Clicker Training Animals

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     Clicker training is a method or process of training an animal using a clicker as a marker for desirable behavior and rewarding it. Behavior of often rewarded with a treat. This practice is commonly called "click and treat" or "clicker training".
The clicker is typically a plastic box with a thin piece of metal that makes a brief, unique "click" that tells the horse they're performing the desired action. All you have to do is click and reinforce behavior by giving a treat to the horse whenever he obeys to do whatever you are trying to teach him to do.
A clicker has a unique sound that most horses typically have not yet heard before. It is also more consistent than using the human voice. A clicker must be accompanied by a 'treat' or a snack that the horse loves to eat. Bring a treat that is practical and not something that's too big. A treat that is delightful and fresh is very much recommended. Some typical treats for horses include: grains, carrots (small pieces), dry breakfast cereals, animal crackers, peppermints, hay stretchers and Valentine's sweetheart candies. There are also commercial horse treats available at your local co-op.
If possible, teach your horse in a place where there's no other animals around because if the other horse is aggressive and tries to take the food away from you, the two may become distracted from the mission at hand. You may choose to keep moist treats sealed inside a zippered bag. You can also place them inside your own pocket or vest if applicable.
To introduce the clicker to your horse; Click then provide a reward. So whenever you make a click, the animal will get the idea that the click means reward. The way to enforce this is really simple - just click your clicker and then give a treat to your animal. Do this several times and soon enough whenever you make the noise, the animal will immediately look to you expecting a treat. Now, whenever the animal follows your direction or does the right trick then sound the click of your clicker. This sound tells the animal that he did something good and that he's going to get a treat for doing such.
A common method involves starting by teaching the horse to touch a target with their nose, aptly called the nose-touch. Target training is an easy way to know how quickly individual horses can be clicker trained. A target can be in the form of an empty plastic bottle or anything that is easy for your horse to see and is available when you begin training. Place the object near the horse's nose, make the click and treat the horse when it bumps the target. Do this technique several times.
Generally it is really very important to keep every training session short. Several short sessions that last for about 5-10 minutes or less are ideal for this type of reinforcement. In the same way that humans get bored with long talks, horses too find it strenuous to undergo prolonged clicker training sessions. Therefore, it's best to be quick and effective with the time you spend in training your animals.