#training tag

[beansbi]

started working out again after a long time of not doing that and i already feel better (like i'm gonna throw up)

[wentzy]

"why does my dog always pull on the leash" says a person who only ever walks their dog on a retractable leash

[sunsignshepherd]

When I got Kappa I knew absolutely nothing about training dogs. Like!! I knew stuff in theory. I had taught dogs to sit and down and roll over before. I had crate trained a dog or two before. But I had to teach Kappa EVERYTHING, not just a few things, bc I’m his person.

And honestly I did some of it wrong initially. There’s still stuff now that when I learn how to do it correctly I’m like “OH SHIT…. whoopse.”

Some stuff I got right on accident. 😂 Which is hilarious in hind sight.

It all worked out tho. He’s a fun little dude, and he’s my buddy, and he’s my baby, and the fact that he’s cool and functional and social are all things I can only half take credit for.

I see a lot of people worry about doing what’s best for their dogs, especially new dogs or puppies. I’ve seen a lot of people express anxiety about “ruining” their dog by messing up too many times. I’ve had that anxiety too.

Guess this is just a long way of saying that if you really care, and you really try, and you KEEP trying even after your dog is an adult- it’s very likely that your dog will also be fun and cool and functional. Of course I can’t speak for every situation, there are some unfortunate things that happen sometimes that are out of an owner’s control. But for the most part?

Everyone I know who’s ever expressed a worry about doing wrong by their dog has been very very far away from failing. Y’all are cool people and your dogs love you very much.

[tenderloveandcanter]

Attention, owners of anxious horses

Alright, so Cas has been getting magnesium (a double dosage as a result of a misunderstanding with my BO but it's cool) for the past month, but I haven't really detected any difference in his anxiety/alertness so I've thought of a couple of things to try (and I've researched this a lot okok):

Keep him on the magnesium just to see if it needs more time to work (and obviously give him the correct dosage lol)

Start him on thiamine (B1) in addition to the magnesium, since I've found in my ~research~ that those two go hand in hand very well and can provide an optimal effect

Start him on safflower oil since I've read a lot about it and it sounds like it has calming benefits?? Idk?

Ditch magnesium and all the other crap and start him on a valerian root herb blend to see if that works better

So ya, if any of y'all have any experience with any of the above that you'd like to share with me, or have any other suggestions as to what I might do to help my poor boi, that would be amazing and I'd be forever grateful!

(Also a little disclaimer since I don't want to start any drama: I know that there's no such thing as a magical cure that will make my horse completely chill and anxiety-free, nor am I trying to do things the easiest way by carelessly drugging him. I am simply on the hunt after something that might help Cas calm down a smidge since he is very anxious and that makes it very difficult to work with him and make progress, and therefore I am hoping someone on here has experience with feeding anxious horses calming supplements/herbs/whatever. I work a lot on desensitising and exposing him to everything I can think of, and am simply looking for something that can help him calm down a little.)

[trail-horse]

Training session: brakes and steering

[beansbi]

getting into exercise is like having the worst crush of all time. what do you mean i'm looking forward to the next time i'll be in pain

[beansbi]

30 days of exercise tomorrow. i feel like i need to get a treat but idk what

[beansbi]

exercise day one: what if i picked a routine that's too easy for me?? oh no..

exercise day two: somebody please plan my funeral