Tierisch Menschlich

“If you remove feel, and all you have left is technique and mechanical repetition, you remove that very special attribute that I believe we’re all seeking. It’s that bond between you and your horse; there’s no better kept secret than that between a horse and its rider. It’s that thing that all horse riders fall in love with in the …

If you want great results with animals, let them romp around a bit first! If they’re aggressive and you want to work on socializing them, make sure you get them completely worn out before making introductions to others. Sometimes it’s simply pent-up energy that they release towards others. Here’s the thing… many people find themselves with SUPER ENERGETIC animals. Throwing …

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” — St. Francis of Assisi Sometimes we can get so impatient to do something – maybe we saw someone else do it, we heard about it, or it could be something we’ve thought up ourselves. It’s important not to skip those beginning steps. That’s …

Through training with my animals and working on animal-related things, my relationship with my animal (at the moment that would be my dog, Mowgli) is soaring… I can really see where practice pays back. Here is an excerpt from David Shenk’s book, The Genius in All of Us, regarding practice (I find #4 to be very crucial): 1. Practice changes …

“Tom Dorrance once said, ‘You can learn anything with these three words – observe, remember, and compare.’ He said that beyond that, learn to adjust to fit the situation. That always meant so much to me. The last time I was around Tom, he said, ‘Don’t treat them like they are. Treat them the way you’d like them to be.’ …

“What other people think of me is none of my business” What a concept to master! It can still be hard for me sometimes not to snoop around – what do others think of what I’m doing? Especially when you work with animals and do so in a positive, beneficial way for both you and the animal. Others who go …

In less than a week, I’m moving from California to Germany. So, in the past few days, I’ve been filming as many videos as possible! First off, here’s an update on how the mustang project, Eclipse, has been coming along. This is his fourth ride, and it went amazingly! Then, because I will miss the Californian coast so much, I …

In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn’t merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog. Edward Hoagland

What is it about playing tug-‘o’-war? The answer to, “Is it okay to let my dog pull on a rope for a bit?” is quickly answered with an exuberant, “Absolutely!” or a disappointed, “Never.” I’ve always been on the fence about it. I’d rather stay neutral on a game that I haven’t actually seen do any harm, but also over-excites …

It’s strange to think how many crows we see, without understanding how intelligent they are! Something about how fast they’ve been able to adapt to the mass population of humans – life in the city – is impressive. There’s no doubt they’re extremely intelligent, but I found this article interesting and educational, because it gives some more specific examples. A …