clicker training for carrot stretches

[daydreamer]

Hi,
I wondered if anyone uses clicker training for carrot stretches?

I had the back lady out last week and she recommended doing carrot stretches after riding, I have started doing them but after a while my horse tends to lunge at the carrot/apple. I thought I might try clicker training, I made a start last night associating the click with treats and then rewarding when he touched his nose to an rolled up bandage. I thought then I could get him to touch the bandage during the stretches.

Has anyone tried this? Should it work?!

 

[Booboos]

Yes, this should work fine. It's a technique called targeting. You teach the animal to touch an object (anything you like, from a bandage as you did, to a cone, to a piece of paper, to a hair clip, to anything at all) with either his nose or his leg/paw. Start by placing the object close to the animal's nose so that inevitably he will sniff it, as he touches it, click and treat. Progressively make it more difficult so that he has to stretch or move to get to the object, but make sure you throw in some easier tasks in there so that he doesn't give up. In different sessions keep the object in the same place but ask him to prolong the period he touches it for by delaying the click (again make sure you pop in some easy one, don't make it always more and more difficult). In 2-3 days you should have him completely attached to the bandage!

 

[Finns Mum]

Yes I use the same method using a lid as his target, much safer for the fingers