies for reward treats they work unless you over reward the treats, the horse can understand different levels of reward. A stop and rest is a reward, a pet or pat on the neck or forehead is a reward and top reward would be a cookie.

mostly cookies here are when they are at leisure in the pasture we feed them the treats in the evening when setting out by the fence in lawn chairs in the barn.


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

spoetryinmotion, sorry to hear that your horse got that way. I have sen incredibly treat spoiled horses being trained (as strange as it sounds) to be 'treat-safe' again by clicker training, using experienced trainers who had great timing. I have never had nearly as bad a case, my mare got a little treat grabby in the beginning (my own fault as I was in the beginning stages of learning) but since then, and by clicker training, she is now incredibly polite about treats and knows to 'look away' before she will get a treat.

Marybonus, clicker training for horses is really a fantastic aspect of training that combines wonderfully with other types of training. To get started, I would do some research, both on the internet and in books if you have access to them. Karen Pryor and Alexandra Kurland are great clicker trainers and I know there are many more. Then I would start with the four (five) basic lessons. The first, charging the clicker may or may not work, depending on the horse (my mare only made the association when I started the next lesson), then there's target training, happy face/politeness, matwork and backing. Whilst I'm no expert at all, I'd be happy to try answer any questions you might have.

Ledge, I'm curious as to why you would think that clicker training could be unsafe? And, just to point out, there are also different levels of treat rewards. My mare works much harder for pony nuts then apples or carrots so I reserve them for teaching a new behaviour.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

I should update...my horse is doing great with Clicker Training. He was a bit enthusiastic and tried to mug me at first, but he has finally 'got it' and seems to love it. I bought one of those little orange caution cones and I am teaching him to pick it up and hand it to me. We are also working on backing up and head lowering. It's a great communication tool.


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## ledge (May 23, 2011)

If i've got this correctly the cricket clicker is a cue..... i can foresee someone out riding somewhere a kid has a click toy.... a piece of tin flap something that emulates that sound... the horse being a horse responds to the click.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

That is kind of a far fetched situation.

However the worst case scenario is that the horse thought he did something good/nice and expects a treat. I don't see how that is dangerous at all.

The click is really the equivalent of 'yes', and that is all. Using the clicker specifically just incorporates a consistent noise that doesn't vary.


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## ledge (May 23, 2011)

I had never heard of it until i read it on here. Sounds like the clicker helps the rider more than the horse.

Does it work better than the pressure and release method?


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

The awesome thing about clicker training is that you can piggyback it on to any other training system. It really is just saying 'yes'.


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Ledge, if you heard the sound of the clicker you would see that it is a rather distinctive sound and kind of hard to duplicate without it. I don't know of a childs toy that sounds like it. Beside, as Spookychick said, I doubt it would result in a dangerous situation.

As for whether it helps the horse or the rider, I believe its a bit of both. It helps the rider get the timing exactly right which is not always possible with pressure/release. As for the horse, it creates a thinking horse, who wants to offer behaviours and try out knew things instead of a horse that just responds to pressure. They say a horse is more likely to repeat a behaviour if it offered it itself then if it has asked/pressured/forced to do so. You see this a lot with free shaping behaviour with clicker training. If I put it in human perspective, would you rather work because someone put force on you if you didn't, or if they rewarded you if you did?

And it doesn't have to be one or the other, clicker training can be used in combination with pressure and release. It just tells the horse the instant he did something right.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

pressure and release tells them they are doing something right immediately too. in both cases you need to have the same timing so if you have the wrong timing in one instance why would you think you would have the right timing with a different method ?

personally i dont like clicker training and i would never want to carry that clicker around all the time.


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Perhaps so, but take this as an example. I know a lot of people (probably due to a variety of NH trainers) that start teaching a horse to back but shaking/jiggling their lead rope. The horse steps back and you stop jiggling but there is still some momentum in the line which takes a little while to stop fully. With the clicker, its an instant "Yes! You did the right thing!" and the stimulus is removed. I'll agree that that is not always the case but I've seen it happen.

May I ask why you don't like clicker training? Is it only because you don't want to carry a clicker? Because you can click just as easily with your tongue as with a clicker.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

no its not just carrying it around. i see clicker training as pure positive reinforcement training, which i do not do, because i use positive reinforcement as well as correction. i also really dont see the point in saying 'yes', when i am already communicating with my horse [or dog] that they did the right thing.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

munschk said:


> Perhaps so, but take this as an example. I know a lot of people (probably due to a variety of NH trainers) that start teaching a horse to back but shaking/jiggling their lead rope. The horse steps back and you stop jiggling but there is still some momentum in the line which takes a little while to stop fully. With the clicker, its an instant "Yes! You did the right thing!" and the stimulus is removed. I'll agree that that is not always the case but I've seen it happen.


i dont think thats a good example, because you can reinforce something that has happened in the last couple seconds, its not as if the rope keeps moving for thirty seconds. isnt the stimulus removed at the same time anyways ?


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Fair enough, to each his own. 

Ah, but clicker training is not about a few seconds, you want to click the instant (within 2sec) that the horse offers the behaviour you want. And I have seen those ropes maintain that 'energy' for a lot longer than 2 seconds after the person has stopped swinging the rope. However, I shall try and come up with a better example when my brain is not so fried =D


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

also, with the rope thing, the rope moving is not the cue, it is the reinforcement. you start with moving your finger, then hand, then arm, then rope etc. so they should be watching your hand, right ? not the rope ??

if you dont have the timing to click at the right moment it wont help you either ! so either way it doesnt really matter, its just about timing.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Gypsy, I think the point with clicker is that it is a consistent 'cue' for the correct response. 

Using pressure and release alone, the cue is always changing - it may be taking leg off, releasing rein, etc. Whereas with clicker, you add in a sound that is consistent every time - it makes it clearer to the horse. No matter what you are training, the click in conjunction with the release of pressure makes it very clear that they have given the correct response. 

No training method can make bad timing/training better, but clicker can make good training/timing better (by better I mean easier for the horse to decipher). 

*Disclaimer - I don't use clicker with my horses. I used a marker word when training my dog which worked fantastically. I would like to try clicker with my horses one day, but am having success with conventional pressure/release in the meantime.
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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Forgot to add - with clicker you can 'shape' behaviours offered at random. Example off the top of my head is targeting - allow the horses natural curiosity to lead them to sniff a cone. Click and reward. You have just re-enforced touching the cone, from a distance, without any pressure to release. 

This is how I taught my dog to 'shake'. I was in the car on the way to obedience and I reached to pat him - he lifted his paw so I used my marker word and treated. I repeated a few times, added a cue, and by the time we got to class, we had the beginnings of shake established.
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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i dont see whats the point though, isnt that just reinforcing good/ desired behavior ? isnt that just positive reinforcement training ?


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Well I see the rope as being part of the cue as that's what the horse is responding too (assuming one has to escalate to the rope moving). But I have no problem with people using pressure/release, I still use it. I just found clicker training an interesting alternative.

And yes, it is purely positive reinforcement, but there's nothing wrong with that. Or for that matter, using negative reinforcement, it just comes down to personal preference and what works best with your horse.
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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

> i dont see whats the point though, isnt that just reinforcing good/ desired behavior ? isnt that just positive reinforcement training ?


I thought I just explained the point...? A clear, consistent, immediate cue that the horse has offered the correct response...


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## jody111 (May 14, 2008)

I have read the other responses but I actually used clicker training to stop a horse who used to mug you in the paddock for food... he was so bad and he once he had been trained the look away command he was so much better!!!


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## jody111 (May 14, 2008)

gypsygirl said:


> i dont see whats the point though, isnt that just reinforcing good/ desired behavior ? isnt that just positive reinforcement training ?




its more than that - its the whole operand conditioning thing....

so its not just positive reinforcement - although thats part of it.... but its also about punishment as well (Withdrawing things):




Reinforcement, punishment, and extinction

Reinforcement and punishment, the core tools of operant conditioning, are either positive (delivered following a response), or negative (withdrawn following a response). This creates a total of four basic consequences, with the addition of a fifth procedure known as extinction (i.e. no change in consequences following a response).
It is important to note that actors are not spoken of as being reinforced, punished, or extinguished; it is the actions that are reinforced, punished, or extinguished. Additionally, reinforcement, punishment, and extinction are not terms whose use is restricted to the laboratory. Naturally occurring consequences can also be said to reinforce, punish, or extinguish behavior and are not always delivered by people.
Reinforcement is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with greater frequency.
Punishment is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with less frequency.
Extinction is the lack of any consequence following a behavior. When a behavior is inconsequential (i.e., producing neither favorable nor unfavorable consequences) it will occur with less frequency. When a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced with either positive or negative reinforcement, it leads to a decline in the response.


taken from: Operant conditioning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

its actually really interesting and effective


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

jody111: thanks for posting such a good description of how it works 
I have been meaning to do something similar but work is overwhelming at the moment.

I think clicker training is doing wonders for my guy, he loaded on the trailer recently without a second thought...he is much more polite about mugging, etc.


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## Eclipse295 (Nov 30, 2010)

Not usually, as you try to wean the horse out of treats only giving one every once in a while. Also the clicker separates the treat from the action, so the horse goes, "okay a click means I did the right thing and I get a reward" whether that reward be a treat, a scratch on the withers or the neck.


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## henia (Jul 31, 2011)

Today I was talking about this method as one without any pressure. I was never interested in it so I don't know how much can be reach only with it. I cannot imagine that horse would be train only with it from the beginning. I'm going to try this but as a game or something like this. What do you think about training only with this method?
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## ScharmLily (Nov 23, 2009)

When used correctly, I think it can be very good. I use treats (not a clicker though, I usually just cluck) to train my horses to do tricks. It's a fun way to spend time with them and increase their trust in you without necessarily riding or working them.

However, I have seen MANY people use it incorrectly and they just create monsters. The horse needs to learn to be polite about taking the treats, and certainly needs to learn that they will NOT get treats by mugging you. Also, there are some horses that I just won't hand-feed treats. Last winter I worked with a little morgan with some serious respect issues. His owners gave him lots of treats...I did not. After months of working with him, I thought one day that he would be fine if I gave him a little treat...he reverted back to his old, pushy self. After that I would just put them in his bucket if I wanted to give him some. He actually seemed much happier with me too. It was like he knew where his place in the herd was (I was firm but not violent with him) and then he didn't need to constantly be fighting for the lead position. He actually went from almost impossible to catch in his stall, to coming over to the door and putting his face in the halter for me


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## spikeandshay (Oct 9, 2011)

munschk said:


> Oh, on one more note, I don't decrease the treats as my horse is not one to be motivated by pats. Instead, you increase what they have to do for the reward.
> 
> For example, when using clicker training for lunging, when asking a horse to drop its head on the lunge, initially you click and reward the moment the horse drops its head, then you extend it to asking them to drop their head for half a circle for example, before clicking and treating.
> 
> ...


How do you treat them that far away? Do you bring them towards you and treat them?


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

I mainly use free lunging when I'm clicker training. My mare comes in towards me once she's heard the click, then moves back out. It can be a bit disruptive in the beginning but soon she has to do quite a bit of lunging before she hears the click. I know it can be done on a line too, so I imagine one just brings them in.
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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Treats are usually the easiest way to start with clickers, but it's not the only successful way to reward. It's all about them realizing they did something right and providing you a means of letting them know it immediately. You can do a click quicker than you can produce food or any other reward.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I have a horse that most people would have given up on. Compliant - he tried to be. Trust-very fearful. He was a master at zoning out and scaring himself. I tried clicker training that his treat came when he lowered his head so we were eye to eye and his ears had to be forward. This began getting him to relax, even a little. After doing this 3 or 4 x daily for several weeks, he was no longer quite as reactionary and I was no longer seeing the whites of his eyes. I then moved on to Carolyn Resnicks Waterhole Rituals and that helped build a lot of trust by giving him a say in the matter. He always comes to greet me. I could do the Parelli whip ground slapping all around him, didn't fizz, but the sight of the dreaded plastic bag sent him fleeing. He'd return but only to where he felt safe. We worked on this for weeks. Back to clicker work. He then learned to control his fear. I started with a large piece of flannel, and rubbed him all over, then tied it to the whip and within a few minutes I could wave it all over. Then the dreaded plastic bag - he was gone as soon as he saw it. He'd return but only to where he felt safe, about 10' away. Holding it behind me on the ground he approached and was treated. I invited him to check it out and soon he wanted to nose it and get a treat. Within 20 min. the bag was flapping above, all over and under him. The next day I couldn't get any reaction out of him despite carrying on like a lunatic. He politely asked for his treat and got it. As I wean him away from the treats it accomplishes two fold. I put them outside the fence and altho I have clicked for desirable behaviour he also learns to stand and wait while I fetch his treat. I will work him farther and farther away. He is at liberty so it's his option to leave or stand and wait. I don't use clicker for everything but it has certainly helped us over some sticky issues.


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## zenhorse (Sep 12, 2011)

marybonus said:


> What an interesting post!!! I am a dog trainer and I have just started using clicker training for the first time with a client and it is going fine. Of course I am sure there are things I could be doing better. I really want to start clicker training 'my' (I hope she will finally be mine, she had her pre purchase exam today, waiting for blood test results) mare Yapa. Any advice on how and where to start would be great. I know a lot about dog behaviour but I am new in the 'horse world', so I am not that confident about how to go about it.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


The most famous are shawna karrasch Shawna Karrasch and On Target Training | Positive Reinforcement Clicker Training | Horse Training and Alexandra Kurland, The Clicker Center. Both have written books and have great dvd's! Also is Leslie Pavlich. She specializes in young horse starting. A GREAT training method that enables horses to communicate and want to work with you!


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## zenhorse (Sep 12, 2011)

Has been scientifically proven to teach horses faster than negative reinforcement (aka pressure/release method)


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

isnt it supposed to work along with pressure and release ?? just reinforce it more ?


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## christopher (Feb 11, 2011)

yep. think of it as a spectrum, -10 is being jabbed hard with a spur, 0 is neutral, no pressure but no "reward" and +10 is being bathed in molasses.

negative reinforcement implies going - then returning to 0 when the right thing was done, positive reinforcement implies staying at 0 then going + when the right thing was done.

in my experience horses learn best from a combination of both. you go - untill the right thing is done, then you go +, then you go back to 0. however, just negative reinforcement is just as good as just positive reinforcement. because in the end going from -5 to 0 feels the same to the horse as going from 0 to +5.

in fact with that in mind it's possible negative reinforcement works better because the sequence goes 0, -5, 0, starting at 0, going DOWN to -5 and UP to 0 again. so the sequence is always ended on an upward acceleration. but with positive reinforcement it starts at 0, goes +5 then DOWN again to 0, ending on a form of "pressure" (keeping in mind that +5 to 0 would feel the same to the horse as 0 to -5)


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

As far as I'm aware, on research studies done, positive reinforcement has been proven to be more effective than negative reinforcement.

Gypsy, as far as I'm aware you can combine the two. I know there has been some debates as to whether the combination is as effective as positive reinforcement on its own but I'm not sure what the final outcome was!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## corymbia (Jul 6, 2011)

munschk said:


> Oh, on one more note, I don't decrease the treats as my horse is not one to be motivated by pats. Instead, you increase what they have to do for the reward.
> 
> For example, when using clicker training for lunging, when asking a horse to drop its head on the lunge, initially you click and reward the moment the horse drops its head, then you extend it to asking them to drop their head for half a circle for example, before clicking and treating.
> 
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Spot on! We use clicker training with all our horses, from starting under saddle to retrain many problem issues such as not standing still to be mounted, incorrect canter lead, shying etc.

The key with it is to remember that any behaviour that gets rewarded, even inadvertently will be reinforced- that is the horse will do more of it becuase it has previously gotten a reward for it. So accidentally rewarding a horse coming in too close will make the horse barge or mug more. A handy tip taught to me by a fantastic clicker trainer in Australia is the concept of negative punishment- that is, "punishing" a particular behaviour by taking something away- the food. In this context punishment is anything that motivates an animal to do less of a behaviour and reinforcement is something that motivates an animal to do more of a behaviour. So in the case of mugging, by not giving a treat when the horse mugs you are effectively punishing the mugging by taking away the food. When the horse stops mugging and stands quietly then you can click and reward the standing quietly behaviour with the food. Pretty soon the horse learns that the quickest way to get the treat is to stand still. You have successfully punished an unwanted behaviour without having to use any 'punishment'. Well trained clicker horses are very "respectful" about getting their treats.

As noted above, it can be an excellent way to train horses not to be pushy or bossy. As far as using clicker training and pressure release or negative refinforcement, the latter is unavoidable in horse training unless you never use any kind of tack or equipment on your horse. Anytime we apply a pressure on our horse to cue it to do something and then take the cue away when it does what we want we are using negative reinforcement. 

The beauty of clicker training, a form of positive reinforcement is that it uses something that the horse is evolved to seek and thus values very highly, food and thus most horses trained with it are highly motivated to do whatever it takes to get the food. It is possible to use only negative reinforcement to train horses humanely and kindly, but we find using a combination of the two means our horses learn more quickly and are much quieter and softer to handle than using negative reinforcement alone. 

For some really good info about it check out Horse Training


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## PaintMare (Nov 23, 2011)

With clicker training one of the goals is to fade out the treats after they learn the behavior. You start giving them treats everytime you click when they do what you asked. But then gradually you give them a treat every other time and then slowly you will eventually not give them any treats for the behavior. 

You can also put them in their stall with a gate between you and your horse. Also I always give them treats with my arm stretched out so they have to put their head away from my body(and actually sometimes have to back up) to get the treat when I'm clicker training.


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## SRCM16 (Oct 7, 2011)

Do you already have the clicker training book? I'm just wondering because I do, and am willing to sell it. I've read it a few times but it looks like it did when I bought it from the book store.


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