Change in Attitude
I wonder if anyone else has noticed a change in their horse's attitude
since starting clicker training? I've sure noticed a difference in
Shadow! His eyes are brighter, he's friskier, and he's eager to work and
play with me. He seems less bored with his life. I think giving him
clicker training to engage his mind has been a wonderful thing for him! Phil
* * * * *
I've been kinda quite on this list. Just lurking and learning.....but
regarding attitude changes. I can vouch for that one. My two year old
stallion had a bad attitude.....thought he was king of the hill so to speak.
Well, I started clicker training with him, started with targeting a cone,
working slowly, a little everynight, and now I have a very nice, polite
young man who will bow for me, I'm working on getting him to stand on a box,
the front feet are up there now, so I'll start soon getting the back feet up
on the box too, in a couple more days (if it ever quits snowing here).
He'll back up on command, walk forward on command, and this is without
halter or lead rope. I swear by clicker training now. My sheltie even
loves it. He goes and gets the bag of clickers when he wants to "play". My
husband is even amazed at the difference in my foxtrotter's attitude. I may
even have to do the whole herd cause they all stand at the fence line and
watch and listen when I'm outside working with the colt. I haven't
forgotten pictures for you either. Soon as this dern snow goes away, I'll
get some good ones for you. Deb Burnside
* * * * *
You asked if we had a change of attitude in any of our horses with clicker
training. I have a mare that ran me over and broke my arm last summer
trying to be the first one in the barn to eat. A few months after that she
threw me off coming down a hill and then ran off. Since I have been
clicker training her, she has taken on almost a new personality. She is
still the first one to come in but she does it quietly and she seems to
have a new respect for me. Her ears are always forward now and she is very
responsive to me. My other mare just didn't seem very interested in
anything but now is also very responsive. Just the other day, they were
all running out in the back and the gelding stuck his head into the shed
where we keep the hay and straw and somehow stuck his head thru the middle
of a small pallet. He lifted his head and it slid down his neck. This
really frightened them all and they started to rodeo out behind the garage.
As the mares raced around frantically and he did too, the pallet was
swinging in circles around his neck. I went out to the barn and stood in
the doorway not knowing what to do but had the clicker in my pocket. I
clicked it and they all stopped dead. The 2 mares came in and went in their
stalls and I closed their doors. I called the gelding over and he let out a
big sigh and came in the barn. I clicked and told him to put his head down,
he did, and I lifted the pallet over his head. Now this is the gelding that
wouldn't let me put the bridle over his ears a few weeks ago. He sighed
again, a biiiiiig sigh, and turned and walked into his stall. He has only
been ridden 4 times. I don't know if I would have had such good luck had it
been one of the mares with the pallet around her neck, but maybe.....
That's my story and I'll stick with clicker training even though all my
horse friends kind of laugh at me for using it. I'll get them converted
yet. Gayle
* * * * *
Dusty and Kitt have shown a big difference,
especially Kitt. Kitt has never kicked at anyone, but he would always turn
his back on you and look at you over his shoulder. Kitt would always walk
away from you if you tried to approach him. Now, as you say, he faces me
with his ears all perked up, his head held high, and big bright eyes. He
even nickers to me when he sees me, though I don't think it's me he is
interested in it's the c/t. ;-). Kitt will also, come to me when I call.
If he gets spooked and runs off, I can coax him back. Anne
* * * * *
>>I wonder if anyone else has noticed a change in their horse's attitude
since starting clicker training?<<
Oh, indeed! Tessa was, often as not, quite disinterested in what I was
trying to show her, would walk off to do more "interesting" things, etc. Once
she got the idea of the clicker, she became *much* more willing, pays more
attention, and is eager to please. It's also much easier to re-engage her
interest if I've tried to proceed too fast and confused her.
I think this is one of the greatest things about clicker training -- the ease
with which you can get the horse to engage their brain. They try harder, and
will take some initiative to figure out exactly what you want. I remember when
we first started picking up feet. I'd got her working pretty well with the
left front,
then went to the opposite front and reached down. She picked up the left front,
looked at me for the click, didn't hear it, put the left down, and picked up
the right. :-)
Almost as if to say "Oh, you wanted me to pick up *that* foot.". :-) Todd
* * * * *
ABSOLUTELY! (as Harry would say - still rings in my ears ;-) )
My Magia Negra was very mistrustful, fearful, nervous, tense. PNH made
this a bit better, but the real change came through clicker training.
Once we had worked a bit with this, her eyes softened. She now comes
to me with her two sabre ears pointed towards me, very interested in
what will happen today, with that sweet, bright look in her spanish
eyes - I just love the sight of it!
BTW, you can check her relaxed attitude yourself in some photos we
took recenty. Visit
http://www.lemis.com/~grog/20feb99.html
as well as
http://www.lemis.com/~grog/7mar1999.html
In fact, Jorge de Moya, the famous PF trainer you see with Magia on
the second website, commented about how soft and relaxed Magia was when
he introduced his Maestro bit to her. I told him that this was due to
CT, and he was quite surprised and interested....
Happy clicking!
Yvonne
