When Cooper met Clicker

[Whatanejit]

There are just so many things to do with a new and young horse but riding often gets in the way.

Circumstances intervened and Coops was off work for 6 months of the 14 months we owned him.

Ok, so its time to start playing with this Clicker Training lark.

As recommended by Vicki GG I bought the Alexandra Kurland book,

A clicker was donated by a kindly NR member..........Capalldubh
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/clicker7.png

I did a blue peter job on the target......

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/clicker5.png

We progressed from a map case to a proper bum bag......

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/clicker6.png

and at the more advanced stage I won the cones on ebay..........

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/clicker4.png


As recommended I started with target practice with the bottle. Firstly, in the stable, then outside and then in the school.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/clicker8.png

He is still a baby and likes the chance to not only touch the target but to mouth it............

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/th_Coopsclicker2.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/?action=view&current=Coopsclicker2.flv)

[Whatanejit]

This was the first time he met the cones.........

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/th_cooperclicker1.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/?action=view&current=cooperclicker1.flv)

He knows when we are going to play as he hears me slicing the carrots at the back of the stable - lemmmeee see mom!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/May07cooperpeeking.png

Is this the carrot?

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/clicker10.png

Getting better........

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/th_Coopsclicker3.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/?action=view&current=Coopsclicker3.flv)

Still doing well..........

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/th_Coopsclicker4.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/?action=view&current=Coopsclicker4.flv)


So Why????

Well, it is great fun and a great relationship builder with your horse.

I have ordered the second book which is how to apply the ground work to your riding so that will be the next phase.

Coops was so easy to teach I used him as my guinnea pig before I practised on May - she is doing well too.

I am hoping to get her to load onto a trailer sometime this year.

Any negatives..........?

Well, he did become a bit of a mugger for a while and saw me as one, big, two legged carrot dispenser. The near fore wiggled every time I came near him!

As long as you ignore it, the behaviour soon stops.

Other than that I can't quite put into words how much fun it is to experiment with clicker training.

As Alexandra says - even if you only go as far as teaching your horse tricks you soon learn how to build upon an ask for your horse and can learn to reward him - whether a pat or a click.

Coops has no real 'issues' that I am trying to sort - unlike May but it is fun and we enjoy it.

Thanks for all the info, vids and donations girls!

xx

Dee and Coops.

[HairyCob]

Brilliant photos and vids Dee- you are obviously having loads of fun with this:D

Will be interesting to see how you apply it to ridden work in the future.

[Ptaty70]

Dee, that's just great! He really caught on quickly and seemed to stop the 'eating of the cones' behaviour when he saw he got rewarded from just touching it! :D

I did this a good few years ago (as clicker training had just started 'hitting the headlines' and I was having problems with the pone) with CW cos he used to be awful at gates, so in the stable i taught him to nudge with his nose. Worked a treat as I was able to transfer it to our rides, so he now opens and closes gates with his nose! it's his trick which he likes to show off! :D

Even though he already knows about the gate thing, these vids have inspired me to do other things with him to make groundwork more fun, so many thanks for reintroducing me to it (in visual terms ;) )

[Bay Mare]

That's brilliant Dee :)

As you know we've been doing clicker with Saff for a few months now and she loves it :) She's even dragging us off to the school now whereas she wasn't that bothered or even downright reluctant before :D She even started to go round by herself the other day when we untied her and neither of us had hold of her :rolleyes:

We use it for groundwork, inhand, lunging, longlining and under saddle. She's so much more positive about things and actually seems a lot happier in her work.

E has had a lesson with Becky on the clicker and really, really enjoyed it. It may be worth taking a trip down to see her at some point :)

Well done, I can't see the piccies until Wednesday but I'm definitely looking forward to having a look x

[Whatanejit]

Thanks for the comments folks.

Great idea about the gate Ptaty70. Only prob is the horse doing it isn't the le Trec way. In le Trec, the rider has to keep her hand on the gate through the whole opening and closing malarky. But you know what? He is sooo blooming tall I could never do that anyway so maybe 'the nose' is the way to go! :D

As we are staying at Heather's for 3 days BM I'm hoping to see a quick demo on the clicker with Fanta and Danny on our 3rd riding day.

If not, we'll just have to go down again won't we?:)

Shame I won't make the conference but there will be other opportunities.

S'funny, no one else at the yard does this and when people ask me why I am doing it I still find it hard to give them an intelligent answer despite having read the book from back to front.

So I just now say that we are having some ground work fun and I am going to teach him tricks and that I hope to load May. Bit of a cop out, I know. :confused:

Mind you when they see him Spanish Walk and Piaffe in August they'll soon find out why! :D :D

[Est]

Brilliant pics and vids Dee - I think the thing I love most about your updates is that it always looks like *both* of you are smiling in them! It's very aspirational for me (with my impatient and easily discouraged tendencies!!) to keep aiming for that feel while I work with Merrick.

I think a set of cones may be something I'll look at getting now. It certainly seems to make a clear, easily identified target which could be a big help for Merrick.

(I have no speakers at the mo so have to ask) do you use a "Touch!" command with Coops, or just your body language and/or his natural curiosity to get a nudge on the target/cones? If you use the command, how long did it take to introduce it? Do you think there'll be any struggle transferring the command to other objects? This is the bit where I'm getting me and Merrick all tied up in knots :p so would love to hear any tips!

Thanks for the update :)

[VickiGG]

Excellent progress Dee!! In fact him picking up the cones is another behaviour so YAY Cooper.... so clever.

It's hard videoing and clicking at the same time isn't it! :D

I just tell people I am clicker training - they don't tend to ask any more questions after that - but just stand and stare :rolleyes:

I was teaching Garbo to play soccer with the Swiss Ball yesterday..... ;)

[Jenni]

that looks fun.

can i ask was the cone work the first day you started with the clicker or did you just start with the bottle and get that down, then do cones another day?

I think i might do soem clicker with kaiser.

[Whatanejit]

(I have no speakers at the mo so have to ask) do you use a "Touch!" command with Coops, or just your body language and/or his natural curiosity to get a nudge on the target/cones? If you use the command, how long did it take to introduce it? Do you think there'll be any struggle transferring the command to other objects? This is the bit where I'm getting me and Merrick all tied up in knots so would love to hear any tips!


I only introduced 'touch' in that very first cone vid but I don't think he connected it - he was more interested in my finger and body language.

Since then I have tried to use the word but I find that I nag him a bit with the word; 'touch', 'touch', 'touch' rather than giving him time to work it out and looking at my pointed finger.
So, I am still practising with the voice command hence can't really offer any concrete, successful advice (if you know what I mean).

I havn't tried him with any other object yet but might try the gate as Ptaty 70 has suggested.

I'm not really sure where to go from the cones to be honest and am waiting for my second book to arrive.

I guess I should work on him being more accurate with the cones and work on the voice command in the meantime.

I also want to make my bottle target longer as he gets a bit close to me when we are running around the school and with the size of him I feel he might bowl me over in his excitement.

I don't know if that helped much Est :o


Jenni - I started off with the bottle in the stable, then the bottle out of the stable, then in the school, then chasing me in the school. This was over a few weeks with a training session about once or twice a week.

Sometimes, I set up some poles, lunge him in walk over them for about 5 or 10 mins and then end the session with clicker training - like Bay Mare's horse he loves going into the school now.

Check out this thread of Vicki's and watch all the vids to get an idea of how the experts do it.

http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108726

You can use the cone as your first target easily but I liked the bottle on the stick as it helps to keep your distance from him.


Yes it is really hard videoing and clicking Vicki that is why it has taken me so long to get any vids!
Apart from not having enough hands I found that the beep from the camera when it was turned on or off, the click and then voice commands was actually confusing Cooper so I left the camera behind until I got some willing photographers to keep their distance, use the zoom and do it for me.

Still, us ladies are known for our multitasking!

Oh I'd like to see pics of the soccer, Vicki!

[cazrider]

This is lovely Dee.:D What a pair of stars you both are. I must give this a go with Sennie.

[NoviceNic]

S'funny, no one else at the yard does this and when people ask me why I am doing it I still find it hard to give them an intelligent answer despite having read the book from back to front.




You answered other people's question's in your earlier post...Quote Dee " Cause its fun and a great relationship builder with your horse". :D

It is fun and it is another way to be with your horse rather than making it sweat under a saddle......:D

As for TOUCH, I use it and find Captain really gets to grips with the command really well.

I can see your next post...."Cooper touches every traffic cone out on hacks"......:D

[Est]

Dee you have inspired me :o
Just got back from Merrick. Instead of "working" outside his stable and getting frustrated with what we should or shouldn't be progressing like, we went back to the basic target and no voice command. Round the yard, round the school, sometimes touching it close to the ground, sometimes doing a "carrot stretch", sometimes just following and stopping. He enjoyed himself and so did I!
Thanks :)

[Whatanejit]

Well said Nic!

Delighted you had a great afternoon Est.

It is Cooper who inspires me so thank him.

I look forward to hearing of more 'happy' posts from you and Merrick :)

[Montana]

Great videos W'ejit, he's such a clever horse:D. I'm really inspired by the posts around at the moment to give it a go - might get the book and see how I go...:)

[Sammii]

Oh wow, that's fantastic! :D
Fantastic to watch && read up on aswell!
I must admit, I am interested in starting clicker training with Red because I want to...like you...use it to re-introduce loading to him as it's a major problem of his.
Am interested to hear how it goes with May :)