Lately, there has been a lot of talk among my friends about training…. Trying to figure out the best ‘words’ to describe training. Well, the words don’t matter all that much to me, and they certainly don’t matter to the dog(or horse or cat or what ever animal is being trained). What matters is : Do you treat the animal fairly? Do you remain calm? Do you keep training fun and interesting? Can you be firm, without being aggressive or angry or annoyed? Do you ‘think’ like your pet?

The reason I am so successful with animals is because I don’t think like a human when I am working with them….. I think like the species I am working with…. for instance, horses are prey animals, to them, we are predators….. a dog is a predator- You can’t teach them in the same way-they think differently…..

I am always consistent in the way I behave. My animals always know who is going to walk through the door…. Even if I am having a really bad day, my animals won’t know it- well, they instinctively know, and sometimes try to make me feel better-and they are usually successful. What I am saying is, I never treat them differently, just because I am feeling bad….. I never take out my frustration on them….. it isn’t fair….. and they certainly wouldn’t understand.

My crew have kept me grounded(heck they have kept me sane at times). They have given me so much. Taught me so much. They can always make me laugh, and they ‘force’ me to live in the moment. What can be better than that???? If I can Walk their Walk, I will be a better person for it. I already am.