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Here we are going to share thoughts/experiences/goals surrounding animal training, care, behavior, welfare…You name it, we’ll write about it!
Our focus is on positive reinforcement training with animals and animal behavior science. Positive reinforcement training means that when the animal performs the behavior that we’re looking for, we pair it with an appetitive (or, desired) stimulus, which can be food, attention, a toy, etc.
To increase the efficiency of the training, we often will add a marker or bridge signal. This is a clicker or a specific word or sound. We teach the animal that the sound of this signal means that they have earned a food reward. Then in training, we can use this signal to tell the animal exactly when they’ve performed the right behavior (dog’s bum hits the ground in a sit-> CLICK -> food reward provided). Without the marker signal, by the time you get the food reward to them they might be already doing a different behavior. The marker signal allows you to isolate the specific behavior that they did to earn the food reward.
This method of training is based in behavioral science and is used to train all kinds of different species of animals all over the world. If you’re thinking dogs and horses are too dangerous or aggressive or [insert label here] to be trained with positive reinforcement, think again. Zookeepers and wildlife caretakers all around the world are using this training method to train tigers, crocodiles, elephants… you name it, they’re training it, and effectively doing so. Dogs and horses are no exclusion!
But, what we think of as “training” with the animal isn’t the only thing that effects their behavior. The environment that they live in, their diet, their daily activities and essentially how their needs are being met all impact their behavior, and so we’ll talk about that here too!
So thanks for reading and checking out our blog, and keep checking back for more article posts!
Happy Trails!
Hannah