In conversation with-Irith Bloom certified professional trainer, behavior consultant and TAGteacher.

I hope you enjoy the conversation I had with friend and colleague Irith about training and behaviour including, parallels between horses and dogs and much more.Irith Bloom, author, presenter, trainer, and teacher, owns The Sophisticated Dog, a company that provides both peer-to-peer and trainer-to-pet-family services worldwide, as well as in-person training to select clients in Los Angeles. Along with Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Irith co-founded and is faculty at Carefree Companion, a program that helps people teach greater stress resilience and better emotional regulation to their non-human animal companions. Irith has been training animals since the 1980s and has worked with animals ranging from chickens and rabbits to dogs and horses—not to mention humans. A biologist by training, Irith is fascinated by the science of learning. She is a sought-after presenter at conferences and

seminars worldwide, and her writing has been published in countless online outlets, as well as in print media including her book “Your Puppy and You: A step-by-step guide to raising a freak'n awesome dog.” Irith is a CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC, VSPDT, KPA CTP, CSAT, CBATI-KSA, and a Fear Free Certified Practitioner (FFCP - Trainer). She is also certified in TAGteach, a positive-reinforcement method for teaching humans. Irith has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is faculty at both Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy and Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, on the Board of Directors of the IAABC Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board for Pets for Vets, Chair Emeritus of the Education Committee of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and a former CCPDT Board Member. She also volunteers for National English Shepherd Rescue. Irith lives in Los Angeles. She is between dogs at the moment, but shares her home with a well-behaved spouse.

Courses at https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/people/786-people/faculty/37995-irith-bloom

Irith on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSophisticatedDog/

We often think of behaviour produced with positive reinforcement as the only behaviour that can be shaped but of course behaviour produced using negative reinforcement can be shaped too. In this episode, I explore what constructional training is, how CAT protocols use R- to build functional skills, and where R- stops serving the learner and starts serving the trainer. Spoiler: for me it’s all about whose needs the behaviour is meeting.

As humans we might perceive many reinforcers in our world from edible delicacies to buying new clothes but often we feel limited with finding different reinforcers for our horses. This is a hypothetical discussion about using a 'time to relax' or 'giving a break' as a reinforcer.

https://www.equine.training/my-courses/ for my courses.

We consider your questions on:

Hunter training- balance and more

Choice vs Structure in training

Listening to horses

Reinforcers failing

Techniques we stole from dog trainers

X-species training

If you didn't catch the webinar you can do so at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-rr-4HLVY

Thanks to those who asked some brilliant questions.

In my equine scent work session with Rum this week, I made a mistake that really highlighted the need for an errorless approach. He indicated on the wrong container, the blank without odour (in theory) and my instinct, was to offer no reinforcement, and redirect him to the search. Not really an errorless approach. In an errorless framework, we don’t let the learner practise mistakes. Instead, we set up the training so they always have a clear path to success. In scent work, that means making the right choice easy and reinforcing it well, while using free food to reset if they make an unexpected response. When Rum got it ‘wrong,’ the real error was mine, my container was potentially contaminated. I should have dropped food to reset and adjusted the setup to prevent it happening again. It’s about guiding the learner rather than correcting them, so they’re always working in a space where success is inevitable.

[email protected] if you have questions

Please recommend the podcast, share it and like it.

In this episode my friend and colleague Katrina Per-Carruthers unpick some training fails and discuss solutions that are horse centred.

Mounting block problems, fence refusal and unwillingness to go forward were in our sights this time. If you have topics you'd like us to cover then do drop me a message.

Katrina Per-Carruthers lives in British Columbia, Canada where she trains a variety of species. Katrina has been a coach for over 15 years and is a passionate advocate for the use of humane training methods to improve animal welfare.

Find Katrina here:

https://www.instagram.com/leviosaequine

https://www.facebook.com/leviosaequine

https://www.leviosaequine.com/

I don't always recommend clicker training as a first option when I start working with a new client. Why? Well take a listen as I talk through a specific example and explain ways that I might add some R+ based training without the pressure of the trainer carrying food and having to be great at timing and mechanics.

How do I square this with working inside a LIMA framework?

As always questions and comments are welcome!

Email me at [email protected]

The topic of male horses 'dropping' when training with food (clicker training) has reared its head again- I'm glad because it is a topic we need to consider.

In this short episode I will explain (again) why I don't think we should brush this topic under the carpet!

Warning- I talk about penises in this episode.

If you want help with your horse dropping or over threshold when training with food- get in touch, [email protected] or www.equine.training

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