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New List for Clicker Horse Trainers

Filed in - Training - Horses

Here's a new e-list for horse trainers, hosted by Melissa Alexander, the author of Click for Joy and the highly experienced host of the Clicker Solutions list:

Beyond Basics: Equine Clicker Training

This list is dedicated to exploring and promoting the use and effects of positive reinforcement (R+)in equine training, husbandry, behavior, and the horse/human relationship.

Objectives include:
• Exploring an R+ "philosophy" and how it fits into real world training
• Exploring the pros and cons of how R+ training affects the training of other behaviors, and how to avoid the cons
• Exploring how negative reinforcement (pressure and release) and other negative principles of Operant Conditioning (punishment, extinction) fit into an R+ training program
• Creating R+ training plans for specific behaviors
• Developing progressions for an R+ training plan
• Collecting legitimate data about R+ training

Melissa Alexander writes: "Our goal is to develop a system of safe, effective, reliable, horse-friendly techniques that engage horses as a willing, active, thinking partner and deepen our relationship with them. Our goal is not to vilify traditional ‘pressure and release' methods or even to deem them unnecessary. We want only to gather data, explore unexplored options, and compare results. We welcome anyone to join and read our archives and files. The list discussion is structured and kept strictly on topic. Before posting to the list, you should be familiar with operant conditioning definitions and clicker training. This is not a list for "newbie" questions about clicker training or about horses, or for chatting.

To subscribe, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BeyondBasicsEquineCT/ and click "Join this group."
Or, just send e-mail to BeyondBasicsEquineCT-subscribe [at] yahoogroups [dot] com

Karen Pryor

About the author
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Karen Pryor is the founder and CEO of Karen Pryor Clicker Training and Karen Pryor Academy. She is the author of many books, including Don't Shoot the Dog and Reaching the Animal Mind. Learn more about Karen Pryor or read Karen's Letters online.