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What are the mistakes commonly done by beginners
and how to avoid them?
We all make mistakes, especially when we get started doing something new. This article is aimed at horse riders and handlers that are getting started with positive reinforcement/ clicker training and want to avoid the most commonly made mistakes.
1. Not researching the science behind animal training.
Perhaps the biggest mistake of all is to blindly pick up a clicker at a pet store, chop off some carrots and run to the stables after seeing a ‘inspirational’ video of someone doing tricks with his horse on Youtube. If you do not know how animals learn, you cannot be a good teacher. So the first step is to learn how to teach. This bring us to book recommendations:
2. Starting by teaching tricks and potential dangerous behaviours.
So now you have found this amazing way to teach, what’s the first thing you are going to teach your horse? Unfortunately a lot of the time it consists of teaching potentially dangerous things like kissing, Spanish walk and rearing up. Quickly it ends up with horses randomly head butting people in the face, mugging for treats, biting, pawing etc. So leave these tricks to more experienced trainers and focus on skills that are safer and more useful to you and your horse, after all positive reinforcement isn’t just for training circus tricks. You can use it for handling and healthcare related behaviours (such as leading, picking up hooves), for groundwork (lunging, going over poles and jumps) and even for riding (tack acceptance, teaching smooth transitions).
3. Training an unhealthy/poorly managed horse.
Sometimes professional may find themselves obligated to train a horse under poor management conditions in order to improve his welfare. (For example, catching a rescue horse so he can be moved.) However these rare scenarios does not mean that anyone should attempt to train an unhealthy/poorly managed horse. Before training a horse, always unsure that a health/management issue is not the cause of the unwanted behaviour. For example, if the horse is not standing still to be mounted he could be in pain. If the horse is showing signs of aggression it is most probably due to the current management not meeting his needs.
Sometime the horse may not display any unwanted behaviour but may start to do so when being trained. This is very common in horses that are under fed or had a past of forage restriction; they become “hangry” (hungry and angry) during training. If this happens the problem (the management) needs to be addressed and the training suspended.
4. Adding a cookie at the end.
This is something I see people that did not do their research do a lot. They get the desired behaviour using negative reinforcement (aka pressure/release) and then add a click and a treat at the end. In this scenario, the horse behaviour is first motivated by the removal of an aversive and then a pleasurable stimulus is added. Most likely one of the two reinforcers is more salient to the horse than the other and therefore is responsible for his behaviour. If the removal of aversive (release of pressure) is what motivate the horse then it is not positive reinforcement.
In addition appetitive training and aversive training stimulate a different part of the brain. If a horse is experiencing genuine positive reinforcement then dopamine is released. If the horse is experiencing highly aversive training then adrenaline is released. If the both are mixed to train the same behaviour then the adrenaline release is likely to over-ride the dopamine.
5. Not have a clear signal for the beginning and end of the session.
Some horses are not able to relax in the presence of their owners as they are expecting a training session every time they see them. This situation can be avoided by making it clear to the horse when a session is available (or not). For example you can use a bum bag as a visual cue that mean training is available. To end a session without the horse feeling punished (negative punishment) you can put a handful of food on the ground every time and leave while your horse is eating. This also gives you time to remove your bum bag.