Recently Hirsch’s in Hillcrest had a team build with a difference which involved a pony, two dogs and a gentlemen with a difference… Dave Leslie is the owner of Meadow Ridge Equestrian farm and has developed methods to improve communication between people.
Story: Sarah Poulsom
These methods were demonstrated using a famous technique called clicker training. Dave used Vicky Maduray as his trainee, demonstrating how effective the training is using simple positive body language with an audio reward, been the clicker. He compared this training to simple positive everyday gestures like hello, thank you, have a good day etc, with tone and body language playing an important role.
“Clicker training” is an animal training method based on behavioural psychology that relies on marking desirable behaviour and rewarding it. Clicker trained animals are learning in a way that researchers call “operant conditioning.”
Animals (and people) may also associate an action, event, place, person, or object with a consequence, whether pleasant or unpleasant. The more a certain event or environment is paired with a particular consequence, the stronger the association. This type of learning is called “classical conditioning” and represents reflexive or automatic behaviour, rather than intentional behaviour.
While clicker training initially employs classical conditioning, it quickly becomes operant conditioning as the animal intentionally repeats an action in order to earn a reward. Training through operant conditioning results in purposeful behaviour, while training through classical conditioning results in habitual behaviour.
The difference between an animal that behaves with purpose, rather than by habit, is vast. Clicker trained or conditioned animals try to learn new behaviours. They remember behaviours even years later because they were aware of them as they learned them, rather than acquiring them without awareness.
They develop confidence because they have control over the consequences of their actions. They are enthusiastic because they expect those consequences to be pleasurable.
All in all, the staff had a super time and learnt a lot about communication.
For more information on these training techniques, contact Dave Leslie on 083 653 3884.