We made it safely home and it's time to start unloading!
The first few panels up!
Mom trapped in the round pen...(literally, I had to go get wire-cutters to cut the wire holding the gate shut)
My mom and I got it somewhat set up, the space I had decided to put it isn't quite as level as I'd wished it to be so we have some adjusting to do to get the panels level and even. But it was put together enough to use it tonight, although it was a bit dark.
I can walk up to Cody fine, and put his halter on. Sometimes when I clean his pen and haven't fed him yet, he will come up behind me. But most of the time, he won't really approach me. And when I am working with him, if I have him back up from wiggling the lead rope or something, trying to get him to come back forward towards me, more often than not, I have to pull hard until I get one step and release, but it's like I have to do that fore each step. I feel like I've missed something. He loves the attention of being brushed and will just stand there, and wiggle his lips when I hit a good spot. I have a dvd that I got this weekend on groundwork to watch, and I am hoping that will give me some ideas of how to get Cody to want to catch me, instead of me always catching him. Anyone have any thoughts on that?
3 comments:
Oooo! How exciting! Your round pen looks great!
Now, I know that many people don't like treats, but I swear that they are what made my two mustangs actually interested in working with me and approaching me...looking to see what they could do to get a treat and be so willing about it. Before I started carrying them around, I could handle them, but they were rather begrudging about it.
Initially I just introduced them to treats, then I started using them as rewards for performing something I asked them to do...that positive reinforcement works so well! You just need to be careful that you aren't letting them get pushy about treats and there will be no problems with respect.
Nice round pen!
Treats are good, like Kara said, unless you think you're likely to end up with a disrespect problem.
Forget about focus and agendas. Forget about catching. Go in there and ignore him. Get a chair and a book or handheld game or something, so you don't just go in for 5 minutes and get bored and leave. He'll probably get interested and come touch you. Love on him in a way you know he likes, not in a way that he thinks is intrusive. If he seems willing, put a halter on and take it off. Then leave. Don't make it a work session every time you catch him.
To save time, if you only have 5 minutes, go out, give him a treat, scratch his good spot, then leave.
Go out a lot of times throughout the day whenever you can, so that the times he has to work are fewer than the times he just spends pleasant time with you.
Also try to find a way to do things he enjoys, engage his interest somehow, instead of repeating the same thing over and over, so that he doesn't get bored and resentful.
i would love my own place with my own personal round pen!
Get any good deals at the EXPO? I didn't, prices were too high :(
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