Ellen Ofstad's Page

Clicker training camels

OK, this is not a horse video :) We are currently working on a new video about clicker training, and in this video we show all kinds of animals in order to demonstrate that this is something that can be used on all animals. Of course we will show how to get started with a horse in particular, but in this clip it’s all about camels.

Foal training continues, he is getting playfull

Bravo, now three weeks old is getting braver by the minute. Here he first meets Amie, the dog, and gets a little overwhelmed, but that doesn`t last very long. He is now ready for some regular horsetraining, it's time to learn to yield to pressure and have a halter on.

A word of cation; a foal this size is strong enough to hurt someone, notice my placement in relation to him, and that I always keep an eye on him.

Foal training; Preparing for a halter with clicker training

The training of the foal Bravo continues. Bravo is three weeks old and today he got his first own bucket. We are now starting using food rewards with the clicker training, and teaching him to be handled on the head and the feet. Next step will be to put a halter on.

Foal training session continues

The training session continues a little later the same day. This clip is filmed a little closer, so it’s easier to see what I am doing.

Bravo is at a very mouthy stage, and I don’t «correct» that. It’s clear that this mainly is something he does when I touch him in places he is not comfortable (an trying to correct him wouldn’t make him feel any better about it!). In stead I stand where he can’t reach me with his mouth.

Foals first training session

Two days have passed since Bravo first approached humans. He is getting very comfortable and adores getting scratched around his withers. Under the disguise of petting him, we carefully start to handle him a little; getting him used to being touched in new areas, as well as restraining him a little.

With his parents casually grazing nearby and soft music playing in the garden, he really doesn’t even know that he is being trained!

Our movements are quick so that he doesn’t have a chance to pull away from the feel of our hands in new places. We move from scratching his favorite spots, and then quickly run our hands over his legs, under the belly and over his neck. The head is more difficult for him, so we hold off on that area for now.

We prevent him from moving forwards by holding an arm in front of his chest to get him used to being restrained. At this age it’s a lot easier for a foal to be held back like this, than to be held by a halter. As soon as he relaxed we release him.

The session is kept short, and we often check to see if he wants to leave. Keeping him away from his mother if he wants to go to her would only make this a negative experience, and the most important thing here is to make him feel good about the handling.