Bomb Proof?

My donkey Rose, now 19 years old, was said to be bomb proof when I got her three and a half years ago.
Meaning that she has a calm temperment and doesn't spook at unfamiliar things.  Of course that's a desirable thing, especially in an animal that you plan to take out hiking or for walks in traffic or to the Fall Fair where there are kids and dogs or any number of scenarios.

But when you think about that expression: "bomb + proof," it seems a rather unfair term to apply to animals, doesn't it?

So how does a donkey become bomb-proof?  Is it just a quality of character (calm, unflappable?) or is training involved?  After all, donkeys are prey animals - it makes sense that if they feel threatened, they will run away.  And you can't train for every occurrence.

I remember the day that five emus walked onto our property - they had escaped their enclosure and set off on a walk-about.  There was no way I could have anticipated that!  Or the time when two donkeys fled their paddock near the road and ran down the meadow to the farthest corner in the woods.  I couldn't imagine what had scared them until I heard the quiet sound of snuffling and caught sight of a wandering piglet in the bushes!

Last night, Rose and I headed out into the cool evening air for a walk to the beach.  She was a happy
companion taking in everything along the way and enjoying an occasional stop for some huckleberry twigs.

Suddenly she froze, ears forward, body tense, almost quivering.  I couldn't detect anything but it's not unusual that the donkeys will hear something long before I do.  I always give them the benefit of the doubt and let them assess the situation.  So we stopped along the road and waited.  Sure enough, from a long driveway appeared a dog and its owner, out for a walk.  Phew!  "Just a dog, Rose," and we continued.

But for some reason, that dog set Rose on edge for the rest of the walk.  Later, we were at the path that leads down to the beach.  Rose practically jumped out of her skin and would have bolted towards home had I not asked her to stay with me!  Same dog, not at all interested in us and posing no threat.
Interesting reaction from Rose who was quite familiar with dogs in her previous home.

Every rustle in the bushes last night set Rose to quivering and wanting to flee.  And that's where clicker training is SO useful!  In spite of the night frights, I was able to ask Rose for something simple "touch my hand" and "stay with me" and she was able to refocus. 

Because of the work we have already done, she was also able to trust me and that's HUGE!  I wouldn't want to test this with a cougar at our heels but we will continue to work together, to build trust, to make our relationship rock solid so that we can depend on each other - positive reinforcement training works in many ways!

Pack-String Lesson #1

For a long time, I have mused about training my donkeys to work in a pack string ... one donkey tied and following behind the other.  When I have tried this with two donkeys, the donkey in the rear wanders over to the side instead of following behind and I haven't spent the time to work out a training plan for how to shape her for following the donkey in front.  A crop would be a useful extension of my arm but even then, I think we'd get in a muddle with just one trainer!

Now I have taught both Dorrie and Siog to follow (me) and have put that on cue!  When my young neighbour Forrest came over last week, I decided to try the pack string idea with Rose, who has been trained to drive, and Heather, who likes to follow Rose!

I suppose I should have tried it with Dorrie and Siog but since there were two humans, I decided to give this a go.

I put a surcingle on Rose and we started with one person leading Rose and one person leading Heather directly behind and reinforcing for just a few steps of what we wanted.  Eventually I tied Heather's lead rope to the surcingle but kept the rope up and off of Rose's back and kept leading Heather even though she was attached to Rose.

Rose felt the pressure of Heather's lead and stopped a few times but was easily encouraged to walk.  We used the fence line to keep us going straight with Forrest leading Rose and me staying right beside Heather's shoulder so she couldn't swing out.  If I moved away, that's what she did.

That's as far as we went on that first session!  The goal is to have one handler leading all four donkeys, one behind the other!

The photos are a bit misleading as this was more successful with 2 trainers and you're only seeing one as the other took a few hasty pictures.  Next time, I'll set up the video on the tripod so that we can both concentrate on donkeys. 

 Heather gets the idea that she is supposed to follow.

Forrest had to step away to take these pictures - two trainers were essential for Lesson #1! 

We reinforced both donkeys for just a few steps at a time.

We are on our way to the straight fence line!  You can see Heather's tendency to swing out to the side.

Heather's blue lead rope tied in a quick release knot to Rose's surcingle.

Some games with Siog!

Video taping your work

It's a quiet Christmas morning ... crisp and chilly outside and the ground has hardened somewhat underfoot - good news from the spongy, soft footing that the many days of rain created.  The day promises to be sunny! 

Two days ago, another sunny day, I got out my video camera with plans to make a little movie about walking out from the property with a donkey.  In everything the donkeys and I do, I try to set the environment for success.  That means that I gather what I need and plan things to minimize stress and confusion.  Going in and out of a gate where there are other loose animals is just one of those situations that can create jostling and where I might be tempted to hurry the donkey along and push the others back, either physically or verbally.  I try to avoid all that!

So I bring my donkey into a small separate paddock where the others can't try to follow and then lead her down a narrow walkway/ corridor and off we go.  But I have to go back and close the gate to the corridor,
which means teaching the donkey to stand and wait for me in an environment where she is free to head off into the big world on her own!

Many small steps involved, built on Alexandra Kurland's foundation lessons and I set up my video camera to capture this with Rose.  But I'm not going to post the video yet because I learned SO much from watching the short clip, that I want to redo it! 

Mostly I observed my own body language - we give off numerous cues to our animals all the time, and they should be intentional!  I saw where my food delivery (reinforcement) was not as precise as it should be  - Rose's head was turned or she was stretching her neck, putting her off balance.  Sounds like no big deal perhaps, but my goal is for clean, clear communication and a beautiful balanced partnership with my donkeys!

Video-taping yourself at work with your animal is SO incredibly valuable (I should do it more often)

And I will ... watch for it soon!  

In the meantime, happy holidays, peace and happiness to you and all your animals!

One Click, One Treat: why I prefer this approach to positive reinforcement training

Here is a rather long paper I have been writing on the subject.  I welcome your thoughts!

One Click, One Treat

Why I prefer this approach to positive reinforcement training

Some Nuts & Bolts about Clicker Training, some key (for me) points:

• Positive Reinforcement Training or Operant Conditioning (and the more colloquial name Clicker Training) is a training system based on science - the study of brain function, how we learn, behaviourism - that’s one very cool thing about it - it is science based!  

The science of operant conditioning proves that by reinforcing behaviour, you increase the likelihood of that behaviour happening again.  Therefore the opposite is also true - that by ignoring a behaviour (not reinforcing it) the behaviour will likely extinguish!

• Reinforcement can take many forms - it doesn’t necessarily mean food or treats or rewards.  It can be paying attention!  So even yelling at the dog to stop barking might be reinforcing in some way for the dog - he has got your attention!  

Important to remember that “reinforcement” is what the learner finds reinforcing NOT the teacher!  Example: If I gave you chocolate every time you swept the floor but you had an allergy to chocolate, then chocolate would not be reinforcing for you! You might even quit sweeping (the sweeping behaviour extinguishes!)  

So while one donkey might like scratches (Rose) another donkey may not (Siog) or one dog may loves his frisbee but another doesn’t. etc.  It’s up to us to find out what each individual animal finds reinforcing. 

• Operant conditioning also means that the learner becomes “operant” or in other words, makes choices, becomes the “operator” of their situation and learns that cues and behaviours/ actions trigger consequences.  

Animals are individuals and we tailor our training plans to suit each one.  As Alexandra Kurland likes to say “the horse will tell you what he/she needs to learn.”  By this she means that if a horse is, say pushing into your space uninvited, you can see that that particular horse needs to learn to stand politely, perhaps needs to learn to back up or station to a mat - while another horse may be timid and needs to learn to approach or “come!"

• Important to remember that we are not simply training behaviours, (do this, do that) but we are also reinforcing a calm attitude, good energy  and good balance and we are establishing a trusting relationship.  This is a 2-way street - we need to trust our animals and they need to trust us.

Clicker training, done properly, teaches both the trainer and the learner patience and gives us a lot of training tools to draw from as we teach and experience a variety of situations.

• The donkey is never “wrong” - if he/ she doesn’t understand what we are trying to teach, it’s never the donkey’s fault!  Perhaps we are unclear, working too fast, working in BIG steps instead of baby steps, or maybe trying to teach something the donkey cannot do.  
  Through a well planned clicker training lesson, the donkey learns to trust that we will not punish or hurt her. How often have you seen someone use punishment when they are afraid of their animal? We can fall into that trap so easily; we humans are very reactive!

• We work within the animal’s own comfort zone, allowing her to progress at her own speed and as the animal becomes fluent with the new behaviour, we add a cue and put it under stimulus control. When she shows us that she is ready to move on,  then we must move on, changing criteria by building duration and adding new variables to the lesson, such as changing location, building training loops and chains, and shaping the behaviour by asking for a tiny bit more proficiency. 

Also, we work a lot at liberty, so the donkey learns that she has choice - she can walk away, she isn’t restrained.  She becomes our partner - we are engaging her not bossing her around.  And choice, the freedom to choose and the freedom from any fear of punishment is also a huge reinforcer for our donkeys.

Follow the principles, have a plan, work in baby steps according to the learner’s needs (not your own!) practice your timing, your cues, pay attention to body language (yours and the learners) and you will be able to use these principles to train anybody.

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For really comprehensive reading (and video watching) on clicker training, I must refer to some really sophisticated trainers that I have either had the honour to work with, have heard their presentations at conferences or have read papers or books that they have written.  It would be silly of me to write about what has already been so eloquently presented.  Some people that really shine in their work with animals are:  Karen Pryor, Alexandra Kurland (and quite a few few of her students who are also professional trainers,) Ken Ramirez, Kay Laurence … but there are others, many others and I can come up with a much longer list!

I admit that I have been convinced by their careful methodologies, their deep understanding of behaviourism and their long experiences with a multitude of different animals, from marine mammals, all kinds of animals in zoo environments, equine and dogs.  The list of trainers that really excel in positive reinforcement training is growing and I certainly don’t claim to know them all. It’s exciting to see the increasing understanding and acceptance of this approach to animal training and welfare!

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One Click, One Treat ... or ...?

So without going into a step by step explanation of how to train, I want to write about one approach which has differing points of view, and is rather controversial. In fact this whole post stems from a video I just watched in which a professional trainer teaches students to click (mark the behaviour they want) but NOT reinforce each time.

So sometimes you click and treat and sometimes you click and don’t treat, but use the sound of the click as a keep-going signal, meaning, “don’t stop and no reinforcement is coming.” 

This trainer (and probably others too) suggest that when you consistently click and treat,

•  you create frustration in your animal, 
•  the animal will throw all kinds of unwanted behaviours at you, 
•  animal is only interested because of the food, 
•  your animal could become dangerous or aroused, 
•  the animal stops whenever they hear a click and this interrupts the flow of the training session.  

It's understandable that we humans wouldn't want to encourage any of the above. However we have to question whether the sound of the “click,” (the conditioned reinforcer or marker/ bridge signal,) can mean more than one thing, i.e. sometimes this, and sometimes that, to the animal. Can it be both a keep-going signal AND a marker signal?

Some people say yes; I am, respectfully, in the “no” camp. Here's how I address the concerns listed above:

Clicker training is a thoughtful training system - a process that takes the learner through a whole developmental learning program.  So, while the above list may in fact happen at early stages of learning, this is simply part of a training process, not the end result.  

Training an animal partner is always dynamic - shifting through micro-shaping to reflect progress and advancement. We use the clicker training process to teach our animals step by step.

We learn how to avoid frustrating our animal by using a high rate of reinforcement, then by gradually building duration, loops and chains.  We work with a micro-shaping strategy that teaches the smallest shifts in nuance using a high rate of reinforcement.

At their current level of training, my donkeys will now move through long sequences and I only click and treat at the end.  Now I can ask for numerous things in a row and they happily respond.  Now I don’t use my clicker when I pick hooves unless a hoof is sore.  Now I don’t click and treat for every step along our walks … they have learned those things and we can move on.

When the donkey understands the game, sure, she will offer behaviours to see what might get you to “click!” but we learn how to manage this by putting each behaviour on cue and then under stimulus control.  

We stay safe by using protective contact, if need be, until we have taught the donkey good manners around food (#1 important thing to teach!)   And it is well understood that although food IS the primary reinforcer, it’s really the game, the engagement, the problem/ puzzle solving, the enrichment that our animals are enjoying.

The unique sound of the click (the conditioned reinforcer) takes away any confusion in the learning process when it is timed correctly and followed by a primary reinforcer (usually food.)  Operant conditioning explains that a behaviour that gets reinforced is more likely to recur.

Is your animal following you around just because you have food? Donkeys and horses respond well to food (grazing is usually the most reinforcing thing for an equine.) But, interestingly, once our animal partner “gets the game” or becomes “operant,” we soon see that her eagerness to engage with us isn’t just about the food, it’s also about the relationship we are building through the training interaction and the enrichment to the animals' environment.  

Equine, like many animals, are naturally curious - given the opportunity and encouragement to think for themselves, they love to solve puzzles. I give 1 - 3 tiny hay pellets at a time, that’s it and yet my donkeys will stay glued to my side as long as we are playing the clicker game.

If the sound of the click ends the behaviour and the donkey stops,- what a great opportunity to begin again! I get to practice “walk on” or the beginning of any other behaviour again. Repetition is one key to

successful training.

Therefore, training needs to be a form of clear, easily understood communication, not ambiguous.  The click or marker signal, is a distinctive sound that is processed in the non-cognitive part of the brain called the amygdala, and communicates information to the animal that is easily and quickly understood:  YES! that’s what I wanted (behaviour, attitude) and now I’m going to give you something that you want (food, scratches!)

We actually don't want the animal learner to have to interpret, dissect, think about what the click means.

We want him/ her to “get it” immediately – the fact that this distinctive sound is recognized by the oldest part of the mammalian brain, makes this approach to training all the more effective.

So, can a red light sometimes means “stop” and sometimes mean something else?  No.  When I am in my car, I want everyone to understand that a red light means STOP - clear and unambiguous!  The same applies to  the kind of clicker training that I practice.

When I click, my animals know that this signal marks the exact moment they have done the small thing I am looking for and this is reinforced.  It’s clear information for all of us, one click, one treat.  

Some References:

1.) Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, 2014, Resurgence and Regression: Understanding Extinction So You Can Master It

From a presentation given by Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz during the 2014 Five Go To Sea Conference cruise.

Read Parts 1-15 here:

http://theclickercenterblog.com/page/2/?s=Resurgence+and+Regression%3A+Understanding+Extinction+So+You+Can+Master+It&submit=Search

2.) Martin, S. & Friedman, S.G. (2011, November). Blazing clickers. Paper present at Animal

Behavior Management Alliance conference, Denver. Co.

http://behaviorworks.org/files/journals/Blazing%20Clickers.pdf

3.) Alexandra Kurland, 2014, What is Clicker Training and http://www.theclickercenter.com/New--On-Line-Course.html

4.) Katie Bartlett's site: http://www.equineclickertraining.com/articles/articles_new.html

Wonderful examples of clicker training!

Here are some of my favorite video examples of clicker training animals.  I've put together a selection, featuring horses, dogs, donkeys, even a rabbit!  It's very exciting to see how positive reinforcement training is spreading throughout the world and how so many people are using this method to build trust, understanding and compassion with our animals and ourselves.

There's a LOT to watch here ... bookmark this page, as I'll be adding even more!


 Meaghan - Feeding two horses:
 https://youtu.be/JyN6Ezx76mE


Clara's horse Blessing waiting for her hay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBjXEULrxh0


 Sola Wolff - Equine Revelation - Passage
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Nz702CvUM


Debra Olson Daniels & Magic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ku0QjFmDf4#t=151


Chris Shank's Cockatoo & Horse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_jxuBOMv0E


Ken Ramirez - Targeting with Dogs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmJkDPnpYGU



from Kay Laurence's site: Changing a verbal cue to a visual cue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW6gc9xsllc



Rabbit Clicker Training
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYcvf5QrqHk


Kath Charlton & Bertie the donkey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vza6qsajIx8  - Fetch, retrieve & heel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x3oGM4_TCQ - Basic handling


Clicker trained Goats at the Oakland Zoo
https://www.facebook.com/OakZoo/videos/vb.353030440227/10155489099970228/?type=2&theater

Donkey Welfare Symposium Notes - Part 2

Here's a continuation of my training notes from the Donkey Welfare Symposium at UC Davis.

Day two:  After a morning of fantastic lectures (I'll write about those is Part 3) we arrive at the donkey training area with our shaping plans in hand.  Ben looked at them and made suggestions about how to break down the training steps even further and add more detail.

I was glad that I had taken the course in Operant Conditioning Behaviour Analysis through Dalhousie University - we had to write shaping plans so they are not new to me!

My goal was: stand on left side of my donkey and lay my hand on the donkey's shoulder while he is standing still- simple as that!

I also wrote that the donkey's attitude should be calm and attentive.  A note about this:  training for a calm, relaxed attitude (as well as for the behaviour you are looking for) was a BIG "aha!" for me last year.

This sounds so obvious to me now, but I didn't always link behaviour and attitude - I was simply happy to get the behaviour.  This is not good training IMO.  But I think I should write another post about this and ... I will!

Back to UC Davis:  my shaping plan also included an evaluation of where we had left off the day before which was: couldn't touch "Louie" but he stopped moving away from me at more frequent intervals.

Then I wrote out my steps towards my goal: 

Step 1:  approach and stop 10 feet away

Step 2:  back off and repeat

Step 3:  approach and stop 9 feet away

Step 4:  back off and repeat

and so on ... working in baby steps at the donkey's pace until I am able to stand beside him.  I won't touch him yet.  I am watching him to see how relaxed or nervous he is and I can back off and repeat steps, closing the gap in smaller increments as he needs me to.

This is about the donkey and not about me or about reaching my goal quickly.  Depending on the animal and his history, it might take days ... or longer!  

However .... voila!  Here's me and Louie a short time after we started working!  I have a halter slung over my shoulder - it's just there, not intended to be used yet. 

The big brown jenny came over to see what we were doing!  She offered a lot of comfort, and support to the gelding - it was quite amazing to witness.  Very fuzzy picture!

Day 3 and I have a halter on Louie.  He's anxious again and doesn't know where I might be taking him. Past experience would factor into this big time. 

Shaping Plan for Day 3 -

Evaluation of Day 2:  was able to touch Louie and put on a halter while he was standing quietly.  He relaxed during the scratching reinforcement and allowed me to run my hand down his front legs.
Seem to be gaining his trust.

Goal:  ask for a weight shift forward or hopefully 1 step with halter on

Step 1:  Repeat approach, scratch on withers and back off and few times.  If donkey is calm and standing still, move on to ...
Step 3 :  Halter on, reinforce for standing quietly with scratching and praise
Step 4:  Use firm, gentle pressure on lead rope, stand next to donkey's shoulder.  Release pressure immediately following weight shift or step forward - reinforce!

I was successful in leading Louie to the front off the small enclosure.  I let him walk back on his own.
Ben talked again about the importance of shaping plans, saying that it gives a clear place to stop for the day (or session) that without a plan, we will be tempted to push on .... ask for more and he feels this is a mistake. 

Have a written plan and stick to it. Small steps forward and you will stretch the donkey's comfort zone slowly and methodically without pushing him to a place beyond his threshold.  You want to end every session on a good, positive note.

Here's Ben working with Abner, the very anxious mule:

Ben also talked about the need to become a "behaviour detective," always watching the animal's response and body language. Also important to perfect one's own timing.  The release of pressure must be immediately following compliance from the animal (my words)  as this is the reinforcement (-R) removing the pressure.

I really enjoyed learning about this process without using food.  Although clicker training is my method of choice, I do think there are occasions when other options  might be useful.

Ben did a demonstration with Abner using food however.  He feels wearing a treat bag is very useful in cueing the animal that "yes, now there are food reinforcements available."  This is different from some other approaches ... I've heard excellent trainers say that they always have treats in their pockets so that they can reinforcement anything they like, even though not in a formal training session.

I have noticed though with my own four donkeys, that they certainly recognize the treat bag as an invitation to work.  Although we are always "training" when with our animals (important to remember!) we are also giving them cues all the time too, through body language, words, gestures and tools/ training aids.

more coming in Part 3 ...

Notes from the Donkey Welfare Symposium - Setting the scene + training, Part 1

I'm back from California and the symposium was quite an experience!  I'm going to try to post my notes in several parts:  training and welfare (meaning everything else I learned!)

This post will be Part 1 about the training sessions I attended with Ben Hart from the UK http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/blogs/ben-hart . Ben works for the UK Donkey Sanctuary and was part of the team that presented at the symposium.  Actually the UK Sanctuary was one of the main sponsors of the 3-day event.

Shortly before leaving home, I found out that I was lucky enough to claim one of the 20 spots in the training clinic (3 afternoons) due to a cancellation. Since working with donkeys is my passion (along with making art) I jumped at the chance! I wasn't at all sure what to expect and I couldn't have anticipated what awaited me at the UC Davis campus.

Setting the scene:  About 30+ donkeys and one mule had arrived at the campus (they have a large veterinary school and teaching hospital) just a few hours before we did.  They had traveled 28 hours from Texas in a stock trailer and were clearly exhausted.  These donkeys were in the care of the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR) - the largest donkey rescue in the US, now caring for 3,000 donkeys!  Yes, you read correctly, I didn't add a zero!

The enormity of the problem of unwanted, abandoned and neglected donkeys in the US is simply staggering.  Some of the contributing factors that contribute to the problem are climate change/ drought, continued breeding programs, economic hardship and the lowly status of donkeys in general.

Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue http://www.donkeyrescue.org/ is committed to taking in and re-homing any donkey that needs help - they focus on adoption so they can make room for more.  An adopted donkey always belongs to them, so if the new owners' life changes, the donkeys go back to PVDR .

So, on the first afternoon of the training sessions, we were asked to choose a donkey to work with. I didn't
have any preferences, so ended up with a young gelding (he's the roan in the picture above) who had been picked up as a stray in Louisiana 6 years ago and has been at the rescue ever since. He was exceptionally wary and I couldn't get near him.

Ben had us working with positive reinforcement using scratches on the withers as the reinforcement (+R) and backing away as the negative reinforcement (-R) i.e. removing the thing that the donkey wanted to avoid ... ME!  Of course each donkey was different and Ben talked about understanding and investigating species behaviour, breed behaviour and finally individual behaviour.

He asked us to become "donkey detectives," saying that donkeys are small communicators due to their stoic nature and that we need to scale down our body language.  He said that trainers need 10 solutions for 1 problem - I really liked that!

So how to work with a donkey I couldn't get near?  In a different setting, I would have begun with a long target stick and some treats, probably putting them in a feed dish after the donkey had touched the target.  Using food in this context would have been a bad choice in my opinion!  It would have been impossible to set the environment for success.

There were 20 students and a bunch of observers - introducing these donkeys to clickers and polite manners around food would have been a mistake, especially since the donkeys were moving on to other situations and the students were (mostly) novices at clicker training. 

Instead we practiced our timing using our body language.  In the small penned area I was working in, I followed my donkey at a distance that he felt was acceptable, trying to walk alongside of him if possible.  He kept retreating into the sheltered area. At first I didn't press him - I didn't want to corner him or make him feel trapped, so I moved slowly.  Eventually I stood in the doorway, giving him room to leave if he chose and that's exactly what he did.  I could see his eyes look fearful as he politely took a wide path around me to go back outside. But soon, I did step in with him and if he stood still, I left.

Here's the key point:  When he moved, I moved with him, when he stopped moving, I backed off.
That's how Day 1 ended.  I got to move closer to him, but not touch him, he began to understand the game and stopped moving more frequently.

Ben talked about working in baby steps towards a goal - successive approximation.  Our homework was to write a shaping plan for the next day.  He explained his strong conviction that we need to write down our goals and our baby steps towards them, that we should NOT keep everything in our heads and then "wing it" when we are with our animals as this will lead to moving too quickly and forgetting where we got to in our last session.

to be continued in the next post ...

Donkey Welfare Symposium ... I'm going!

I am VERY excited that I am able to attend the 2nd Donkey Welfare Symposium at UC Davis, CA
in just 2 weeks!

It promises to be three intense days full of information and experiences.  I am signed up to attend clinics in dentistry, farrier work and parasitology as well as morning presentations on a wide scope of donkey-related topics, including driving, packing and training.

Should be amazing and I'll be sure to take several blank notebooks and report back.

http://donkeywelfaresymposium.homestead.com/

On another note, we have had torrential rains already (early this year!)  The donkeys are getting very wet every day and I am always torn between confining them, which I rarely do and letting them decide to go to shelter.  This has always been my approach.  However I am already worried about rain rot.  

In the evenings, I lay towels over their backs while they are eating and I am doing the final chores of the day.  I figure at least the towels might wick up some moisture for the brief time they are on the donkeys.

Heather and Rose love to be toweled off but Dorrie and Siog, not so much.  

I am slowly training them to allow this by using both positive and negative reinforcement.  Remember that "negative" reinforcement means the removal (think subtraction) of something the donkey wants to "avoid," while positive reinforcement means the addition of something the donkeys want.

So by offering the towel and then removing it, I am taking away the thing the donkey wants to avoid.  This is negative reinforcement.   When paired with a click to mark the behaviour I want:  donkey standing still, and treat (positive reinforcement) the learning process is made very clear, the donkey is not threatened by the offending object.  

Slowly I can build duration: towel stays on back longer, and increase criteria:  I can move the towel to dry them off!

Introduction to Clicker Training - my 1st presentation!

Had a great turn-out for my first talk and demonstration about clicker training this past Saturday!
There were people here who live with donkeys, horses, sheep, dogs and a few who don't currently have animals but were interested in the subject!

I organized the talk on 4 posters - it was a great learning experience for me to develop this presentation.
As always, when one has the opportunity to teach others, one learns a LOT!

Forrest assisted and was wonderful - the donkeys showed some great examples of "operant" animals and I was proud of them!

Here are the posters that I made as discussion points - there was lots to elaborate on and quite a few questions.  People seemed genuinely interested, judging by how long they stayed!

apologies for the fuzzy images ...!

Poster #1

Poster #2

And finally, with HUGE thanks for continued inspiration to Alexandra Kurland,  www.theclickercenter.com
and may other wonderful trainers from Alex's on-line Clicker course, and to Heather Logan & Melissa Cox both trainers and instructors from the course I took through Dalhousie U.,  I have written down just a few of the many pertinent ideas, learned through my studies.

My first presentation!

On Saturday, October 4th, I am very excited to be presenting my first talk and demonstration called Introduction to Clicker Training - force-free training for all species!

I intend to cover both the art and science behind positive reinforcement training - the how's and why's of what it's about.  If the weather is nice (it's supposed to be) I'll do some demonstrations with the donkeys, if not, I'll just give the talk indoors.

Here's my write-up:

Introduction to Clicker Training - force-free training for all species!  

Saturday, October 4th at 1 PM.

I had my first glimpse of clicker training at a conference in 2004 and my curiously was definitely peaked!  Seeking out presenter and horse-woman, Ilse de Wit, I had a couple of private sessions in Millarville AB and was introduced to the basics.  Ilse’s mentor is US-based Alexandra Kurland, the pioneer of clicker training for horses.  I attended my first of three clinics with Alex in Cochrane AB at Monty Gwynne’s ranch. Monty (www.theponyfairy.com) is herself a horse clicker trainer and long-time student of Alex’s, having come to clicker training via more traditional methods.  

Monty has since come to Denman Island twice to work with me and my donkeys as well as other horse owners. 

I have also had several training sessions with Sola Wolff, (www.equinerevelation.com) an amazing young trainer living in WA who works with horses and mules.  And I’ve been back to train with Alex, at clinics in Cochrane AB and Toutle WA. I was even able to attended an equine clicker training conference in the UK last Fall!

Alexandra Kurland is on faculty at the Karen Pryor Academy’s Clicker Expo - bi-annual conferences held in the US.  So naturally, I longed to attend and was able to go to two that were held in Portland.  These conferences are an amazing series of lectures, presentations and dog-training “labs” given by some of the world’s most renowned trainers and behaviour scientists.  It was there that I was able to see and hear about some of the extraordinary things that have been taught to animals ... on farms, in zoos, marine environments and private homes, without force, without punishment! 

Through Dalhousie University, I was accepted to be a “beta-tester” for a soon-to-be offered on-line course.  Once launched, I enrolled and completed Operant Conditioning Behaviour Analysis, earning top marks.  The course required weekly video submissions of our work with our chosen course animal, as well as tests on theory and practice. Currently I am enrolled in Alexandra Kurland’s on line course through www.theclickercenter.com.

Why do I keep studying?  The more I learn about the principles and applications of clicker training, the more passionate I become, realizing that this process is both accessible to all of us and deeply layered.  Best of all though, I love working with animals, my donkeys in particular, and clicker training has had a hugely positive impact on all of us. 

Clicker training principles, understood and practiced, can enrich the lives of our companion animals and ourselves so that a willing partnership, based on mutual respect and trust is established. 

It is a very lively, creative technique, adaptable to any species.  You can teach anything that an animal is physically and emotionally capable of doing and you learn so much about yourself in the process … how to be non-reactive, how to solve training puzzles, deal with basic husbandry needs and so much more!

I will share all of this with you and more during an informal presentation and demonstration on Saturday October 4th at 1 PM sharp.  Although the session is free, I will have a donation jar for the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada, should you feel moved to contribute.  Everyone interested is welcome!

Leading & How I use Pressure & Release of Pressure

Being able to lead a donkey is, of course, simply one of the essential things that both you and your donkey need to learn.  But, having said this, even a well trained donkey may decide he or she is simply not up to the task!

There are various reasons from what the donkeys tell me, such as: "I don't feel like going anywhere just now;" It's too close to when you might feed me;"  "I'm feeling particularly attached to my herd;" "You want me to walk UP hill?" "Okay I'll come but we're going to eat grass, right?" ... just to name a few.

This evening I headed out with Heather and she inspired me to write this post.  She was keen to go ... at least for the first few yards, then she stopped and it was stop and go to the end of the driveway and then stop and go partway down the road until finally, (phew!)  she decided she was up for it!  Had I not cajoled her at the start, we wouldn't have gone at all.  If I didn't have some clicker training skills in my toolbox, I might have gotten impatient and frustrated with her, which wouldn't have helped either one of us.

So here's what I do.  After putting on a halter and lead rope, I invite my donkey to "walk on."  I do this by facing forward, standing at the donkey's shoulder and extending my left hand forward which is my cue for "walk on."  Invite is a key word here, as this is a partnership and I ask instead of tell.

IF my donkey doesn't step forward, I take my left hand, gently slide that hand down the lead rope towards the snap and apply firm but still gentle, steady pressure.  Make sure, you aren't pulling the donkey's head sideways towards you but just forward and I keep the lead rope fairly short.  Now I just wait her out.

I don't escalate pressure by pulling harder or raising my voice.  I do have one donkey who is trained to drive and she is used to responding to a small tap on her rump - but the others don't have driving experience so I don't do this with them.

Pressure creates a desire for change and as soon as I feel the slightest movement forward - a lean or  shift in weight, I immediately release all pressure on the lead rope.  This is so important that I have underlined the key bits!  It's also important that you don't release the pressure before that weight shift - i.e. don't pull and release, pull and release if the donkey hasn't shown the slightest inclination to move!

If you practice clicker training as I do, click and reinforce the forward movement immediately but if you don't work this way, then the release of pressure also acts as a reinforcement or reward.  Timing is critical - you really must release that pressure on the lead rope immediately as the donkey moves - and if you are consistent and your timing is good, very soon she'll understand.

My goal is to walk at a brisk pace at the donkey's shoulder (you don't want to creep forward and block her vision,) which by the way is peripheral.  Sometimes, I find that my donkey is happier following me and this is especially useful on a narrow trail or for some reason the donkey needs the security or confidence of being in the rear, so I'll take either position.  I have one donkey though that will yank me over to the grass if she is behind me - "aha!" she thinks, "my leader can't see me, I think we'll go this way!"

I want to walk with a loose lead, the snap hanging straight down and the belly of the rope forming a "U" shape between me and the donkey. And I want my donkey's neck and head to be soft and either facing forward or slightly towards me but not to the right.  If you lose control of a donkey's head because she is pulling to the right, she can get away from you or you end up in a tug of war.  I just HATE pulling and yanking on my donkey's head so I train for the correct head position using clicker training to reinforce baby steps towards what I am looking for.  I also reinforce for ears forward - even one ear!  By doing this, I am reinforcing attitude as well as behaviour.

Last night after Heather decided a walk was a good thing, we had a great time!  I took her down to the beach and she plowed right through the deep beach stones to the water's edge.  We jogged a bit along the road too and investigated some new things to touch.  All in all a lovely evening stroll for both of us!

Oh and it's good to practice leading from both sides of the donkey too!

Kids!

This summer, I decided to host three "open barn" days for kids - the idea is to introduce kids to my four donkeys, give them a bit of donkey info, you know, facts and lore and even talk a bit about positive reinforcement training and the terrific option of training without scolding or punishing.

I'm a passionate believer in encouraging relationships between people and animals - it's really hard to explain the deep, heart-felt connections that are possible when you truly get to know and love someone from another species.

So I picked three dates and advertised a bit in our small community.  These events are also to support the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada, headquartered in Quelph, Ontario, so I have brochures and newsletters available as well as a donation jar.  100% of anything donated will be sent to them in honour of their dedicated and compassionate work for donkeys.

The first date was yesterday.  Three to six year old's were invited (with an adult in tow) and it was really fun!  We had seven kids and eight adults - it felt like a BIG crowd!  And it was HOT - about 32 Celsius.

The donkeys were haltered and the kids were given a few "rules" - "don't walk directly behind them," "don't yell and scream or otherwise scare them,"   etc. and then they came through the gate, got introduced and could pet and groom to their hearts content!

I did a few short demos on what they can do (clicker trained of course!) and the donkeys were brilliant!

I always worry a bit about Siog as she can be a tad pushy and hasn't decided how she feels about kids.  At one point, I tied her and Dorrie to the fence as I thought four loose donkeys were too many.  The kids were mostly wearing sandals or flip flops (yikes!) and I was worried someone would inadvertently get stepped on and pushed down.

But Siog told me after awhile that she needed to be untied and SOON please, so I did and as it turned out, all she wanted was to show the kids what she could do:  stand on a pedestal, drop her nose to the ground, smile, play fetch - the list was long and she was ... performing!  Rose, Heather and Dorrie just sucked up all the attention.  Dorrie can get quite jealous, but she sniffed the kids all over and was her kind self.

I wish I had taken more photos - meant to, but was so busy as kids arrived at different times.
Here are a few ...

and we even played "Pin-the-tail-on the Donkey!"  while Dorrie watched through the gate!

The next date is August 2nd and I will definitely try to get more photos.