title: Reduction of biting and chewing of horses using differential reinforcement of other behavior.
abstract: Biting and chewing by horses on crossties can result in injury to the handler and damage to equipment. Operant-conditioning techniques have been used to train horses and could be used to reduce or eliminate undesirable biting and chewing. Presently, a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) schedule, in the context of a reversal design, was effective in reducing biting and chewing in two horses. In DRO schedules, a reinforcer is delivered contingent on the absence of a target behavior for a specified interval. Positive-reinforcement procedures offer an alternative to aversive-control techniques typically used in equine training and may provide for better equine welfare and horse-human interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, WV 26506, USA. Adam.Fox@mail.wvu.edu
authors.forename: Adam E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Shana R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Ezra G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Claire C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: St Peter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology