Frequently Asked Questions

Will my horse get pushy about the food?
No...Horses do not get pushy or demanding about the food because they learn that they have to perform a behavior to get the click and the treat. Food is a powerful motivator, clicker training allows us to harness this motivation and direct it into the task we want the horse to do. As a result the horse becomes enthusiastic about training sessions and learns faster than ever before.

Why use a clicker?
The clicker is used as a bridge signal to bridge the moment in time between the behavior and the reinforcement, to mark the precise behavior that is being reinforced. A sound, light, movement, or feeling could be a used as a bridge. A clicker is most commonly used because it is loud distinct and short so it can mark the exact behavior you want. You could use a word.. e.g. "good boy", however most horses are desensitized to our voices because they hear people constantly talking near or around them. So using a different sound like a clicker that they are not used to, will get their attention more.

You can't use a clicker in the showring so how can you use it in training?
The clicker is used to teach a new behavior or improve a trained response. Once the behavior is established and can be produced on cue, the clicker can be phased out so that it is only used when you want to improve the horse's response.

But the horse stops all the time during training to eat treats?
Imagine how good your down transitions will get! This also keeps the horse listening and focused on you. It also further motivates your horse by rewarding it with a rest when it gives the correct response.The clicker sound can also become a set of emergency brakes that will stop your horse in dangerous situations.

What things can you teach with the clicker?
Everything and Anything! That is the beauty of clicker training you can use it to improve your dressage, western, jumping, show horse, to teach your horse tricks, to teach manners on the trail, to educate your young horse, to re-school an older horse. To teach an injured horse to stand still for treatment. The uses are as many as you can think of and put the time in to teach your horse. Think of the possibilities!

Can I use the clicker in my current training program?.... Yes

Where did clicker training come from?
Clicker Training is a method of animal training that was originally developed when people began training dolphins. They realised that conventional methods of animal training did not work on an animal that could just swim away. So they had to find a way to get the dolphins to WANT TO perform. Dolphin trainers figured out that if they blew a whistle and then threw in a fish the dolphins soon associated the whistle sound with getting some food. They started only blowing the whistle and throwing in a fish when then dolphin swam near a floating hoop.. Then they would only the whistle and throw in a fish when the dolphin accidentally touched the floating hoop.. The dolphins were excited about getting all this fish and they were soon swimming up to and touching the hoop on purpose as soon as the trainers put it in the water. Gradually they changed what the dolphin had to do to earn a fish. This progressed from touching the hoop to swimming through it. The hoop was then raised in gradual stages out of the water. This was the start of a new era in communication with animals. This technique was then applied to other animals including horses, dogs, tigers, elephants and llama with astounding results. Trainers all over the world were finding that their animals were now enthusiastic about learning and were learning faster than ever before. Zoo animal handlers no longer needed to tranquilise animals as often as they had. Trainers of domestic animals like dog's and horses were able to incorporate clicker training into their existing training system's and were amazed at how much faster their animals now learned.

Can I use clicker training on my dog, cat, fish, children etc?
Yes you can train any animal with clicker training. A wild elephant blew it's foot apart in a land mine and was clicker trained to put it into a sling for treatment. A gorilla in a zoo was about to have a baby and the zoo keepers clicker trained her to pass a small doll through the fence to them. This meant that when the baby was born, she could pass the baby through the fence so the zoo keepers could check it was ok.

Can I organize group or private lessons in my area?..... Yes!
Get some friends together for a clicker clinic, email us at: georgia@clickwithhorses.com