Getting Started: Four Simple Steps
Step 3: Charging Up the Clicker
When you first click the clicker, your horse isn’t going to understand what the signal means. He isn’t going to know that’s a good sound, that it means you’re about to give him a treat. That’s something he has to learn.
Dolphin trainers “charge up” their “yes” answer signal by first pairing it with a food reward. The handler blows a whistle, tosses a fish in the water, blows a whistle, tosses a fish. He goes on repeating this until the dolphin has associated the sound of the whistle with the appearance of a fish.
With horses you can usually skip this step and go straight to using the clicker to teach simple behaviors such as targeting. The horses pick up on the meaning of the clicker through the context of the lesson. The difference between dolphins and horses is pretty simple. Most of us are working with animals who are eager to come up to us. We aren’t working with wild animals.
Training Tip
You can’t expect your horse to understand something you haven’t taught. Clicker training begins with a simple step: introducing your horse to the clicker. It then asks: what basic manners does my horse need to work on? |
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As soon as your horse realizes that food is involved, he’ll be right up at the front of his stall eager to play the clicker game. But if you’re dealing with a shy horse, one who is timid around people or worried about anything new, you may want to start with this simple step of charging up the clicker.
For those of you who are working with mustangs, or other horses who are truly afraid of people you may need to begin with a game of advance and retreat.
In clicker training the reinforcement doesn’t have to be food. It can be anything the horse will actively work for. It doesn’t sound very flattering, but what these wary horses want most is for you to go away. You can begin with the clicker by simply waiting for them to look at you. Click, turn your back and walk away.
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You’ve just told them they can control your behavior. All they have to do is look at you, and you’ll leave them alone! The clicker marks the exact behavior you want to reinforce. As your horse relaxes, you’ll be able to approach a little closer. Now you can charge up the clicker by clicking and offering him some food. Right from the beginning you’re building a relationship of trust and good will. You’re taking fear completely out of the training equation.
Part One: Getting Started with the Clicker
A Step-By-Step Guide
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