It's been so long since I have posted anything ... the reason is that I have sadly and with great trepidation, decided to look for a new home for Ringo. It's hard for me to post when I feel such sadness. However my reasons have been confirmed by many friends and supporters. Ringo and I are not a good match.
Now this is tough because I am a "forever" kind of person - I don't give up on animals and take my responsibility very seriously. My zero tolerance for getting shoved around has resulted in Ringo looking at me quizzically ... I can't and don't wish to dredge up a mean, horrible scary self in order to get him to back off.
He's a fine, beautiful donkey who needs an experienced handler - someone who can give him the very best and at the same time, set boundaries that he will respect.
So .... the search for a perfect home for Ringo. He needs:
-other donkeys, some bigger or the same size
-a loving home with people whom he will trust
-owners with experience with large equine
-space to romp
-shelter from rain and snow
-regular health care: hooves, teeth, deworming, vaccines, etc.
-commitment to keeping him forever or making provisions for him during his life
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Tonight and Ears Forward
Had a rather ramshackle session this afternoon with Ringo. I got out my old target stick to try to work just on Ears Forward but the big donkey insisted on biting it whenever it appeared. I'd make it vanish when he craned his neck and his big teeth towards it, but he was in a fractious mood. This time I was in the paddock with him (no fence between us) and when he pawed, I asked him to back up.
We did some targeting - me placing the target stick on either side of his flank, between his legs, under his chin in an attempt to get him to arch his neck. This stuff is elementary for him and I wanted to do it to help him feel secure.
We did some mat work and going between the mat and the cone - a loop that we've worked on before and finally ended with picking his hooves while he stood on the mat. Not a great session though as I felt his mood was unpleasant.
Tonight I went in the barn and stood on the other side of his stall. When he put his ears forward (and finally he did!) I threw him some hay. It worked (thank you Alexandra!) and we did it a few times.
As I was cleaning and filling water buckets, I remembered something! It was last Fall that I was also having problems with Ringo and felt discouraged ... aha! I even asked a friend if she might consider taking him in the Spring if I felt I still couldn't manage him. A few months later, I felt SO glad that I had stuck by him.
So ... seasonal disorder? Why is Ringo grumpy and pushy in the Fall? Changing light, longer nights?
Parasites on the move? Hmmm... I will definitely have to give this some thought!
We did some targeting - me placing the target stick on either side of his flank, between his legs, under his chin in an attempt to get him to arch his neck. This stuff is elementary for him and I wanted to do it to help him feel secure.
We did some mat work and going between the mat and the cone - a loop that we've worked on before and finally ended with picking his hooves while he stood on the mat. Not a great session though as I felt his mood was unpleasant.
Tonight I went in the barn and stood on the other side of his stall. When he put his ears forward (and finally he did!) I threw him some hay. It worked (thank you Alexandra!) and we did it a few times.
As I was cleaning and filling water buckets, I remembered something! It was last Fall that I was also having problems with Ringo and felt discouraged ... aha! I even asked a friend if she might consider taking him in the Spring if I felt I still couldn't manage him. A few months later, I felt SO glad that I had stuck by him.
So ... seasonal disorder? Why is Ringo grumpy and pushy in the Fall? Changing light, longer nights?
Parasites on the move? Hmmm... I will definitely have to give this some thought!
Saturday morning - ears forward + soft muzzle
So now it's morning and I have worked with the same lesson as last night (see previous post.)
Situation: other donkeys were not in sight (situation improved from last night)
Ringo had just had his hay for breakfast but still seemed hungry.
Time: 7:30 - 7:40 AM
Goal: Trying to combine "Ringo resting his muzzle under my open hand" (I will call this soft muzzle) which he knows well with "ears forward" which is new.
Results: Same behaviour as last night - much agitated pawing, I disappear, pawing stops. Many good combos of the two behaviours I want but it seemed random.
Observations: Ears are always back when pawing, always forward just after he stops pawing. I have been capturing this (click & treat) but cannot capture the two behaviours together UNLESS I leave and return!
Ringo is showing me that he is frustrated and doesn't understand what I want him to do, so ....
Plan: Break this down smaller! Good clicker trainers work in baby steps - they "split" behaviours into teeny tiny chunks instead of "lumping" them into large chunks. I need to work backwards to keep Ringo feeling successful - he can't learn if he is agitated.
I will back up and try to teach "ears forward" on it's own using targeting. One behaviour at a time, put it on cue, then try to combine.
Reference: The Click That Teaches - A Step By Step Guide In Pictures by Alexandra Kurland
Happy Faces (Ears Forward) page 36
Situation: other donkeys were not in sight (situation improved from last night)
Ringo had just had his hay for breakfast but still seemed hungry.
Time: 7:30 - 7:40 AM
Goal: Trying to combine "Ringo resting his muzzle under my open hand" (I will call this soft muzzle) which he knows well with "ears forward" which is new.
Results: Same behaviour as last night - much agitated pawing, I disappear, pawing stops. Many good combos of the two behaviours I want but it seemed random.
Observations: Ears are always back when pawing, always forward just after he stops pawing. I have been capturing this (click & treat) but cannot capture the two behaviours together UNLESS I leave and return!
Ringo is showing me that he is frustrated and doesn't understand what I want him to do, so ....
Plan: Break this down smaller! Good clicker trainers work in baby steps - they "split" behaviours into teeny tiny chunks instead of "lumping" them into large chunks. I need to work backwards to keep Ringo feeling successful - he can't learn if he is agitated.
I will back up and try to teach "ears forward" on it's own using targeting. One behaviour at a time, put it on cue, then try to combine.
Reference: The Click That Teaches - A Step By Step Guide In Pictures by Alexandra Kurland
Happy Faces (Ears Forward) page 36
Friday, September 3, 2010
Tonight's Training Session
Goal: to get Ringo to put his ears forward while gently touching my open hand with his muzzle. Looking for softening and relaxing of his face muscles and posture.
Positioning: I stood on one side of the barn paddock fence, he was in the barn paddock
Other donkeys: Deenah was eating hay nearby and Dorica was standing next to her.
Time: evening, 8:40 to 8:50 approx PM dusk
Situation: all 3 donkeys had just eaten hay (i.e. not too hungry)
The session: Ringo was initially agitated by the presence of the other donkeys, once they moved away he was calmer but I inadvertently created an aversive situation. He understood the game, used his muzzle gently and I was able to combine having him rest his muzzle under my hand with one or both ears forward.
Since he was readily doing this, he was getting rewarded frequently.
However he started pawing as soon as he finished chewing - this happened numerous times. As soon as he began to paw, I disappeared behind the open barn door, out of sight but I could see him through the crack.
As soon as I was gone, he stopped pawing and was attentive (ears forward). I re-appeared, praised him, clicked and treated.
Considerations: I set out to train one thing: ears forward while muzzle in hand. But ... AH! this is really TWO things! Two behaviours combined and Ringo threw in a behaviour I didn't want - pawing. I could have stood there and quietly waited for him to stop, but he was getting very worked up (he can throw his heart and soul into pawing!) so instead I chose to quietly leave. No words spoken - when he began to paw the ground, I disappeared.
Now I have added something ... I'm gone - and this gets a reaction from Ringo. He is curious and that brings his ears forward (which is what I want!) So I come back and reward ears forward AND the fact that he is not pawing!
But I have lost the thing I was after initially - ears forward WITH his muzzle resting under my hand. And maybe, just maybe I have created a loop or superstitious behaviour - he paws, I leave, he stops, I come back.
Plan: Try this again tomorrow. Move the other donkeys away first. Evaluate!
Positioning: I stood on one side of the barn paddock fence, he was in the barn paddock
Other donkeys: Deenah was eating hay nearby and Dorica was standing next to her.
Time: evening, 8:40 to 8:50 approx PM dusk
Situation: all 3 donkeys had just eaten hay (i.e. not too hungry)
The session: Ringo was initially agitated by the presence of the other donkeys, once they moved away he was calmer but I inadvertently created an aversive situation. He understood the game, used his muzzle gently and I was able to combine having him rest his muzzle under my hand with one or both ears forward.
Since he was readily doing this, he was getting rewarded frequently.
However he started pawing as soon as he finished chewing - this happened numerous times. As soon as he began to paw, I disappeared behind the open barn door, out of sight but I could see him through the crack.
As soon as I was gone, he stopped pawing and was attentive (ears forward). I re-appeared, praised him, clicked and treated.
Considerations: I set out to train one thing: ears forward while muzzle in hand. But ... AH! this is really TWO things! Two behaviours combined and Ringo threw in a behaviour I didn't want - pawing. I could have stood there and quietly waited for him to stop, but he was getting very worked up (he can throw his heart and soul into pawing!) so instead I chose to quietly leave. No words spoken - when he began to paw the ground, I disappeared.
Now I have added something ... I'm gone - and this gets a reaction from Ringo. He is curious and that brings his ears forward (which is what I want!) So I come back and reward ears forward AND the fact that he is not pawing!
But I have lost the thing I was after initially - ears forward WITH his muzzle resting under my hand. And maybe, just maybe I have created a loop or superstitious behaviour - he paws, I leave, he stops, I come back.
Plan: Try this again tomorrow. Move the other donkeys away first. Evaluate!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Mood Changes & How to deal with them
I have had quite a busy week and just returned from four days away. Got home during a noisy, gusty wind
storm with a bit of rain - quite a shift in the weather from the long stretches of sunny summer days.
Ringo was in a wild mood! He galloped straight to me, ears pinned and teeth showing. Not the most comforting welcome! I stood my ground, then quickly put the electric fence between us and talked quietly, my open hand on his muzzle. He settled a bit but was clearly agitated. Later that evening, I found myself getting impatient with him. I absolutely HATE being threatened and my default reaction is to scold him. This is NOT the clicker trainer's way!
A good clicker trainer would do the following:
1. Stay safe and use protective contact if necessary - this means working with a gate or fence between you and the animal.
2. Go back to basics and work in baby steps - this might mean offering something really familiar, easy and comforting for the animal to do - something he knows well and can be successful at, like touching a target.
3. Keep the donkey feeling positive by working in baby steps and using a high rate of reinforcement.
4. Observe closely to make sure there isn't something else going on, i.e. rule out that the animal might be in pain and is acting out because of it.
5. Teach an opposite behaviour to the one you don't want him to do - for example, if he is coming into your space, teach him to back. The thing I have been working on when Ringo uses his nose or head to bop me, I ask him to gently place his muzzle in my soft open hand. He can't be bopping me and doing that at the same time. So concentrate on the behaviour you want, NOT the stuff you don't want.
6. Ignore the bad stuff, don't get riled and ASK for SOMETHING! This can help the animal refocus.
7. LEAVE and make a cup of tea rather than stay and punish the donkey!
Well ... good advice, eh? I have made a lion's share of mistakes and one of them is not following this sage counsel! Ringo and I have been working through this "mood" of his for the past three days and he is gradually settling again and I am gradually heeding the advice above. That's not to say that I beat him or anything ... but I do scold, sometimes yell (if I think I might get hurt) I say "NO!" sharply and yes, oh yes I have been known to bop him when the going gets rough. Bad stuff, this discipline and my reaction is surely fear based on my part.
So ... living closely with animals does indeed teach one a lot about one's own self and it ain't always pretty. But through the thoughtful and gentle approach of clicker training, I can learn patience and tools for dealing with uncomfortable situations. I'm certain that every harsh word spoken is a harsh word remembered and trust needs to be earned again.
storm with a bit of rain - quite a shift in the weather from the long stretches of sunny summer days.
Ringo was in a wild mood! He galloped straight to me, ears pinned and teeth showing. Not the most comforting welcome! I stood my ground, then quickly put the electric fence between us and talked quietly, my open hand on his muzzle. He settled a bit but was clearly agitated. Later that evening, I found myself getting impatient with him. I absolutely HATE being threatened and my default reaction is to scold him. This is NOT the clicker trainer's way!
A good clicker trainer would do the following:
1. Stay safe and use protective contact if necessary - this means working with a gate or fence between you and the animal.
2. Go back to basics and work in baby steps - this might mean offering something really familiar, easy and comforting for the animal to do - something he knows well and can be successful at, like touching a target.
3. Keep the donkey feeling positive by working in baby steps and using a high rate of reinforcement.
4. Observe closely to make sure there isn't something else going on, i.e. rule out that the animal might be in pain and is acting out because of it.
5. Teach an opposite behaviour to the one you don't want him to do - for example, if he is coming into your space, teach him to back. The thing I have been working on when Ringo uses his nose or head to bop me, I ask him to gently place his muzzle in my soft open hand. He can't be bopping me and doing that at the same time. So concentrate on the behaviour you want, NOT the stuff you don't want.
6. Ignore the bad stuff, don't get riled and ASK for SOMETHING! This can help the animal refocus.
7. LEAVE and make a cup of tea rather than stay and punish the donkey!
Well ... good advice, eh? I have made a lion's share of mistakes and one of them is not following this sage counsel! Ringo and I have been working through this "mood" of his for the past three days and he is gradually settling again and I am gradually heeding the advice above. That's not to say that I beat him or anything ... but I do scold, sometimes yell (if I think I might get hurt) I say "NO!" sharply and yes, oh yes I have been known to bop him when the going gets rough. Bad stuff, this discipline and my reaction is surely fear based on my part.
So ... living closely with animals does indeed teach one a lot about one's own self and it ain't always pretty. But through the thoughtful and gentle approach of clicker training, I can learn patience and tools for dealing with uncomfortable situations. I'm certain that every harsh word spoken is a harsh word remembered and trust needs to be earned again.
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