Clicker Training What is it
Clicker training is a proven method that uses Positive Reinforcement. What is positive reinforcement? It is simply rewarding the animal for a behavior that you want. It was first introduced to marine mammals and if they were unwilling to learn they could swim away. By using clicker they were conditioned to a sound. The sound marked the desired behavior then they would reinforce it with food. This motivated the mammal to continue learning.
Negative Reinforcement – that is a method of training that is based on the horse moving away from discomfort as a reward. With using discomfort if it is not working you have to keep going up on the level of discomfort and you can only go so far. With clicker training it allows you to pinpoint and reward the desired behavior. This way a horse doesn’t have to try five ‘wrong things’ before it gets it right. With clicker the horse offers the behavior you want they are rewarded and the undesirable behaviors ignored. With positive reinforcement horses become very eager students and lessons are quickly learned.
Positive reinforcement training is used by professionals and Olympic-caliber riders as well as amateur riders. This type of training dramatically accelerates the training process for any breed or discipline by unlocking a horse’s natural desire to perform. Clicker training can be done from the ground or in the saddle and can be used for everything from basic ground manners, to despooking and upper level dressage movements. It compliments many other training methods and once you know the basics you can start using this valuable tool right away.
I’m passionate about teaching people how to effectively communicate and listen to their horse. I offer lesson plus I have online video courses to get you started.
Want to get started with clicker training for your horse? Get signed up for my online courses where you can learn from the privacy of your own home.
Copyright © 2011 Kim Wende – All rights reserved