Clicker training

PaulaO
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Clicker training

Postby PaulaO » Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:33 pm

I want to do something on the ground to engage Ariel's brain (she's too smart for her own good) and someone suggested clicker training. What are good resources to learn about this? I've only heard of using it to teach a horse to touch its nose to something.

Sue B
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Re: Clicker training

Postby Sue B » Thu Feb 16, 2017 4:17 pm

Kelo knows a ton about clicker training, maybe she will see this and respond. Maybe there is something on youtube? I am not coordinated enough to do clicker training, but all my horses are taught "yes" and "no" so that I can shape behaviors from the ground or in the saddle. Similar to clicker training, the word "yes" is tied to a reward (treat) by repeatedly saying "yes" and then giving the treat. The word "no" is used when the "wrong" behavior is offered and reinforced by getting the horse to do the "right" thing and getting a "yes" and treat. In other words, the word "no" is reinforced by negative reinforcement not punishment (unless it is something egregious like striking, kicking or biting.) Over time, the "yes" is intermittently rewarded with a treat, most of the time with a pat or a touch, so that the word itself is a reward. Clear as mud?????

kande50
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Re: Clicker training

Postby kande50 » Thu Feb 16, 2017 6:50 pm

equineclickertraining.com

I was visiting a friend this week and she showed me how she'd taught her horse to pick up his flat rubber feed pan and bring it to her so she could put a treat in it.

I haven't done much fetch work with horses because I tend to stick with behaviors I think might be useful, but as I was watching her horse pick up his pan and bring it to her I got to thinking that this could be a very useful behavior for taking the focus off the hand and shifting it to the rubber pan.

Hand feeding is very convenient when shaping energetic behaviors because it's fast, but I'm thinking that this behavior might be useful too, and especially for horses who will be handled by non-clicker trainers, or might end up with new owners.

I don't think it will be difficult to teach mine to pick up a pan and bring it to me, but I suspect that learning to set it down the right way so that I can put the treat in it may present some challenges.

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Chisamba
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Re: Clicker training

Postby Chisamba » Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:32 pm

clicker training is a great way to train humans to be more effective in marking desired behaviours , or at least that is what i learned.

My mare was on stall rest for a broken bone in her leg, and had been a pasture horse all her life. I was restricted to working in the stall, but i taught her to touch a cone, then to pick up the cone, then eventually we played cone retrieval games. i would put it in a corner, and tell her to fetch it. It was really an experiment in my being able to clicker train a horse. The only other clicker training experience i had was with dolphins at the PE dolphinarium.

So some one with better experience will give you better advice :)

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Re: Clicker training

Postby AmityBee » Fri Feb 17, 2017 7:02 am

As I understand it, what you are refering to is a form of cicker training, called target training. It is done with zoo animals a lot, to help with vet checks and stuff.

Personally, I am too uncoordinated for clicker training but I do a lot of trick training and reward with a verbal cue and treat. No cues for "wrong" behaviour, I just ignore that and reward the wanted behaviour.

My pony loves our trick training session, especially now when it's dark and cold and we are stuck in the indoor. He's more into the stuff where he's allowed to move around like "dancing", yielding towards me and away from me, he also knows spanish walk, will pick up the whip and give it to me, "smile" and "thank you" (crossing his front legs).

But I remember, before we started with the more exciting stuff we made sure the very basics were there. Stop and go, engaging haunches/forehand, simple yields.

kande50
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Re: Clicker training

Postby kande50 » Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:17 am

AmityBee wrote:As I understand it, what you are refering to is a form of cicker training, called target training. It is done with zoo animals a lot, to help with vet checks and stuff.

Personally, I am too uncoordinated for clicker training but I do a lot of trick training and reward with a verbal cue and treat.


What you do would still be considered clicker training, as the term has come to mean any form of positive reinforcement training in which a marker is used. The marker can be a click from a clicker, a tongue click, any kind of a verbal marker, or even positive reinforcement that involves no additional markers other than the ones the subject associates with the reward. So things like moving one's hand toward the treats can become a marker.

I do a lot of shaping to tend to stand very still while my horses work, and have found that all I have to do is move slightly and they'll notice and stop in hopes that my very slight movement was indeed a marker, and the treat will now be forthcoming. :-)

Very few of the horse clicker trainers I know use a clicker unless they're free shaping at liberty so need a loud, precise marker. Most just use a tongue click, because it's way more convenient than trying to juggle lead ropes/reins, treats, and a clicker.

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Re: Clicker training

Postby Kelo » Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:34 pm

Clicker training uses shaping, markers and positive reinforcement to develop skills.

You need: your mouth, little edible treats, and a creative spirit.

What I mean by that is I don't use a physical clicker. I, and many clicker trainers, use a mouth click to "mark" a behavior. The click I use is my tongue sort of hollowed onto the roof of my mouth, mouth a little open, and then I pop it. The ONLY time I EVER use this sound is as a clicker. Hearing it makes my horse instantly stop and expect reinforcement (a treat). It is never, ever, ever confused with my other mouth noises, which include a click (sharp noise out the side of my mouth that means "more effort/go faster") or a kiss (which means "lope"), or the word "whoa" (which means STOP NOW), or saying "good" (which means 'you're on the right track'). If you're really struggling making that noise consistent (and that is Very Important), you might need a physical clicker. Sometimes that's best when you just start out, then transition to a mouth click as you gain skill. I put a little wrist hanger on my physical clicker, so I can drop it if I need my hand.

As far as treats, you want something the horse likes, but that is SMALL, easy to feed and quick to chew. I use a specific brand of alfalfa pellets called Estrella. They are the PERFECT size, and about $15 for a 50lb bag. About the thickness of a pencil, and anywhere from 1-3" long per pellet. You can put them in a pocket (I have cargo pocket breeches, my right pocket always has a couple handfuls of these pellets in them. Other popular options are things like the little Manna Pro Bite-Size Nugget treats, or even like Cracklin Oat Bran cereal (one piece of cereal per treat). Whatever your horse likes. You can also have what I call "jackpot" treats for a really super-duper amazing effort. For this I use sugar cubes or peppermints.

Clickering is all about using shaping to your advantage. The premise is the same whether you want to train a horse, dog, human or chicken. Visit Karen Pryor's website for great tutorials on it. http://www.clickertraining.com/what_is_ ... ?source=nf

Honestly the sky is the limit if you've got a good relationship with your horse, and have the ability to break down the shaping process and good timing to mark things correctly.

You see people using it a lot for tricks, but ANYTHING is a "trick". I've played with this a lot, and my horse and I have a long repetoire. None of this requires him having to wear any tack, btw. So for example, I have clickered my horse to:

Smile
Say Yes/No
Give Hugs
Wave
Spanish Walk
Spanish Trot
Fetch
Bow
Wave a flag
Honk a bike horn
Spanish walk, trot and fetch while I'm astride
Stand quietly like a statue
Lower his Head and open his mouth to be bridled
Accept having his ears handled and clipped without a stitch of tack on him
Pick up and hold his feet himself
Carry himself in an "on the bit" body position
Trot with more energy/bounce off the ground
Leg yield
Hip in
Reining Spin
Piaffe
Passage
Etc.

So the point is you pick a behavior. You figure out how you can break that behavior into small enough chunks. And then you play "hot potato/cold potato" with your horse until they figure out what you want them to do. Then you put a word/phrase onto the behavior, and suddenly you've captured it.

I usually use the Spanish walk as the easiest thing to explain. So you start like this: I want to teach my horse to Spanish Walk. How do I do that?

Someone might say, well I'm just gonna tap his front legs until he lifts them. And that works.

But I'm going to say, well, the mechanics of Spanish Walk involves him lifting his front legs up high. So I'm going to use targeting to do this (assumption here is horse already understands the concept of clickering). So my horse and I started just standing still. I have him, treats, and a dressage whip. If I were in a public place (like a boarding barn aisle) I'd have a halter/lead on him for safety. Then I get him to shift his weight enough to bend his knee, just a little. And I have my dressage whip ready right there. As soon as his knee touches that whip, click/treat. Repeat. Pretty quick he'll figure out that targeting his knee to the whip merits a treat. Then it's just a matter of gradually moving (shaping) that knee higher and higher, as he's trying to touch that whip. Then get both front knees, then add in walking. And voila, Spanish walk.

Same deal with all of these things. It creates a horse who enjoys his job, because he gets positive enjoyment out of it (eating), instead of what can be more negative things. It gives you an opportunity to be creative and a better trainer. It strengthens your relationship with your horse. And also it's really damn convenient when you drop a glove or a whip while riding and your horse will pick it up and hand it to you.

Sue B
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Re: Clicker training

Postby Sue B » Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:56 pm

There are other practical applications of clicker training. When Rudy was still early in his training, maybe 12 rides in) he sauntered off while all decked out in his lunging gear. The faster I walked to catch up to him, the faster he went, until he was trotting down the road and even crossed the highway heading down the next road. i knew I mustn't break into a trot myself so I walked as fast as i could, calling to him. He finally slowed a bit, and I shouted "yes"! He perked his ears and slowed to a walk, and got another "yes". He started to trot again and got a single "no". He slowed towards a walk again and got a "yes." Then the light bulb came on and he stopped, turned around and looked at me. He got "yes" for every positive move he made. All of the sudden he lifted his head and came trotting then cantering to me, all the while hearing "yes". I swear, if he'd have been a dog, he would have been wagging his tail like a crazy thing. He got his treat and together we walked home. i may not be doing "real" clicker training but it works for what i need. :D


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