Ridecamp: RE: [RC] food aggression/respecting my space

Tracy wrote:
"Personally, my response to food aggression is simple : if you don't show me
manners, you don't eat, mate."

The clicker adds "yes, those are the manners I want to see"

The clicker is a "marker" signal that tells the horse exactly when he is
doing the right thing. It is like being able to "yes" that is what I want
you to do and here is your reward at EXACTLY the moment you horse does the
right thing no matter how close or far away the horse is or whether he is
attached to you or not.

Now, it depends on exactly what you want the horse TO DO, when you approach
with food that will guide you in the training. I had an exuberant 2 YO who
would rear in my face and swing to kick me a feeding time. He had NEVER been
hand fed prior to this.

He is 6 now and I use clicker training all the time for everything we train
now. But, at the time all I wanted him to do was to go stand quietly by his
food bucket when I approached with grain. Here's how I did it. First I
taught him to target. This teaches them the rules of the game and that they
have control of the vending machine but that they must earn it. I used a
small plastic soda bottle and stood outside the stall. I held it up and his
natural curiosity caused him to touch it "Click" and hand him a treat.
Surprise is the first reaction you get. I repeated this for about 10 minutes
until he seemed to get the idea that it was touching the target that earned
the click and the treat. For the first day, I fed him his dinner 1 handful
at a time while targeting.

The next feeding, I moved the target around to see if I could still get him
to touch it. And, fed him his meal this way. The next day, I went in and he
followed the target which was outstretched in my hand away from my body to
his food bucket. If he touched it on the way C/T. Do not let him snatch
anything out of the feeding can or whatever you use. Take a bit out and
stretch out your hand away from you with the small bit in the hand.

If he is too aggressive to go in with, you can hold the target over the
bucket over the stall. Take you time he may have trouble finding it.

So, in about 3 and 1/2 meals, when I went to the stall with dinner, I would
hold the target over his bucket. When he would touch it, I would dump his
food in. Pretty soon, as soon as he saw me, he'd go stand next to his bucket
and I could click and feed him. From 2 to 4, that is pretty much all I did
with the clicker.

There are two great websites you can visit for more information.

WWW.theclickercenter.com

and

www.clickryder.com

There is also a clicker email list similar to ride camp

PS: if you don't have a stall or if you want your horse to do something else
at feeding time, feel free to write back.

Dolores


Personally, my response to food aggression is simple : if you don't show me
manners, you don't eat, mate.


Tracey





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