Targeting is a useful behavior far above and beyond its main use of introducing your horse to the clicker! Put your horse behind a stall guard or fence rail.  This will help to keep her from mugging your pockets for the treats.  It also keeps things on a more positive note because you won’t have to be using and corrective measures to keep your horse back out of your space. You will need: A target object – a small cone or other item that is safe for your horse to handle. Treats – cut these up in small pieces or use a small amount of feed A clicker – you can use the mechanical clicker or make a similar sound with your voice.   The main idea is to pick a unique sound and consistently follow it with a treat to classically condition the sound to link it to the treat. Pouch or pockets to hold treats -  You will need lots of treats to start so be sure you are armed with enough for your session, a carpenter’s apron, fanny pack or sports vest all work equally well. Next you will need to work on your mechanics.  You can even practice this with the help of a friend before taking it to your horse. You can also practice your timing by clicking here. To begin - present the target to your horse (make it easy for them to be successful), put it as close to their nose as necessary so they will sniff it or bump into it.  When they touch their nose to it:   click, quickly remove the target and offer your horse a treat (this all needs to be done within 3 sec of them touching it to make the proper association). Continue this until the light bulb goes off and your horse is actively seeking to touch the target wherever it is placed.  Once this behavior is learned you can train anything! Some popular targeting behaviors include:  Leading, Fetching, Basketball, Jumping, Trailer loading, Ground tying…to name just a few            HORSE SEEMS BORED and walks away during a session – you are not reinforcing your horse at a high enough rate.  Make it easy for your horse to touch the target.  You want to be handing out the treats every couple of seconds initially. HORSE IS MUGGING me and trying to get to the treats – be sure to stay out of range so they cannot reach you…take advantage of the stall guard.  Extend your arm out to them to have them touch target, then click and extend your hand again to deliver the treat….place it out towards their chest so they have to tuck their head down and back to get to the treat.              ***   REMEMBER: Click for behavior and treat for position!! NIPPING, SWIPING OR BITING:  Some horses might exhibit this behavior when first starting out.  If it is not dangerous it will extinguish if you ignore it and focus on reinforcing what you want…touching the target.  If it is dangerous, stay safely out of the way behind the stall guard and when the horse tries to swipe at you, step back away and turn your back to the horse…or leave the area for a few seconds.  Return and continue with the target training.  If you are consistent, the horse will learn that when they mug or swipe you the treats will go away…and if they touch the target, they will get the treat and because it is in their own best interest, they will eventually choose touching the target! Clicker Training is a great way to teach your horse good table manners !

Training Tips: Common problems you may encounter