soloequestrian
Well-Known Member
I have one clicker trained horse and I really like the technique. I want to train another but I'd prefer not to use the same noise - any suggestions for a cheap and functional alternative?!
Alternatives to a clicker?
- Thread starter soloequestrian
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gunnergundog
Well-Known Member
Click your tongue, snap your fingers....the possibilities for free bodily produced alternatives are endless!!
Red-1
I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
I use "Good girl."
She really seeks it out.
She really seeks it out.
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
Use a clicker/marker word. I use "good" with the horse and "check" with the dogs. "Check" is useful because it's not a word you say all the time and it has a short sharp sound to it. Trained the horse to "good" by accident so it stuck.
soloequestrian
Well-Known Member
Thanks those are good suggestions. I get on well with having a physical noise-maker to focus on myself though and I like the consistency it gives. Wondering about some sort of bell noise - a ting rather than a click - but not sure where I would find that in something I can easily carry about.
spookypony
Well-Known Member
Tongue click, but a different one than the usual horse cluck noise. Any short, sharp noise that can be reserved for the purpose will work, and you can easily transfer your currently clicker-trained horse to the same signal.
Littlefloof
Well-Known Member
My dog is, by default, scared of many things, including the sound of a clicker(!) so I use the word 'Yay' in a cheerful tone. Yes, I sound like a bit of a tool. No, I don't care.
Littlefloof
Well-Known Member
Also, by using a self-generated noise (tongue click, finger snap, a special word, etc) you always have it with you.
soloequestrian
Well-Known Member
Thank you for all the replies. Given that no-one has suggested an alternative that isn't a self-generated noise I'm assuming that I haven't missed some obvious alternative to a physical clicker.
gunnergundog
Well-Known Member
A retractable pen, castanets, a triangle, any of the noises that your mobile phone can generate, portable wireless battery operated doorbell.
pistolpete
Well-Known Member
Saying Beep in a high pitches voice works for a friend. Clickers are one thing too many to manage in my hands especially once I start leading exercises tongue click or an unusual word. Yes works.
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
Dolphin trainers use whistles I believe? But maybe a bit loud for a horse? Or you can use a light flash. But relies on them looking at you.
With the deaf puppy I fostered I used a hand flash, fist to open hand and back again quickly. But then started using a thumbs up because the hand flash got him too excited. He was a special little chap though, just existing was too exciting.
I actually prefer the marker word now, it seems accurate enough but not too exciting. But will go back to the clicker if I need really sharp precision for something.
With the deaf puppy I fostered I used a hand flash, fist to open hand and back again quickly. But then started using a thumbs up because the hand flash got him too excited. He was a special little chap though, just existing was too exciting.
I actually prefer the marker word now, it seems accurate enough but not too exciting. But will go back to the clicker if I need really sharp precision for something.
spookypony
Well-Known Member
To bring it back to basic principles, since some people seem to be missing out on these: "clicker training" is just a quick way of saying something like, "Operant conditioning with positive reinforcement using a marker signal". The "marker signal" is the USP of clicker training: it provides the bridge between the behaviour and the reinforcer/reward, and allows you to be super precise in the timing of the marker signal, while allowing you some time to get to the reward (finding a treat in your pouch, scratching the withers, whatever your animal finds rewarding).
In the case of dolphins, the need for a marker signal (usually a whistle) is readily apparent: by the time you can deliver the fish, the dolphin can have delivered all sorts of behaviours, because it takes a while to notice that you are brandishing a fish, and to swim over to you. So the whistle can be sounded the very moment the desired behaviour is observed, and then the dolphin, having made the connection of whistle=fish forthcoming, can swim over to you.
This having been understood, it's then easier to decide what to do with any animal. The important features of a marker signal is that 1) it's able to be detected by the animal, even through various amounts of environmental interference (hence a sharp, quick signal), and that 2) it's easily reserved for use as a marker signal, so that you're not confusing the animal by not delivering a reward when you make the signal. There's no reason for a signal to have to be a sound: fish, for example, have been clicker trained using a light flash or a ring dropped on the water. It's just that sounds are easy for people to make, and that horses, in particular, are sensitive to sounds. (They are sensitive to smells, too, but it would be harder for a person to produce a sharp, short smell on signal. Although there are some men that appear to be able to fart on command.)
I've started 4 horses on clicker training now. Each has taken less than about 2 minutes to comprehend the connection between signal and reinforcer. And each has proved very, very quick in comprehending when a different person is using a slightly different signal. I find the deep "cluck" sound produced by many difficult to do, and too similar to clucking that I do normally on a horse, so I use a sharp, wet tongue click (a bit like "tsst" with a lot of spit) instead. No horse of mine has found the switch to the deep "cluck" at a clinic difficult, and no horse has confused my "tsst" with my own cluck. They're pretty clever, when it comes to food!
In the case of dolphins, the need for a marker signal (usually a whistle) is readily apparent: by the time you can deliver the fish, the dolphin can have delivered all sorts of behaviours, because it takes a while to notice that you are brandishing a fish, and to swim over to you. So the whistle can be sounded the very moment the desired behaviour is observed, and then the dolphin, having made the connection of whistle=fish forthcoming, can swim over to you.
This having been understood, it's then easier to decide what to do with any animal. The important features of a marker signal is that 1) it's able to be detected by the animal, even through various amounts of environmental interference (hence a sharp, quick signal), and that 2) it's easily reserved for use as a marker signal, so that you're not confusing the animal by not delivering a reward when you make the signal. There's no reason for a signal to have to be a sound: fish, for example, have been clicker trained using a light flash or a ring dropped on the water. It's just that sounds are easy for people to make, and that horses, in particular, are sensitive to sounds. (They are sensitive to smells, too, but it would be harder for a person to produce a sharp, short smell on signal. Although there are some men that appear to be able to fart on command.)
I've started 4 horses on clicker training now. Each has taken less than about 2 minutes to comprehend the connection between signal and reinforcer. And each has proved very, very quick in comprehending when a different person is using a slightly different signal. I find the deep "cluck" sound produced by many difficult to do, and too similar to clucking that I do normally on a horse, so I use a sharp, wet tongue click (a bit like "tsst" with a lot of spit) instead. No horse of mine has found the switch to the deep "cluck" at a clinic difficult, and no horse has confused my "tsst" with my own cluck. They're pretty clever, when it comes to food!
pistolpete
Well-Known Member
Great explanation spookypony I was much too vague! Love a bit of clicker. It’s helped a lot with poulticing my poorly boy!