Anyone do clicker training?

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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Instructor has suggested i do this to help jack, had lesson today.
He's nh as you know but not sure where to put thread.
Mini update in with thread we're driving from zone 5 and our circles are nice both ways. Ideal for one rein this year and one step nearer my assessment.
 
I do some with my lot, although Shay does not like it and gets frustrated, the others seem quite keen on it and have had great success with Kiki and her feet using the clicker, as she doesn't like being 'told' what to do:)
 
It will make the nose on something more interesting for him, he has very high play drive and likes variety. And as gets treat its the reward that's instant. I'm on a 12ft line so i need to move to reach him to rub him to say that's what wanted, easy enough but on a 22ft it not instant. Treat on object and click is.
 
I dont have to do it, it was suggestion i might like to. He enjoyed it for that task. Just wondered how others got along with it.
 
I do it sometimes with some horses. It can really motivate some horses to figure out what you want and the click being such a short exact marker of the right behaviour makes it easier to teach the desired behaviour quickly. It can also help a lot with horses that aren't cooperating because they're worried because training becomes the fun thing that involves clicking and food. Its much better than just straight bribery and if you're strict with the rules you don't get any of the problems associated with bribing with food.

I don't do it with every horse. Of mine Jay has never done any, Roxy occasionally does good behaviour for treats type stuff but not proper clicker (we already had our own way of doing things before I ever heard of clicker training), but I've used clicker training a lot with Mia and she responds brilliantly to it.
 
I've always used food rewards to shape behaviour and done a little bit of clicker too, Rio in particular really gets into it. Tess doesn't seem nearly as bothered about it though.

I found it a very good way to improve groundwork as it really gets the horse motivated, Rio was always a bit half hearted before.
 
works great when its done right :)
Drives me up the wall when people say it teaches the horse to bite as it doesn't, either they haven't trainied the behaviour out of them using it correctly or they are rewarding the biting behaviour unbeknown to them, so thats the only thing. It has to be exact.
 
I agree, when done correctly, there is not biting, but so many folk get the cue wrong or are too slow.
 
He will have his treat on the object i want him to put him nose on, so he will know instantly it's what i want.

he'll do back flip for a carrot:rolleyes:
 
started may 08, some vids on my photobucket if you go to my name. they are called head down, frustrated, ball, cone, etc.

wish I had got him over his mugging years ago, faced it head on instead of avoiding treats and putting in bucket instead. He has perfect manners now.
 
I use it all the time now and wouldn't want to go back to how we were working before. We use it for everything, though, from groundwork through to ridden work and it's made a huge difference.

I admit, though, that I didn't 'get' clicker until I saw it being done properly but now I'm a total convert.
 
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