3. What‘s the Point of the Clicker?

+R trainers often use clickers or a specific sound to “mark” a behavior.

The marker, or bridge signal, bridges the gap from the behavior to the reinforcer. The click becomes a secondary reinforcer because the horse knows that his reward is coming. Trainers use bridge signals to make the training more precise and communicate information to the horse that the behavior he was performing at the time of the click earned him the reward & that that reward is on its way!

The use of a clicker tool or a tongue click (not to be confused with a “cluck” as for most horses that is a move-your-feet cue) is important for more complex behaviors. By using a bridge signal, you don’t have to try to feed the moment the behavior is offered. Doing so would be ineffective & unclear to the horse — especially with behaviors like piaffe, or trotting. The clicker buys the trainer time and keeps training clear.

For more explanation on the clicker — https://www.equitheory.com/positive-reinforcement/glossary

How to Start Clicker Training with +R — https://www.equitheory.com/blog/how-to-start-clicker-training-with-r

I also have an entire blog post dedicated to the subject — https://www.equitheory.com/blog/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-clicker

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EquiTheory Podcast — Hosted by Jill Treece of JETEquiTheory

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