Tierisch Menschlich

My dog and I training today!

“When I first was going to school when I was little, my dad would burn a lot of bridges, so we’d have to move around a lot. And you’d go to a new school and, boy, I hated that feeling where you didn’t know anybody and nobody really liked you because you weren’t part of the crowd. But sometimes it …

Where is our animal holding tension? How can we spot its origin? There are endless possibilities and “cures” (some tension can come from pain and not simply habit or stiffness). It might be hard at times to spot by just observing. What if we experience it for ourselves? Maybe then we could feel where the tension is held in our …

“Make a point of handling your horse’s feet everyday. Not only is it great for helping your farrier, but also because horses are flight animals they can hold a lot of tension in their legs. Rubbing the legs and picking up the feet can help release that tension in worried horse.” – Jonathan Fields

There’s “positive” trainers and “negative” trainers… right? (We all know who these people are…) I prefer not to side with one or the other. The natural road is the one that winds in between these two worlds. This theory goes for all animals (at least the ones I’ve worked with), but I notice it time and time again with dog …

“The reason that punishment is really not useful is because it’s late. It’s badly timed & the horse doesn’t understand it. To them it is just being hurt for no reason. Ultimately this is about being self-controlled, it’s not about controlling the horses, it’s about having the strength of character to be a partner to the horse.” – Betty Staley

“If a human can learn to feel of the horse, then the horse can learn to feel back. Then you both can feel together. These are things I can tell you about, but you are going to have to learn to feel them.” ~Ray Hunt

I’ve had the pleasure of working with two dogs whose learning styles are very different. The Poodle learns quickly: he is fast, direct, and focused. On the other hand, he can often use his “smartness” to play tricks on people and try to get away with things. This causes the person to have to “correct” him more or ask him …

“I think its important to remember that learning (whether horse or human) doesn’t take place when the ‘change’ happens… Learning takes place when it seems like nothing is happening. As long as we’re trying, we’re getting it. It’s only when we stop trying that ‘getting it’ becomes impossible.” – Mark Rashid

Working with high-energy dogs who don’t see a point in coming when called… What do we do?? Once a dog has decided to run after a bird, a cat, or another dog, it’s usually too late to get them back the first time we call. The first step that I have found vital for a situation like this (working with …