Martiya

Essential Animal Training

[essentialanimaltraining]

There’s nothing quite like working with feral and fearful animals to really bring home just how important relationship is in training.

Today I worked on trailer loading with my horse, Robin Hood. We haven’t worked on this behavior for well over a year or two because frankly, he just wasn’t ready.

I had no plans to take him anywhere and in the scope of things, it just didn’t seem important enough to go through the hassle of finding a trailer to practice on the one day a week I have with him.

After a bad colic episode last week the vet determined that he really needed his teeth floated. The extent of care his mouth needs requires that he go to the vet clinic for this procedure. And of course, for this, he needs to load in the trailer.

The last time we worked on this, he would barely put his two front feet in the trailer and that was only if he was attached to a halter and lead.

Without a lead and with minimal effort, today he followed me on to the trailer. Not once but three times. This is a testament to how our relationship has grown over the past few years and the trust and confidence he has with me.

My take away from this experience is that when you’re stuck in your training, it may not be the training, but the relationship you have with the animal you’re training that needs more attention.

[essentialanimaltraining]

Today was a grooming day, with three fur-patrons who needed a bit of fluffing up. First of the day was Cash, the tiniest toy poodle I’ve ever groomed and one of the few dogs that has ever bit me! Can’t turn your back on little Cash. He is small but he is mighty! Put a hole right through my fingernail. Now I know better and always have an eye on him, so he’s a perfect angel for grooming.

Next up was Ruckus for a nail trim. He always runs and gets me a shoe when I arrive. He just wants to show it off though - he won’t actually give it to me 😉. He’s a mastiff mix of some sort, maybe. Hard to tell because he’s kind of small for a mastiff mix and shaped like a sausage. I love him, he’s so cute.

Third one on the list today was Lucy. Lucy goosey, another toy poodle. She’s a wild one and has a LOT to say. She doesn’t get the usual poodle cut but instead just gets an even all over trim and a round face that makes her look like a little teddy bear.

Last up for grooming was Minnie, a Yorkshire terrier. Fifteen years old, though you’d never know it! Today was her first groom with me and she did great! I love when clients have a great laundry room with a counter top that I can groom on. No lugging my table in! Here’s some pics of before, during, and after Minnie’s groom: