Jason and a Porcupine

Jason and Spirit are doing fantastic. He is using more line in obstacles/patterns such as pedestal and fig 8. Using a cone helped with the pedestal, making him stay behind it. For the fig 8 last night I took a savvy string, made a loop on the ground, and told him he had to keep one foot in it. By golly he figured it out. It is becoming clear, that if I give him a task with markers and just tell him the task, he works out the ‘how” himself. I don’t have to do a whole lot of ‘technique” explaining to him. He figured out on his own, and quickly I might add, that he had to let the rope slide through his hand in order for Spirit to have enough line to make it around the cone. They did lateral flex great, and we added porcupine to the front and back end. Oh geez, I am going to have to get in there and work that one out with Spirit on the hind end. Clearly I didn’t teach him that. But Jason was able, with a long phase 4, to wait it out for one step, and then rub it away. Front end was pretty easy, though it was more of a circle than a turn on the haunches. The more we practice though the better they will get. Spirit is a forwardaholic for sure. He is very hard to get to back up. While he will take a step or two in yo-yo with a phase 1 or 2. In the trot-stop-back up….it is a big ‘heck no’ for him. We are working on his confidence, because if we get a good back up, we lose the trot on the next go. So for now, what we have is this. Trot, stop and rub, then back up anyway we can, then lots of rubbing. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.




Snookie’s boo boo is better, but still healing, and everyone else is good. Cha’cote is getting really good at coming to the gate to be pet before being let out, and he is fantastic at coming in for dinner. Last night, he was down in the ditch behind his shelter when I came with the hay. I called to him, he looked up, watched me for a few steps, and then trotted thru the ditch, jumped into the yard and was over my shoulder by the time I was at his gate. I let him snatch a bite of hay as we walked through his stall, and said my good nights to him. He’s my friend now!

Savvy On

Michelle