Day 3 - Community Clicking

Day 2 passed without any clicking at all, but Thyme did take some apple slices from my hand, which is more than Annie will do. I believe (imagine?) I can already see a more trusting tone in Thyme's manner towards me. Strangely quick response, if true.

This morning, Day 3, I set out to do more clicker/grain-in-cup training. Because of the weather, we had a large audience of ponies and goats -- everybody was inside. I've decided that I can't wait for the ideal conditions, in this case isolation, to get on with Thyme's training. The other ponies will have to watch and I'll just have to take my chances with that. Worst case scenario, it will make it hard for any of the other ponies to ever learn the actual use of the clicker, since they won't get the true first hand, contingent experience of the unconditioned stimulus, the grain, paired with the clicker. Sometimes they'll just hear the clicker paired with nothing. Best case scenario, they learn the same things Thyme learns, only through observation, rather than first hand experience. I may try to mitigate some of the risk by giving any pony who observes Thyme training at least a few trials of whatever training Thyme is getting.

In any case, today Thyme was unconcerned with the clicker itself and dove right into the matter of extracting tiny pieces of grain from the small cup with her big mouth. Tyche got equal time with the grain and clicker. I was pleased that both Thyme and Tyche used only their upper lip to retrieve the bits of grain. Neither tried to use their tongue or teeth. Josie and Shadow both got a few goes. I may have given all the minis (BomBom, Tigerlilly, Jesse, and Chief) a couple trials each as well, though I don't remember now, 12 hours later.

And finally, Annie got a few turns. Annie, who, if anything, was far more reluctant than Thyme. We speculate that in the entire 17 years before she came to us, Annie had never been given treats, never mind  by hand. In fact, one of the first times the 11-year-old tried to give Annie an apple, the 11-year-old's entire hand ended up in Annie's mouth. I don't know which one of them was more surprised. Nobody was hurt, but both parties were shaken up.

No such untoward events occurred today with either Annie or Thyme.