Well, Mira has had about 4 "training sessions" (if you can call them that, less than 5 minutes each!) and she is still doing well with learning the trick. I had an absolutely insane week last week, so after that first time, it was a couple days before I even tried a refresher with her. I was feeding her, and before I put the bucket down, I decided to see if she remembered. So I gently tapped the back of her cannon bone with my foot, and before I could even say the "Foot-foot-foot" cue she had picked her leg up! She was very quick and looked at me like, "OK, I did it, now I WANT MY FOOD!" LOL
I was tickled pink that she remembered. :-)
We've done a couple more quickies like that, just to keep it somewhat fresh, and then today I got a banana and we did a short practice session again. This time I also introduced the concept of moving her leg towards a tap on the front of her cannon bone. I will continue shaping the trick until I can "draw" her leg in any direction I ask. And then eventually, I intend to refine until I can just point at the leg and she will pick her foot up.
To Photogchic, I'm afraid I haven't tried clicker training with her, so I can't really tell you which is the best way to go, but Mira seems to have picked this way up quickly. Too quickly, maybe - it might not keep your Maddy occupied for that long! Although, I bet she would enjoy showing off for the farrier! :-)
Ta Da!
L
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2 comments:
I hate to say this, but you have to remember she IS an Arabian. They are so so smart and Mira is not exception!!
Yeah, Mira is definitely showing me just why Arabs have been used for improving so many breeds! Sound into old age, pretty, smart... :-) I'm just very glad she's on "the right side of the law" if you know what I mean - she would be a terror if she wanted to be mischevious!
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