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Message thread at CPP
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***Clicker Club***| Ajax, Boston gave you a good answer. :-) We are looking forward to hearing how your guinea pig does. What are you going to teach first? | 
EagleGirl & Deerslayer | | 2010-08-27 07:12:54 | | Clicker Column - Wiggins Weekly Volume 4 Number 8, August 28, 2010
Clicker Training Basics - "Shaping" Behavior
This week we're going to talk about the basic tenet of clicker training - breaking a task down into tiny steps. This is sometimes called "shaping" behavior, and it sounds pretty intimidating! When I first heard this I wondered how on earth I was supposed to figure out what those tiny steps were! To be honest, I was frightened of even trying, because I thought surely I couldn't do it right. And for a while I didn't do anything, because it was easier to not do anything at all than to try something I didn't fully understand. But after I saw some of the videos I mentioned in last week's column, it began to make sense to me, in a way I couldn't really put into words, if that makes any sense to you! After watching some videos, and going back and reading some more articles, then watching some more videos (and the same ones again), I began to realize that I could indeed do this! And honestly, once I started, my understanding increased with every session. Sometimes you simply have to "get your hands dirty" before you "get" something.
So, how DO you go about breaking a task down into tiny steps? Well, you start at the beginning. Really. Think about the very first part of any task, and there you have it - your first step. Now, in order to get to our first step, we have to first choose a task. One of the first things many equine clicker trainers teach is how to target an object. I didn't do this with my mule, but he had severe fear issues, so we went a different route at the very beginning. But we quickly moved to targeting. Since he was so afraid of everything I did, when we first began I could not teach him to target an object. If I had something in my hand he just turned tail and ran, kicking up a storm. So when I did begin to teach targeting, I taught him to target my hand.
So let's say you are going to teach your pony to target something: your hand, the fence post, the bucket, a plastic bottle, a whip handle . . . just pick something that he doesn't have any negative feelings towards. Now, armed with your clicker, your bag of treats, and your target, you are ready to begin! Since you are just beginning, and you want your pony to remember that clicker training is fun, go ahead and repeat the "charge the clicker" lesson. Just a few clicks and treats ought to do it. Now, you are ready to teach your pony to target. It is not necessary to halter and tie your pony. My mule worked at liberty for many months before I could get a halter on him. This was good because he felt safer that way; if he became uncomfortable or had enough he could leave. Also, I knew he was working because he wanted to, as he was free to leave any time. You do, however, want to work in an area where it is pretty easy for your pony to concentrate on you, so in the middle of a 40 acre field with two dozen other ponies hanging around is probably not a good spot.
Gently hold out the target so that your pony can see it. You want to be nice and calm, and to not move too fast. Quick movements might spook your pony, especially if the target is unfamiliar to him. Now, just hold it and let your pony look at it. Some ponies will just reach right out and give the target a sniff. Some feel it with their lips. Some bump it with their muzzles and almost knock it out of your hand. Some might snake their heads out and grab it! (If your pony approaches a target with a little more gusto than you like, you can always shape this, but don't worry too much about it right at first.) Others will eye it for a bit, then very cautiously move their heads to get a better look. Some will even decide that it's time to leave when something unfamiliar makes an appearance. You may or may not already know your pony's tendency, but that doesn't really matter. This is the time you get to use your observation skills. Observe your pony. Look for ANY movement of your pony's head or muzzle towards that target. When you see your pony's head or muzzle move even a tiny bit towards the target, CLICK, move the target out of sight (you can put it behind your back or tuck it under your left elbow and hold it against your side; just remove it from in front of the pony - you cannot do this, however, with a fence post), then treat.
Notice that you are not talking to your pony and asking him verbally to do anything. That will come later, once he is doing whatever it is that you are asking for. If you want to rub your pony's head and tell him he's a good boy, that's fine, as long as it doesn't distract him. If he likes having his head rubbed, it's a reward. If he doesn't, it's a penalty, at least in his mind it is. Believe me, after you have done this a few times and he gets clicked for moving towards the target, he will know why he is getting clicked. Now, let's assume that your pony is a little hesitant, and is only turning his head a bit to just look at the target. That's great; it's progress. CLICK! Then treat. Then hold up the target again. Wait, and watch. When you see any sign of movement towards the target, click and treat. After doing this a few times, you will move to the next step.
What is the next step? He moves a little bit closer to the target. That's it - one tiny step at a time. Again, you will need your observation skills. If you don't think your observation skills are all that hot, don't worry. Clicker training will develop them like you wouldn't believe. So let him move towards the target as he has been, but wait to click. He should move a little closer. Then you click, and treat. Keep this up, bit by bit, waiting for him to move closer and closer, and before you know it your pony will touch the target! When he does touch the target for the first time, it is a good idea to give him a "jackpot" treat. You should have a few "special, super-duper" treats handy for those times your pony does something brand new, or finally "gets" something he's been working on, or does something difficult, etc. Don't overdo the jackpots, though; you want them to be special.
Once your pony has touched the target, let him do it several times, each time clicking and treating. If he has reached this point very quickly, you can continue, holding the target in a different place and repeating the process. If it has taken some time, you might consider ending after several successful targets. If at any time your pony is not successful, then you need to back up to where he was successful and do that step again. Then just move a tiny bit forward. We'll talk about that next week. For now, remember to always end with your pony's being successful. Happy clicking!
EagleGirl |
EagleGirl & Deerslayer | | 2010-08-27 07:16:44 | | | Did you know there is a chicken ranch out in Oragan that uses clicker training? They give you a chicken and in one week you have to teach it a trick with the clicker trainer. | 
T1e2s3s4o5r6a7 & Connra | | 2010-08-29 16:44:14 | | | Teach a CHICKEN???? I gotta say, chickens aren't very smart, but they can find they're way around in life, I guess. | 
Nat2 & The Price of Valor | | 2010-08-30 17:59:10 | | Sheltie, that's great. Is your friend training dogs or mini horses? Either way - it's a great thing to train. Dogs in many parts of the world still pull carts for their masters. Clicker training would certainly make teaching them to pull a lot easier!
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EagleGirl & Deerslayer | | 2010-08-30 20:03:26 | |
T1 - no kidding? How fun! We have an old batter operated piano that Nat2 and CoolGuy had when they were very little. I have wondered about teaching one of our chickens to play it. That would be a cool thing to try!
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EagleGirl & Deerslayer | | 2010-08-30 20:03:39 | | | Comanche - okay, tell me what's going on. What behavior are you trying to train? Have you charged the clicker yet? Did Comanche "get" it? Does he understand that the click is followed by a treat? Describe what you want to do, what you are doing, and what Comanche is doing in response, then we'll go from there. Okay? Hang in there. You guys can do this! |
EagleGirl & Deerslayer | | 2010-08-30 20:04:08 | | | Boston, way to go! Sounds like you and Lucky are really getting the hang of things. We are proud of both of you! And congrats on the essay contest, too! |
EagleGirl & Deerslayer | | 2010-08-30 21:28:59 | | | No kidding, admin! Oh, I hope you can find it; I would love to see it! That would be something for the WW, perhaps, if there were enough room. Where in the world would one obtain a chicken harness? Other than those little contraptions that hold the feet together when you put a bird in the oven to bake. LOL. But that's not the kind we're talking about, is it! :-) |
EagleGirl & Deerslayer | | 2010-08-30 21:30:49 | | | Okay my grandpa did it (Yes!) and he cut up horse treats and Comanche likes them and we tryed to do Halter training and lead training and he used the clicker and Comanche just kicked off the halter and reared and ran and i haven't used the clicker for the dog for a while and you CHARGE a clicker??!? So yes that's all i know. | 
Comanche1999 & Dancer | | 2010-08-31 21:11:46 | |
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