In my group I focus not solely on instructing horse individuals to coach behaviours with constructive reinforcement, I specialised in reworking horse house owners into clicker trainers. Most horse individuals don’t take into account themselves ‘clicker trainers’, however I consider you are in the event you change the behaviour of your horse with constructive reinforcement!
What do I imply by that? I focus not solely on learn how to clicker practice your horse, I assist you to develop the coach abilities you should develop, to be able to turn into one of the best clicker coach you will be.
Clicker abilities are the instruments, the strategies, the strategy and your system to be able to practice your horse..
Coach abilities are the abilities that the Coach should develop to be able to study to suppose in a constructive reinforcement means.
Do you ask your self:
“How can I resolve this with R+? “
“How can I make this (this factor *I* need) a Win-Win, so I get what I need from my horse and my horse will get what he desires so we each be ok with it and it enhances our relationship?”
“How can I forestall falling again on R- (or P+/-)?”
“How can I enhance in order that I get higher outcomes or educate my horse quicker and with out frustration?”
I’ve thought very lengthy about what it takes to turn into a extremely good constructive reinforcement coach and The 6 Key Classes for Trainers are the abilities that helped me and all my shoppers essentially the most. I name them Key Classes for Trainers, as a result of they’re your Key to Success in Clicker Coaching. You’ll be able to practice quicker, get higher, extra dependable and predictable(!) outcomes and the higher you’re on the key Classes for Trainers, the much less you fall again on conventional coaching. The much less you fall again on R- (as a result of now you’ve gotten R+ options and methods to coach), the much less guilt and the higher your friendship together with your horse will probably be.
The higher your constructive reinforcement Coaching Abilities, the higher your outcomes you’ll get and the higher the friendship together with your horse will probably be.
Ideas of Studying & Motivation. This not solely contains data of the Studying Quadrant (R+, R-, P+ and P-), as you’d count on. There’s extra, like:
- HOW does a horse study? How does studying takes place?
- How does your horse learns greatest? What will increase studying (a sure stage of calmness, curiosity, rewards, expertise (allow them to do the pondering) and so forth)
- What inhibits studying and how are you going to keep away from it (an excessive amount of concern, frustration, flight/struggle response, boredom, lack of curiosity, concern of studying et cetera)
- What motivates my horse in a constructive means (appetitives)
And… (that is the half most individuals skip):
- How do I -as coach and human- study greatest? Do I like studying from video, practising, studying, conversations and discussions with friends. Do I like step-by-step instruction throughout my coaching periods or do I wish to have the speculation after which practise alone and have somebody to offer me suggestions for bettering and somebody I can flip to to get assist if I wrestle.
- How can I hold myself motivated? Numerous shoppers approached me as a result of they misplaced motivation do hold determining issues on their very own and reinventing the wheel. Success is a superb motivator: you’re coaching your horse and BAM! He has discovered the behaviour you needed! Nice! Now, learn how to hold this in his repertoire (see above, how does studying happen and learn how to hold your horse motivated to carry out the behaviour you simply educated)?
- How do I hold momentum in my horse’s studying curve? Most causes that folks get caught in clicker coaching are simply solved, if they might understand how. Discover a mind to select so that you gained’t should put your horse and your self to pointless frustration or boredom in coaching.
One other a part of Studying is to have in mind the pure behaviour of your purpose species, your learner! Horses have completely different pure behaviour, life-style and studying types than as an example canines, who’re predators. As soon as you understand how to tailor your coaching to your learners pure behaviour, you’ll be able to forestall a lot wrestle!
Sadly, most horse individuals consider within the myths they’ve fed us over time (“Don’t let your horse win!” “Present him who’s boss” “Make him do it”). That you just (nonetheless) consider them isn’t your fault, you assumed that the extra skilled horse individual/teacher was proper… Sadly they had been useless unsuitable, in the event that they taught you to make use of pressure and coercion to get what you need out of your horse.
Bearing in mind what you’re asking from an animal (horse) that’s developed over 1000’s of years on plains, is a grazer and browser and makes use of flight and flight and numbers (herd animal) to outlive to enter a tiny, wobbly area, the place escape isn’t attainable and likewise typically with out fellow herd members… No peripheral imaginative and prescient attainable in a field with tiny home windows!.
Sure I’m speaking about trailer loading. It’s very unnatural and goes into numerous their pure behaviour.
And most of the people don’t even take into consideration that, when their horse refuses to go in… They label their horse as cussed, dumb, silly or worse.
I feel it’s superb that we will überhaupt practice a horse to journey in a trailer, given his pure behaviour.
If extra individuals would perceive the Ideas of Studying & Motivation in a means the LEARNER advantages, too, the world can be a happier place. Wouldn’t you agree?
How do I implement the Ideas of Studying & Motivation?
Practise, practise, practise. Additionally: making errors, and studying from them and making an attempt new approaches (pondering from what your horse would love, what he *can* do (what’s species particular and simple for him). One other Key Lesson for Trainers is to Monitor Your Coaching and Consider it! Extra about that in one other weblog. ? That may assist you to truly implement Key #1 Ideas of Studying & Motivation.
Most tough factor in the event you’re altering from P and R- to extra R+ in coaching, is to coach your self to ask your self questions so that you turn into conscious of what you’re doing and what’s occurring.
- Is my horse making an Away-From resolution? If that’s the case, you’re utilizing an aversive or there may very well be an aversive within the setting (horse is fearful of the trailer, a canine barks and makes your horse fearful)
- Is my horse making a Shifting- In direction of resolution? He doesn’t wish to go into the trailer as a result of he fairly eats grass (appetitive) or desires to stick with his buddies (herd) and that’s the explanation he doesn’t trailer load immediately.
- What motivates my horse to do what he’s doing? (Not solely an vital query if he doesn’t do what you need, but in addition an important query if he does do it! So *you* study what he desires and might use that subsequent time. If he fairly desires to graze the grass subsequent to the trailer as a substitute of going into the trailer, how are you going to use that data to get what you need? How will you use grass to get him into the trailer? Are you able to consider methods?
Are you a compassionate horse proprietor who likes to study and wish to get private teaching in a bunch? Do you wish to have entry to on-line clicker coaching programs and a superb, supportive R+ group, then be a part of our HippoLogic Clicker Coaching Academy. Take a look at the hyperlink!
Or begin with a free clicker coaching evaluation to get style of what it feels wish to work with me. Uncover your sturdy factors and weaker factors in coaching (if in case you have some) in order that what to focus extra on, to be able to get the outcomes you need.
After your evaluation you’ve gotten a transparent plan and know precisely what the next step will probably be to be able to accomplish your dream behaviours together with your horse. Guide right here
Comfortable Horse coaching!
Sandra Poppema, B.Sc., founding father of HippoLogic & HippoLogic Clicker Coaching Academy
