Training animals with a clicker has been proven to be very effective. A great positive reinforcement, it was derived from the study of operant conditioning. It is extensively used on any kinds of animals and used during the acquisition phase of training a new behavior. However, once the animal responds from other cues — such as, verbal and physical cues & the clicker is no longer needed.
Clickers are great for horse training. They respond exceptionally well with it. Many equine trainers use it and succeed almost effortlessly. Trainers usually pair it with other rewards such as food treats, verbal, and physical praises. The horse is encouraged to repeat the favorable behavior. It creates a happy, and eager to learn and please disposition for your horse.
The intelligence of horses is superb. They adapt well to positive reinforcement training. In fact, there is no other way more effective than positive reinforcement and that can be said to all animals. The clicker is one of the most useful devices to implement positive reinforcement and it is just a small plastic. Big things do come from small packages!
However, clickers should be used sparingly and on the right moment. It is pretty useless and may even jeopardize your training objectives if you just click, click, and click for no apparent reason.
Tips on how to use clicker training effectively:
1. Horses are animals with tremendous appetites. That is why food is a great motivator in the equine world and when used in conjunction with clicker, the results are just amazing. The food that horses typically like is apples, carrots, and other fruits. Horse crunchies work well too and you can use grains as well but it can be awkward though. However, bear in mind that horses can get colicky and develop other digestive problems if you overfeed them. Just be wary.
Feeding, as reward, should be done a small bit at a time. In clicker training, a little bit goes a long way. Feeding them lumps of grain or a whole carrot per reward is not only impractical but may also impede with your training.
2. Know exactly what you want to accomplish. It is very important that you know the specific thing that you want your horse to do. Being clear is paramount in clicker training. Clicks must be done at the right moment. Be sure that the horse knows what you want him to do! A confused trainer will create an even more confused horse.
3. In the horse’s mind, the click is an indication that a reward is coming up. Use this to your own advantage. Make it clear to the horse that the click is useless if the command is not done the way you like it to be.
It should be mentioned that food is not only reinforcement that can be used. You can use the click with any kind of reinforcement or reward. Just always makessure that the clicks will involve something that the horse will like.
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