Hi everyone, I was wondering if I could ask your advice?
I started CT with my pony today, first by getting him to associate a click with a treat which was fine, but when I moved on to getting him to touch a target, every time I clicked he spooked as he seemed to think that the target was making the noise - he became quite wary after that.
I tried again by going back to just clicking + treat and again no problem - he's only worried when the click happens as he touches the target.
I also tried putting the clicker in my pocket to muffle the sound - still no luck.
Any advice would be very welcome.
It's great to hear you have started CT! Well done! Could you give a little more background info on your horse its difficult to advise without a history. Tell us about his whole life! How have you trained him in the past etc. This could have some bearing on the behaviour he is showing you. Is he normally worried about new objects etc, what are you using as a target - colour etc.
On another note, are you the Mandy who is in Cambridgeshire and in the Natural Horsemanship Mag for Natural Networking? I know its a long shot but as there isn't that many of us about it could be you!!?
Forgot to say Mandy, don't think any problems are odd, what ever they are. Every horse is very different in the way they beging to learn CT and sometimes its a very big difference to their normal traning session, this alone can get them concered about what's gonna happen next.
It may be worth just using a pen that clicks, even just a sound as small as that can mark a behaviour and you can work up from there. But as i said in my other post, tell us more about your lad and I'm sure we will all help as much as possible.
I am on that list but I'm in Somerset - nice to meet you!
Well, his background probably has something to do with this.... he's approx 7 years old and came from the ILPH originally as a companion for my friend's horse, and now as a companion for my two. So I've known him for about three years, during which he's done nothing at all. When he first came he had a reputation for being "wicked" but he'd been owned by a family who probably didn't know anything about horses and maybe became nervous of him. He was very nervous at first but has settled down over time. He's eventually going to be ridden by my friend's baby so I thought it would be nice for him to learn through positive reinforcement things like loading and leading (when we collected him he was carried on to the lorry!).
I've literally got a few years in which to train him just the basics, things like standing still, leading, etc. He's already come a long way just through kind and consistent handling but I think CT would be the making of him.
You could start off by omitting the click so that when the pony touches the target he just gets the treat. Once he has cottoned on to this and is consistently touching the target you could start reintroducing the click but with a slight delay. Gradually you can progress to clicking simultaneously with the touch. You may need to do this with a biro as Dee suggested, progressing to a little toy clicker, to a muffled normal clicker and then a normal clicker
Think Rach has been doing this so will be able to say more about it
Mandy, some horses & ponies offer this reaction if the association has not truly registered . All individuals learn at different speeds and a way to tell if the association has been made, is if your pony reaches to you for the reward instantly after hearing the click.
Learning the association can take some individuals quite a few short sessions, over a number of days. This approach is sometimes vital for horses or ponies of a nervous disposition or who have learnt to be fearful.
If you are sure the association is in place but your pony still offers a fearful reaction then try something easier than touching the target such as leading him. Slowly come to a stop and click when he stops. Working with a more natural progression of learning can allow the individual to get used to this type of training. Working with behaviours they can already achieve can help with motivation.
Some animals before they can correlate information need the opportunity to learn, or re learn 'how to' learn. This is often the case for animals that suffer from learnt helplessness, fear, or nervousness.
When your pony starts to show some enthuiasium to ‘try’ for you, you could progress to asking him to walk over something easy with you.
Keep a diary of your ponies behaviour, disposition and decision making ability. Doing this can help you judge and remember the amount of change in his mental agility and how long it takes for him to trust the process and ultimately you. Do not forget you can shape behaviour, rewarding tries in the right direction.
Sounds like your pony is lucky to have you as his owner!
Hi. Yes I had the same problem.I started to do Ct with my new Mare.She seemed to be very fearfull of the clicker noise in her stable and then when I tried to click her when she touched the target she really couldnt cope.Luckily Ben from CoH sorted it out for me on one of our workshops.We started work outside and he asked her to touch the target which she did.He however didnt click her,just rewarded her with a treat after she had touched it.He then started to click with a small clicker and she was fine then he moved onto clicking with the normal clicker when she touched the target.She is now absolutely fine with it.
we are now onto head lowering and other easy behaviours which she really seems to be enjoying.I'm sure you will get over this problem with time.Good Luck.
Rach
I was getting hung up on the idea of "clicker" rather than positive reinforcement!
I've laid off using the clicker for the moment and make a sort of tut-tut sound instead and this has worked really well. It also gives me an extra hand!
This has been a wonderful way for him to learn new things - he's just had a very slight touch of laminitis and has been in the yard on his own - he can still see other horses, but this has been a great way to spend time with him and keep him interested without putting him under any physical pressure.
I was going to suggest using another sound too. Some Clicker Enthusiasts don't actually use the clicker, preferring their skills with the tongue! I used my mouth with success for my dog. Carrying treats and lead on walkies made clicking difficult!
Yep, I started Crunch of using my voice. It worked exactly the same way as it does with the clicker. I did go to a clicker as soon as I could get my hands on one though, simply becasue I didn't want to confuse him.
Even though it is getting on for a year since I used my voice, if I mistakenly use it now he will sometimes stop in his tracks and look at me as though he is waiting for a treat
