Dogs With Big Feelings

Episode 15: But Don't Horses and Dogs Use Aggression?

In this episode, I share a story about a poor choice I made and I discuss why we don't kick and bite or growl and snap like horses and dogs do with each other.

Episode 14: Anxious animals need to move, and when do I feed for picking up feet?

In this episode, I talk about letting horses and dogs move forward when they are anxious and asking for help if you need to.  I also discuss forgiving yourself if you get scared or frustrated and resort to harsher methods, and describe why I feed Zephyr for keeping his foot ON the ground when I'm teaching him to pick up his feet. 

Episode 13: The Geekiest Episode So Far

In this episode we discuss shaping a behaviour to address anxiety in crossties, NRMs vs Positive Interrupters, Primary vs Secondary Reinforcers, and more =)

Episode 12: Itchy Face Rubbing? Egos? Building Confidence?

Egos in animal training? Or is it anxiety? How can we build confidence in people and in animals? What will I do about that itchy colt who wants to rub his face on me?

Episode 11: Halters, Puddles, and the Tools in front of you

What kind of halter am I using and why? Are rope halters bad? How can you train your horse to confidently walk through puddles? When you have a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. 

Episode 10: Help, Arousal, and Resource Guarding

I found a fantastic person to help me with Zephyr! I also talk about optimal levels of arousal for learning and resource guarding aka food aggression.  

Episode 9: Setting Zephyr up for Success

Zephyr is having trouble transitioning from walking in-hand to being ponied. I talk about lumping vs splitting, the language we use to justify punishment, and how fear affects how we train our horses. 

Episode 8: What are my actual goals?

Zephyr is learning about grooming, and I am learning about taking my time.