So, I've actually been to the barn three times since my last post, but the worries of this world have been on my mind and they have been rather unproductive days. My timing has been off and/or non-existent to the point that I caught myself, at one point, tossing carrots on the ground without clicking at all. Since this blog is about Matilda and me, how she affects my life, not the details of my psyche and innermost thoughts, I've sort of left it alone.
Matilda has picked up on my mood in many ways. The other day she actually bit me. Not nipped, BIT. I lost my temper and left her immediately after that. I didn't give her an apple either. So there!
She started a nasty habit when we walk together, too. She speeds up and turns directly in front of me, cutting me off. I have had a time figuring out how to deal with that one. If I just ignore it and stand still, she's in control and starts the nipping. If I turn and move in another direction, she is effectively herding me.... um, no, can't happen. When I am faced with her side (my eyes are about even with her back - it's like facing a wall of white fur), I know I cannot physically move her out of the way. I have been trying to think of how to get her into the desired position, just behind me and to the right.
Today I realized that I don't need to worry about where she is, I just need her out of my way. We returned to the old stand by: Back up! Every time she cut me off, I simply stood my ground, pointed and said "Back!" then waited until she was completely out of my way before continuing on with my stroll. I need to focus on breaking this particular habit, rather than worry about precision motion right now. Of course, she will only get rewarded for walking in the proper place but I don't need to be pro-actively trying to get everything done at once.
I've also been trying to stop her before she gets ahead of me. As I notice her speeding up, I stop and tell her "Whoa!" Click/treat for stopping, then make her back a step or two before continuing on. This 2 part approach seemed to be working for her today. At least I didn't get bit.
I am realizing again and again how hard "stay" is going to be for her. Matilda is just not used to standing still. It is becoming more and more important for her to understand stillness. I am trying to think of/find something for her to stand on or some kind of visual marker that she and I can both see. Something so that when she moves I can bring her back to that precise spot. I like visual aids:) I tried a beach towel, but my biggest beach towel was too small for her. She also shuffled her feet all over it and just rumpled it up. As important as it is, it is a good idea to leave off concentrated work on the "stay" until the answer to that problem presents itself. I'll do some looking over the weekend and if anyone has any ideas, let me know.
I will say that, even with my distracted self, Matilda is performing "come" and (of course) "back" very well. Those rare moments when she is walking with me, she stops when I stop and say "Whoa" but still has a little difficulty stopping when approaching me. Her "stay" is ok for short periods, but only if I stay directly in front of her or to her left. If I move too far to her right she moves, I think so she can keep her left eye on me. We started working on stretching her neck with her nose all the way to the ground today, using the target stick. She likes to do that, but bounces her head up and down, so next we will work on her extending the time on those stretches... again, stillness.
A couple of other nice things I've noticed, whenever I bring something new into the paddock (books, beach towel, ball) she approaches immediately and checks it out. I like to think that this is a sign that she is beginning to trust me and know that anything I bring to her is for her interest and not her harm. When I threw a ball across the paddock, she didn't flinch at all. She was curious about it and nosed it around but kept looking to me as if asking for direction. I was just hanging out with her at that time, watching her, and when there were no clicks, she gave up on it and left it alone. I was hoping she would play with it; she just didn't know what to do. I'll bring it back into the mix later.
I'll also be bringing a lunge whip into the paddock soon. I don't intend to use it, but I do want her to be well rounded and comfortable with anything that she sees. The whip has been a sore spot for her and I would like to see how she reacts to it after not seeing it for so long.
I am supposed to go back to the barn tomorrow but it may snow tonight. I hope it is a small amount so that I can keep on with Matilda tomorrow.
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