Training classes have definite benefits. An instructor walks you through the process of getting the behavior you want, the class offers structure and motivation to keep training, and your classmates are available to act as extra hands or distractions. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to good training classes. So how can someone get the benefits of class without taking one? A recent thread on the ClickerSolutions mailing list brainstormed ideas for training alone.
Clicker Training Blog
Techniques for Calming Your Horse
By Melissa Alexander on 11/01/2006All horse owners know that a fearful or too-excited horse can be dangerous, or even deadly. Being able to calm your horse can be the difference between a safe, fun ride and a serious accident. Recently, the ClickRyder mailing list discussed techniques for calming a horse.
Lazy, bored, or ... ?
By Melissa Alexander on 10/26/2006A poster on the Cat-Clicker mailing list ran into a snag. Her six-month-old kitten had lost interest in training. She had previously taught him to come when called, sit on a stool, give a "high five" with his paw, and to stand on his hind legs, and she had worked a bit on jumping through a hoop. But recently he had just seemed to lose interest.
Knowing Your Animal
By Melissa Alexander on 10/26/2006I've been reading the posts on the Bird-Click mailing list. I'm not a bird trainer, per se, but I've participated in several Bailey chicken camps, and I've trained dogs and horses. So I joined the list feeling fairly confident that I had a good grasp of what I needed to know to train birds. Instead, I found that I needed to sit in the corner with a healthy helping of humble pie and spend some time getting to know my animal!
Snake Avoidance Training
By Melissa Alexander on 10/26/2006Is it possible to train a dog to avoid snakes without relying on punishment? That was the question discussed on the ClickerSolutions mailing list recently, and some fascinating strategies were suggested. One method involved associating the sight of a snake with an extreme fear reaction in the handler and then reinforcing any hesitation, avoidance, or fearful behavior shown by the dog. Another poster recommended teaching the dog to alert the handler to the presence of a snake, similarly to the way a detection dog might alert to drugs.
Feed your cat via text message on your cell phone
By Bill Peña on 10/20/2006
[VIDEO] If you're not home to feed your dog or cat, this Pet Care service allows you to text a special feeder that will drop some food into your pet's bowl. You can check out what it's up to using the camera, and even speak to your pet.
Cell phone sniffing dogs in prisons
By Bill Peña on 10/19/2006Murphy, an English Springer Spaniel, has been specially trained to hunt out the mobile phone handsets - which have a particular scent.
Mobiles are a big security risk in prisons. They have been used to plot escapes, threaten court witnesses and organise crime on the outside.
But I want my dog to work for me!
By Bill Peña on 10/19/2006Some people object to positive reinforcement methods because they believe that the dog should simply work for them - not for food or for a sound (clicker). These people are usually highly committed to corrective methods - and what they don't always understand is that their dog isn't working for them; he's working to avoid being punished.[...]
