It's a horse of course of course!
My golden doodle Baxter Bear visited three gorgeous horses in my Phoenix neighborhood for the second day in a row. <\p>
Yesterday- the horses didn’t show much interest in him. He was fine with their lack of interest - he encouraged it but remained very curious- I was much more solicitous. As a result- the horses left their stalls and came over to say hi to me. They even let me rub their noses through the fence. They ignored Baxter In the beginning…Baxter flashed them his fear by cautiously pacing around the field in front of the fence. At one point - he even tried to warn me away from the creatures. He did this by barking and looking at me first - then the horses . Fortunately- they were unshaken by his fearful movements. They remained calm and looked at me.
Today - we made a bit more progress. I wouldn’t have pushed it but Baxter and the horses were all intrigued with one another though everyone had a different reaction in the meeting.
I bowed my head to the horses and introduced them all as best I could. Mostly- I just wanted to keep everyone reassured with my voice. I introduced Baxter by name and I referred to them by their colors because I didn’t know their names. I repeated the word horse over and over with a positive tone which is how I entreat Baxter to try new things.
I also repeatedly said that Baxter is a “good boy” for everyone’s sake. I spoke with an optimistic expectation in my voice so that everyone would just believe that I meant well and should be trusted- even if no one knew what I meant.( It’s a trick I often play with people who don’t know one another either)….
My guess is that my optimistic voice also helps Baxter focus on new language skills and tricks. The sheer sound of my high pitched intonation gets his attention and makes him want to figure me out- I suspect- he’s encouraged the way a baby is drawn to “motherese”. With repetition he can pick up on consistently repeated words, gestures and phrases.
Horses may or may not respond to the sounds themselves but they seem to read both fear and encouragement. They got the first from Baxter’s nervous behavior and the second from my voice and facial expressions.
Baxter did respond by coming over to the horses when I made the introduction even though he kept his distance. He wasn’t on a leash. I’m willing to believe that the horses were picking up on my good intentions and Baxter’s decreasing fear because they came over to meet Baxter from behind their fence. First the blond, followed by the redhead and the brunette.
Then the horses did something that seemed extraordinary to me. They deeply bowed their heads to Baxter and nearly touched the ground with their noses. Baxter Bear looked a bit fearful - but they did not.
I suspect that the horses were making themselves smaller by bowing their heads toward him! In effect, they were also making it possible for him to sniff them if he wanted to do so through the fence.
If I’m correct- and they were communicating kindnesss or lack of aggression to my dog- then what they did between different species is what Baxter does when he encourages small dogs to trust him (same species). When confronted with a fearful dog, he either stands still and lets the dogs sniff him for rapport building or, in some cases, he lays on his back in a supine position while the little dogs look him over to discover that he’s really no threat at all to them.
I encouraged Baxter Bear to get closer to the fence but he wouldn’t . In fact he looked at them and then at me and gave me one concerned bark - so I reassured him.
The horses all stayed in their bowed position at the fence- while this was going on. I was really intrigued and encouraged too. Unlike yesterday- Baxter didn’t pace or run away. Next time- maybe he’ll go to the fence instead if standing 10 feet away!
Tomorrow- I may videotape his interaction with the horses. Will my memory and the animals’ behavior be consistent? We’ll see. I’d like to keep going back to see if what I perceived is real and if I can encourage a friendly meeting. Even if I’m wrong about the bowing- I’m certain that these horses are curious and friendly. Would this be apparent on tape? - I don’t know…
PS - For all the nervous Nellies- We’re all protected from one another by a wire fence and everyone seems interested and calm for now. Well- except for me- I was excited about this inter-species encounter!
What if two different specials of animal can communicate emotions and reassure one another of safety with little or no training through universal gestures? I don’t pretend that this was the kind of experiment that would prove things one way or the other but it’s the kind of encounter that makes you wonder …It’s a little curiouser and curiouser -don’t you think?!