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by Sunsilver on 28 February 2010 - 20:02
Crys, I read "The Horse Whisperer" when it first came out, and I was surprised to find how much of this I had already intuitively picked up on by watching horse body language over the years. For instance, I knew that in order to make my horse pick up speed while lunging, I would step towards it, and slightly behind it, which is a herding behaviour used by the dominant horses in the herd.
My riding instructor also taught us to be aware of the horse's body language. When you are on the horse's back, watch the ears. They will point at whatever the horse is focusing on. If you do a half-halt, it's a call to attention, and the horse's ears should swivel back to focus on you. If the horse's ears are pointing at that tree stump beside the riding ring, which sometimes has a 'tiger' hiding behind it, be prepared for the horse to spook! I used to ride a horse that would do this routinely, and actually broke her owner's foot when the owner fell off and got stepped on. I learned to anticipate the spooks by watching her carefully. She was one smart horse! She would wait until my attention lagged, then do it when I wasn't on my guard. I developed very good emergency knee grip riding this horse!
Yes, SO much of it is based on body language! The good pet/horse owners learn how to read it, the bad ones are blind to it.
My riding instructor also taught us to be aware of the horse's body language. When you are on the horse's back, watch the ears. They will point at whatever the horse is focusing on. If you do a half-halt, it's a call to attention, and the horse's ears should swivel back to focus on you. If the horse's ears are pointing at that tree stump beside the riding ring, which sometimes has a 'tiger' hiding behind it, be prepared for the horse to spook! I used to ride a horse that would do this routinely, and actually broke her owner's foot when the owner fell off and got stepped on. I learned to anticipate the spooks by watching her carefully. She was one smart horse! She would wait until my attention lagged, then do it when I wasn't on my guard. I developed very good emergency knee grip riding this horse!
Yes, SO much of it is based on body language! The good pet/horse owners learn how to read it, the bad ones are blind to it.
by VonIsengard on 28 February 2010 - 20:02
I would be horrified if one of my dogs ended up in a shelter or rescue and I would drive cross country if need be to get them back. It's just not optional, and if I could afford to, I'd sue the buyer for breach of contract just to make an example of them. I've even taken in dogs for breeders I know, retrained, and rehomed them. Everytime some posts a dog sitting in a shelter somewhere with a tattoo I hold my breath for a moment while I check the number.
The only dog training show in TV worth a damn for pet owners was the Monks of New Skete's show, which I think was canned, probably unpopular because they were honest- that owners had to put time into their own dogs and you don't get a "magic wand" answer for all your problems! But people don't want to hear that these days.
The only dog training show in TV worth a damn for pet owners was the Monks of New Skete's show, which I think was canned, probably unpopular because they were honest- that owners had to put time into their own dogs and you don't get a "magic wand" answer for all your problems! But people don't want to hear that these days.
by Mindhunt on 28 February 2010 - 21:02
I bought their books years ago (1982) and found it astounding they advocated smacking your dog under the chin, throwing a can full of pennies at a dog, or smacking the dog on the nose for nipping. They have since revised some of their training ideas. They have learn more over the years as the knowledge of positive reinforcement and canine behavior has progressed..
I like their idea of keeping your pup with you all the time to bond, makes you very aware of your puppy. Still don't like some of their ways of training but then again, what was the saying??? What can 2 doggie people agree on? What the third is doing wrong....LOL
Unfortunately, I have seen 4 Monks of New Skete dogs and was not impressed. All of them developed seizures, cataracts, and back problems at relatively young ages. Their temperments were great but they all had the same set of health problems.
I like their idea of keeping your pup with you all the time to bond, makes you very aware of your puppy. Still don't like some of their ways of training but then again, what was the saying??? What can 2 doggie people agree on? What the third is doing wrong....LOL
Unfortunately, I have seen 4 Monks of New Skete dogs and was not impressed. All of them developed seizures, cataracts, and back problems at relatively young ages. Their temperments were great but they all had the same set of health problems.
by Sunsilver on 28 February 2010 - 23:02
I don't think throwing a can of pennies AT a dog is abusive, unless the goal is to hit the dog. The goal is to startle the dog and get its attention when it is blowing off your verbal commands. Not something I'd do in training, but I wouldn't call it abusive. The idea came from Koehler, except he used a throw chain, which, unlike the can, was too lightweight to hurt the dog if it happened to actually make contact.
Mind you, I have thrown the leash at my dog to get its attention, when it was about to take off into the wild blue yonder after someone else's dog! In a case like that, anything I can do to prevent a possible fight is worth it.
Yeah, and boo on me for letting the dog off the leash when its recall was less than perfect...
Mind you, I have thrown the leash at my dog to get its attention, when it was about to take off into the wild blue yonder after someone else's dog! In a case like that, anything I can do to prevent a possible fight is worth it.
Yeah, and boo on me for letting the dog off the leash when its recall was less than perfect...
by Mindhunt on 01 March 2010 - 00:03
I am laughing because I have thrown a leash at my dog as well, and even a flipflop. Evil people that we are LOL
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