by Katie Rourke
I first saw CT at the Volhard Dog Trainers Camp in Syracuse USA. It was a one-session wonder, no more was said about it and it didn't occur again. However, I was inspired by that little 12 week goldie pup targeting a ruler within 5 minutes but didn't know any more about it. (I wasn't really an internet-freak then either).
In Jan 97 Elizabeth Kershaw, Director of Education, United Kingdom Registry of Canine Behaviourists, asked me to critique her first Clicker Training Course. I jumped at the chance. In April 97 I joined her course with my Border Collie, Chess, and was spectacularly unsucessfull. Cross-over dogs are notoriously difficult to CT, we just didn't know that then. Still having that picture of the goldie pup firmly in my brain, I decided to offer CT along side Volhard Dog Training to my regular private clients. That spring/summer showed me the power of CT with untrained dogs. In 4 weeks of Volhard Training I could barely persuade the owner to take the 5th, final and free lesson. CT students, on the other hand, were paying per lesson, averaging on 16 - 20 lessons before they decided their dog was well enough trained and were doing exercises we didn't usually teach until the dog was 2/3 years old (finish to the left, finish to the right, sendaway, etc.)
I was then approached by a local newspaper to do a story on pigs. The Tamworth Two were on the rampage in southern England and every Pig Story sold newspapers. So I contacted Copper Howe, a neighbour who has pigs and asked her if I could train William and Sally for the local rag. She was in hoots of laughter, but they say "she who laughs last, laughs longest..." ! and by the end of the first week, William (May he rest in peace) was walking through a hoop, rolling over and doing a beautiful figure 8 heelwork.
Topper arrived during this week. Three weeks later, with no contact from the original owners the police castrated him and handed him over to me. It wasn't until he was castrated that we found out how old he was - getting to look in his mouth wasn't an option any of us were prepared to take! During the anesthetic we were ASTONISHED to find out that he was at least 13, possibly older. (We'd thought about 4-5 yrs, as his CT was coming on so well). 5 weeks after rescue there was an article in a nearly-local newspaper, the headline was "Hunt On For Runaway Danger Horse." It didn't even have a photo, but we knew who they were on about. Anyway, by this time the police had closed his case, which wasn't strictly accurate by this time anyway as they had him listed as a 10hh piebald gelding. (well, its not their fault if he was so dirt encrusted that they didn't know what colour he was is it?)
As his main method of defence was to attack, charge, teeth barred (no we didn't have time to look at them, we just jumped the fence to safety) and strike out with his front feet I decided in my wisdom to train from THE OTHER SIDE of the fence and the first job was to get a headcollar on. No, I lie, the first job was to teach him that there were better things than grass to eat. He'd never seen carrots, apples, hardfeed, grain, breakfast cereal....
Targeting had to be left until I could teach him to lead, which he found very difficult. He still shuts down when he's asked to multi task something new. Wearing a headcollar and walking was the first example. He simply couldn't do it. Then wearing a headcollar and a leadrope presented the same problem, although it was quicker to overcome the problem the second time. The first time he saw a target stick he immediately reverted to agressive mode, thinking I was going to beat him up I suppose. That took a week of hanging the target stick in his stall before it became 'normal'. I guess the "lightbulb" went on for him during his target training. He learned he could make the vending machine pay out and was really in control of the situation. I made the situations more difficult, he raised to the challenge. He still made me laugh when I started to turn waving into spanish walk and he did three beautiful steps forward, but couldn't multi-task that back end and ended up with his tummy practically on the floor!
If he could draw himself now he'd draw a top lip, mouth, head (without ears), neck, shoulders, front legs and hoofs, then there'd be a huge blank area until you get to his back feet. My ambition is to teach him that he is a whole horse!!!
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