As you may know I have recently taken on a young part arab mare. I am interested in clicker training her and now she has had the chance to settle in I think will be a good time to get her accustomed to the sound and meaning of the clicker.
The problem I'm having is finding something that she will clearly see as a reward and link to a strong 'yes, thats what I want' sort of signal.
She won't accept food treats (horse biscuite, carrots, apples, mints...) out of your hand or if you put them in a bucket. She will eat small amounts of horse feed from a bucket but soon loses interest and isn't on any feed at the mo so I don't wanna upset that.
She enjoys a good scratch but only when she wants one and doesn't enjoy it if you decide when so its not looking like a reward to her.
I've tried turning her out with the others or ending the session but as she lives out with them 24/7 it doesn't exactly stand out as a reward. She seems to like just being near people, not touching unless she wants a scratch. I don't wanna just pause and be near her as areward as I don't think its clear enough and I use this temporary pause as a 'wrong answer' cue to my boy and I don't wanna confuse them!
Have also tried toys but no luck.
Any ideas? She's very clever I just think we could work so much better if I could find away to clearly reward her and make it obvious to her that she got the right answer
Hi there, sounds like you'll need to stick with scratches for the moment and simply work on her terms, sieze the opportunities that arise when she wants a scratch to train. Hopefully you'll build up a bit of motivation to work with you and so lessening this problem.
Perhaps you can use the scratches as an opportunity to introduce the hand fed treats so that she starts to see those as a reward as well and give you a few more options.
this is what i've been trying but the times she wants a rub are very random and over pretty quick I have tried introducing her to treats, she just doesn't know what to do with them! She sniffes at them then loses interest, she did pick an apple up the other day but soon dropped it and wandered off! my boys would have my arm off for a whole apple for nothing!
I tried introducing her to toys last night which she was interested in for a little while but I don't think its instant enough to become a primary reinforcer and she wasn't that into it to see it as much of a reward i think
I'm sorry if this isn't what you want to hear but if your new mare doesn't find any of these things rewarding then for now it may be best if you forget the clicker training and just aim to provide her with a reinforcing relationship. Over time I am sure that she will learn to like these things and then that will be the time to try some training. If a horse isn't motivated by something then you can't use it as positive reinforcement.
What do you know about her history? Why did she end up at the ILPH and what sort of training has she received in the past? Do you get the feeling that there is more personality inside that is still waiting to come out? This is so often the case - it's so rare for horses to be given the chance to make decisions for themselves, instead they take the easy option which in many cases is to just stand quietly until given a command. This can extend to not even being interested in titbits - she might never have received one before. When you say she likes being with people do you think she really derives pleasure from it, or do you think it's more that she's waiting to be told what to do?
For this sort of horse, CT is particularly difficult for them because spontaneously offering a behaviour is so alien to them. But CT is also particularly beneficial to them because it helps bring out the personality (provided you allow the free shaping to take place and not try to put everything on cue). But it will be very slow progress - don't let that worry you, it's not about achieving as many behaviours as possible. It should be about the individual horse and what she is ready for, let it give you information about your horse so that you have more of an idea as to what she is thinking.
For now just work on earning her trust and be a good person to be with. Give her scratches if she wants them and don't bother if she doesn't. Persevere with trying out different treats (apples chopped up may be better than whole if you haven't tried already). Giving treats to other horses may stimulate her into wanting to try them too. Just don't forget that any new experience is going to be tough for her and so you will need to take things at her pace, which sounds s though it will be very different from your other horse that you've done so much CT with.
Apologies if you don't think any of this applies to your mare - I may be completely wrong as I haven't seen her
Thanks Catherine I think some of what you've said applys to her. She was found as part of an unhandled, abandoned herd so whilst not being mistreated just hadn't experienced anything a yearling should of, she's been at the ILPH for approx 2 years and leads reasonably, boxes and picks up her feet as long as you don't ask for too long. She does love being with you, its not a 'waiting for a command' sort of action she actually comes to find you if your doing something out in the field and just has a rub and a cuddle
I have to agree with what Catherine said about now not necesarily being the right time for you to do CT with your horse. If she is fairly new to her environment she is going to need some time to settle. Some horses need more time than others. The fantastic thing is that you say she likes to be with you, this is a really positive place to be because you are in a position to really build up your bond with each other and really get to know each other.
As time goes by, her confidence should increase if you let her have her own time to find her feet. Once she has a bit more confidence, you may find that she starts to explore her boundaries a bit more and find interest in things that might be potential rewards for CT.