Clicker Training For Your Horse  Glossary

Glossary

Bridging Signal - another term for secondary reinforcer. The signal "bridges" the performance of a behavior and the receiving of a reward. It becomes a "right answer" cue.

Click - versus "good boy". The click produced either by a mechanical clicker or the tongue is a secondary reinforcer. As such it ends behavior. In riding we want "good boy" to act as an encourager. "What you're doing is great, keep doing it." We don't want the horse to stop every time we say "good boy". Using a clicker solves this problem. In addition, the clicker is faster. In the time it takes to say "good boy", the horse may do three or four different things. With the clicker you can exactly mark the precise behavior you are trying to shape. Please note: many people have trouble at first making a clicking sound with their tongue. A click is not a cluck. Clucks are cues for movement. A click is a single sound produced by the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. If you have trouble at first, just keep trying. You'll get it. When you first condition your horse to a clicker, it's better to use a mechanical clicker. The unique sound gets their attention fast.

Clicker Trained - refers to animals which are conditioned to a bridging signal, in this case a single clicking sound produced either by a mechanical clicker or the tongue. The animal hears the click and knows the behavior it just presented has earned it a reward.

Molding - is a training shortcut. In molding you physically move the subject into the position you want. Molding is a common tool used both in training and riding instruction. We mold our horses into the "frame" we want with side reins and martingales. We ourselves are molded when our instructor physically guides our body into a position she wants.

Motivator - an event or object capable of reinforcing behavior; the reason the for change. Motivators can be either negative or positive, but they must make sense to the animal. For example, you might alter your behavior to pick up a twenty-dollar bill off the ground. The sight of the money caused you to change course, stop your feet, bend down and pick it up. A toddler might ignore the same slip of paper. Money doesn't mean much to him yet, but he might go after your dog's favorite chew toy lying next to it.

Negative Reinforcer - any unpleasant event or stimulus that can be halted or avoided by changing one's behavior; a "Wrong answer cue." Leg aids are examples of negative reinforcers. The horse learns that he can get us to stop kicking him by moving over, or moving faster. Negative reinforcers used well become part of the language through which we communicate with our horse. Used badly they become distractions to learning.

Operant Conditioning - Operant refers to the operator, that is the animal performing the behavior, not the trainer. In operant conditioning the subject learns to offer deliberately those behaviors that have been previously reinforced. When positive reinforcement is emphasized over negative reinforcers and punishment, operant conditioning becomes a highly effective and pleasant way for an animal to learn. From the animal's point of view it is in control of the training session. It learns that it can present certain specific behaviors, and it will get a reward. The trainer also feels in control because he selects the behaviors which will be rewarded. That's what makes this style of training so powerful, and so much fun for both horse and rider.

Positive Reinforcer - any event or stimulus which the subject wants and which increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. It's the "right answer cue."
Primary Reinforcer - any event or stimulus which the subject wants innately, without learning, such as food. Presenting a primary reinforcer in conjunction with a behavioral event increases the likelihood of that behavior occuring again. Primary reinforcers that have been linked with a bridging signal become powerful training tools.

Punishment - an unpleasant or painful stimulus that stops a behavior as it is occurring. However, this does not guarentee that the unwanted behavior won't occur again. Because the behavior stops, at least temporarily, punishment is reinforcing to the punisher. Punishment creates unpredictable and unwanted side effects which makes it a training choice of last resort.

Reinforce - to strengthen.

Reinforcers - increase the likelihood that a particular behavior will be repeated. Reinforcers can be either negative or positive.

Reward - something which is gained after a particular act. A reward is anything the subject finds rewarding. It is payment for a job well done. Rewards are not synonymous with reinforcement, because they do not necessarily occur in conjunction with the behavior. Thus they may or may not influence fiture behavior, as reinforcers do by definition.

Secondary or Conditioned Reinforcer - an initially meaningless signal which is paired with the primary reinforcer, and eventually precedes it in a reward sequence. This is the bridging signal or "right answer cue". It tells the animal the behavior you just did is something I like and will get you a reward.

Shaping- the foundation of behavior modification. Shaping takes a small tendency to perform in a desired way and shifts that tendency in small steps towards a more complex behavior.

Targeting is an approach to training where the subject learns to follow the movements of a person or object. For example, targeting can be used to teach dogs to sit. The trainer simply holds a treat up over the dog's head. As the dog follows the movement of the treat, his rear end will drop down. Paired with the clicker, this becomes an easy way to teach basic obedience. In horses, targeting teaches the horse to mark on the handler and follow his movements. It is an important part of all liberty work, leading, and lunging.

Variable Reinforcement Schedule versus Fixed Schedule of Reinforcement - variable reinforcement schedules coupled with secondary reinforcers push behavior towards excellence. In a fixed schedule of reinforcement the reward is offered on a one to one ratio. Give the behavior, get a reward. It is used in the early stages of training when the animal is first learning a particular behavior. Once the animal understands what is wanted, it is important to shift to a variable reinforcement schedule. The animal must halt longer, or jump higher, or give more repetitions. It never knows precisely when it will be rewarded so it keeps offering more behavior.

Or Click here to return to the Practical Uses contents.


Copyright 1996 Alexandra Kurland
All rights reserved.

Revised November 2000