Interesting session which put this to the test today. I was doing cloverleaf pattern leading her loosely on line. I did it a few times both reins, until she got it & she was following body cues, nice & relaxed; so before she got bored I thought I’d change it up a bit & instead of leading her around the markers, I’d stand still by a marker & send her around it in a circle. Immediately her head went up, she froze, staring into the distance – aha! So when I asked for anything away from me, she became unconfident, couldn’t do it.
I can’t believe I’m only just seeing this, but better late than never. Now I need to change my strategies. I’ve been trying the same things over, and both of us getting disheartened by poor results, never moving on because I felt I hadn’t fixed issues. I’ve worked on confidence with her before; she loves to play “touch it”, we do leading from other zones including behind, successfully, including at liberty – but I am never very far away. I think I need to develop these things & build distance gradually; make sure she understands she will always come back to me.
I need to be more subtle with her. I know she is very sharp, a quick learner, but she is also very sensitive, and I think I have been shouting at her. I need to be firm, but I must be fair. I need to control my emotions. Slow things down. Give her time to think. If it’s not working, change my strategy.
I’ve noticed an improvement in her attitude generally since I’ve redefined the leadership boundaries. I’ve also noticed that she needs a long phase 1 when I ask for something; & I need to ask more quietly and give her a lot of time to react. By intervening or upping the pressure too quickly I was crushing her confidence and being too ready to be critical. Now by going more slowly, I am getting a result much faster! Hallelujah!
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