Mary Hunter
maryhunter.bsky.social
Mary Hunter
@maryhunter.bsky.social
Master's in #BehaviorAnalysis.
Fascinated by the science of behavior.
Having fun #ClickerTraining with horses.
Also a lover of native plants! :)
How do you move a young horse when they don’t feel like walking on a lead rope?

I haltered Chewie's buddy and took Allie where we needed to go!

Chewie was happy to follow. 😀

Longer version in this post:
stalecheerios.com/chewie/alway...

#ClickerTraining #HorseTraining #PositiveReinforcement
February 22, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Even when you aren’t doing "training," your animal is still learning.

I've been thinking about how I can structure my interactions with Chewie so that she is having good learning experiences.

Read more in this week's blog post:
stalecheerios.com/chewie/alway...

#Horses #PositiveReinforcement
February 21, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Allie says: Hope you are having a relaxing Sunday!! 😀

(Chewie is more settled in at the new barn and was moved recently to a pasture. Allie is Chewie’s new BFF.)

#horses #Horse #appaloosa #appaloosaHorse
February 16, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Earlier this week, I lectured to an undergrad behavior analysis course.

To introduce the idea of shaping, I shared a series of photos from 1952.

You can read more on my blog!
stalecheerios.com/dog-training...

#ClickerTraining #DogTraining #Dogs #BFSkinner
#ShapingBehavior #PositiveReinforcement
February 14, 2025 at 7:31 PM
NPR episode:
“when chatbots play human”

Worth listening to!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...
When Chatbots Play Human
Podcast Episode · Up First from NPR · 02/09/2025 · 24m
podcasts.apple.com
February 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
My new pony, Chewie, has been here for a week!

So, it’s time for a formal introduction.

In this blog post, I talk about Chewie’s background, the rescue group I adopted her from, and why I chose Chewie!
(Or maybe, she picked me. 😊)

I also write about what we’ve been doing during the past week.
Chewie’s Diary Week 1: Arrival
I have a new horse! Chewie and I have just wrapped up our first week together. In this post, I want to introduce you to Chewie and tell you what we’ve been doing so far. Where did Chewie come from...
stalecheerios.com
February 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Chewie is getting settled in at the new barn.

We’ve been getting to know each other this week. First order of business: find all the itchy spots!

She enjoys the attention and will reposition herself to “tell” me to scratch in a different spot.

#positivereinforcement #positivehorsetraining
February 7, 2025 at 9:16 PM
This cute, fuzzy little gal is heading my way!! 😍

The hauler picked her up in Houston around noon. She will be arriving here in North Texas this evening. More updates later on.
February 4, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Join me in April for this year’s ABMA conference! 😀

ABMA was my most favorite conference last year. I know this year will be just as great.

ABMA is dedicated to advancing knowledge about animal welfare, training, behavior, enrichment, research, and conservation.

Find out more at TheABMA.org.
January 30, 2025 at 12:26 AM
I’ve been searching for my next horse.
It’s exciting, but also challenging and a bit nerve wracking!

Last week, I traveled down to Houston for a couple of days to meet some horses.

It was difficult trying to narrow it down …
But, I did pick one. Or maybe, she picked me.

More updates soon! :)
January 22, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Mary Hunter
January 19, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Memories. I’ve been continuing to think about Karen Pryor & how she impacted my life.

I met CJ in 2008. I loved her.
She hated me.
Until I found Don't Shoot the Dog.

I only have a handful of pictures of CJ, but lots of memories. And, I have Karen Pryor to thank for showing us a different way.
January 19, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Greetings from Laredo!
December 28, 2024 at 5:19 PM
December 10, 2024 at 9:35 PM
Reposted by Mary Hunter
When you're teaching your dog to opt in to grooming and veterinary procedures, and introducing the various aspects of that kind of handling, don't forget about "peering intently." It's an often overlooked part of care that freaks a lot of dogs out.
December 1, 2024 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Mary Hunter
Many ethograms for horses are photos showing specific behaviours. While great for some behaviours, such ethograms aren't great for conveying movement & context clues needed for classifying other behaviours. A new video ethogram aims to help with that: www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14...
Video Ethogram of Equine Social Behaviour
Equine social behaviour studies face challenges stemming from the absence of a comprehensive ethogram with unequivocal standardised definitions and the resulting limits to data comparison across studi...
www.mdpi.com
December 2, 2024 at 6:17 PM
A bluebonnet seedling from my garden. Isn't it cute? 😍

And, isn't that long root impressive?

Bluebonnets are a winter annual. They sprout in the fall, grow roots in the winter, and bloom in the spring.

Their long tap root, often 2–3 feet in length, is one reason why they are so drought tolerant!
December 1, 2024 at 5:57 PM