Horses Potty on Cue

You can teach your horse to potty on cue. We used "Free Shaping" to get this behavior and find it useful in many situations.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• horses
• clicker
• training
• free
• shaping
• potty

[AVotreSante2008]

Great work with your horses. However, what you are calling "free shaping" is actually a great example of "capturing". Free shaping involves clicking for incremental changes of an uncued behavior, such as teaching backing up by first "capturing" a slight rock back, then waiting for the horse to repeat the behavior, then gradually waiting for increments of more behavior until the horse is finally giving the goal behavior of backing up for several steps.

AVotreSante2008

[clickonsuccess]

Thanks for the comment. We understand free shaping to mean marking and rewarding (with a click and treat) a behavior that the horse initiates on his own. By repeatedly marking and rewarding the behavior and assigning it a cue word, we eventually can cue for and get the behavior on request. Jan

[AVotreSante2008]

I read your definition on your website, and respectfully disagree. In the sciences of learning theory and operant conditioning there are 5 distinct ways to train new behaviors: 1) capturing 2) shaping 3) modeling (also called molding) 4) luring 5) targeting.

How would you distinguish between capturing and shaping?

For a summary of Learning Theory, see my book

Canine Behavior: A Photo Illustrated Handbook.

Barbara Handelman, M.Ed, CDBC

[clickonsuccess]

Hi Barbara, I appreciate you're comments, and after researching the internet, find what you say to be true. We didn't "shape" the behavior, but rather "captured" it. I honesty don't remember reading about capturing or its definition as applied to operant conditioning. At some point was "free shaping" defined in a C.T. book the way we understood it? Seems I read it somewhere, but don't have any reference books available to me, as I checked them out of a library to read them.

Beth, RN

[whitestarline08]

thats a good trick but i could see the horse looking for s treat every time it went the bathroom....

[clickonsuccess]

Clicker trained animals sometimes offer a learned behavior without being cued to do so, hoping to get a treat. After they have learned a behavior, unless we cue for that specific behavior, they are not treated. A click = yes you did what I cued for = a reward.

[miniaturehorse303]

To me it isn't important if you call it "capture" or "free shaping", what is important is that you shared this video with us. I appreciate your sharing your knowledge. And who cares if each time the horse looks for a treat? Our mini is a therapy horse and now are able to ask her to do both of her business on command, she piddles on grass and poops into a huge zip lock bag. We no longer have to WORRY if she's going to eliminate while in hospitals and nursing homes. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

[Dannnnnie]

I would love to do this with my horse. She tends to wait until I bring her into the barn and she will pee about two times and poo about 4 times. If I could prevent this or get her to go outside, it would help a lot.

I don't understand how to start it though. If I stand outside with her she will not go. Do I have to wait in the pasture with her until she decides to go? Its winter, so if I have to do that then I would wait until the warmer weather. How do I start this out? Thanks!

[brians1222]

Dont know what the big deal is about the race horse people have ben doing this for years, worked the race tracks back in the 80s and all the horses were required to pee on comand for post racse test ,this was done long before I was there Its no big trick, a good groom can teach this in two or three days with no treates to make the owner feel better

[1minihorse]

@1minihorse Our training done and we've not had any accidents during visits. She piddles before going into building and poops in a zip loc bag once we've left the building. Consistent 100% of the time. Thanks you very much for sharing your knowledge!

[1minihorse]

Thank you very much for posting this video. I clicker trained my mini and she and I are now a Registered Therapy Team with Delta Society. I watched your video and training began. She now does fiz fiz before entering the VA hospital or nursing homes and when we get her in the car (sometimes after a 3 hr therapy visit) we get out a heavy duty zip loc bag, rub her buttocks and ask for plop plot and tail up and catch in the bag. Makes visits so much more enjoyable - Thanks for sharing :)

[Billishotheismine]

Stupid.

[1minihorse]

thanks so much for the video. I have a mini registered with delta society (in Mass.). Taking her to nursing homes and the such with poop bucket is okay but your method is so great. Have already started training her and she has the concept now working on being consistent, thanks so very much for your video.

[2Hot2TrotGoPasoFino]

LOL, a friend of mine taught her horse to pee on trail- whenever the horse's rider went pee, so did the horse!!

[AVotreSante2008]

Hi Beth,

I misspoke when I said there are five ways to train a new behavior. More accurately, there are infinite ways to train new behavior, but in c/t, learning theory, and operant conditioning there are 5 defined and accepted ways to "elicit" new behavior. Terminology is often misused, even in some training books. I prefer to stick to the lexicon of the significant body of scientific study because it gives clicker training with all animals the authority of being based on hard science.