ending a clicker session

[Lyndsey Lewis]

Can folks tell me how they end their clicker training sessions?

I have a dilemma about it because my horses so loooove their sessions that it appears somewhat aversive to stop. If that's the case, then I don't want to just stop without some sort of signal especially if they just did something wonderful. What I have been doing is slapping my hands together and saying the words 'All Done' and then tossing some cookies in a bucket and walking away. Oh and I try and end on a kind of calm note...so if for instance my pony did a  beautiful rear, I will c/t that and then do a little  head down or target - sort of boring stuff for him (...??) and then say 'All Done'.

But I was thinking about this today and wondering if all I'm doing is making the slapping of my hands a kind of aversive motion...???

I know it must sound nit picky as I'm not seeing any problems or fallout but I'm more curious than anything about what's going on in their heads and if there is a better way to end a session?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts about this!

[Trudi]

I have given this some thought too Lyndsey and I'm afraid I'm no help because I'm oscillating between two trains of thought.

a) I don't ever end because there is always a chance that I may 'see' something or be offered something I want to shape, even on the walk back to the yard. This works fine so far as I alternate between periods of heavier reinforcement for a new behaviour (or an improvement) and say some more energetic fat busting work (which by it's nature is hard to heavily reinforce) and I pretty much always finish on some stationary/slow moving massage type work so I think they would intepret this as a 'finish' thus rarely/never ending on a high reinforcement for small offers session.

b) I have used the word 'finish' and hand waved over the treat bag to signify the end point and this also seems fine for them.

I suppose I'll have to make my mind up one way or the other, perhaps this thread will help. For the moment I think the first seems the more rounded, logical answer.

[catkin]

Bum-bag on equals CT is starting, bum-bag off equals end of session. They don't look for treats if I am not wearing the bag. I also say 'finish' and give a handful of nuts in a bucket. Mine seem fine with this, I try hard to always make sure that the sessions are not interrupted so that the horse doesn't feel 'cheated' in that way.

I only use CT whilst working a horse either ridden or in-hand and we are on our own - I find it mentally concentrated for both of us so don't use the technique around the yard for general manners-type training/reinforcement. Again the horses have picked up on this subtlety very quickly and appear to understand. I started working/training the horses without treats and introduced the clicker and its rules later, almost as a sort of 'gold-star-plus' escalation of reward.

I am the only person to ride/school them so we can easily make up a set of rules that work for us (and the welshie has had quite a lot of her own suggestions on what they should be!!) - they are handled around the yard by other people too so I feel it's less confusing all round that CT is not used, anyway we have differentiated between 'manners' and 'work' and the horses are fine with this.

[hilary]

I tend to signify end of a session by putting some treats on the ground , then walking away, whilst they are eating, but am rather like Trudi , wander between the 2! The treats on the ground normally signifies the end of a formal session .
Would be useless with bumbag on and off, as a0 would lose it, and b, would have to have five different colour bumbags one for each horse

[nona]

Catkin's first paragraph describes almost to the letter what I do, except I say a lively OK, and also give an enthusiastic rub on the neck.  Not sure why I do that exactly but it seems right.

Nona