With bad weather upon us I am trying to do some trick training with my 3yo but if I use treats he gets really mouthy. He’s pretty mouthy to start with but adding food is just more temptation than he can resist.
Any tips for trick training without treat rewards?
My dog has a spot on his neck he really likes scratched that is as effective as treats, so you would have to find something like that for your horse.
However, you can teach your horse to be polite about treats using clicker training (which I assume you are using to do the trick training). Simply DON’T give him the treat when he is rude, and click and give it to him when he is being good.
If he is pushing at you and nuzzling at you, no treat.
The second he moves his head AWAY or withdraws a bit, click and treat.
Think of it as teaching him the trick to “wait politely.”
First train him to hold his head away to get a treat. Super easy. I think I spent about 30 seconds teaching one of my horses this several years ago and then dropped it and to this day when her antics aren’t rewarded with a treat she’ll remember and stand there with her nose tipped away giving me the most imploring side eye.
What gypsymare said. In dog training it’s called “doggy zen”, and it’s the first step in training impulse control. Horse’s figure this one out really quickly.
Hold the treat in your hand. Horse will nudge your hand for it. The very second they back off, mark and treat. Just make sure you mark the backing off, not the nudging your hand part!
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