The methods I use, rather than belonging to a particular ‘training school’, are to analyse the individual behaviour in relation to its function (from the animal’s point of view) both in terms of their natural behaviour and the individual’s history. I use this to work out the possible motivations for challenging behaviour, what emotions the animal is feeling/expressing and what is causing it continue.
Using this information and your personal situation, we will then come up with a plan for how we can change this. This usually involves a combination of management (how we set up the environment and organise things) and training. When it comes to training alternatives, I use 3 main methods.
- Reward-based – where we reward behaviours we like, for instance with attention, food or an activity they enjoy.
- Pressure-release – this is the most common method used in most horse training (both traditionally and in natural horsemanship), pressure is applied and then released when the horse responds in the way we like (for instance pulling the lead rope creates pressure on the horse’s head. We release this, so the horse finds comfort, when they stop)
- Desensitization and Counter-conditioning – these are techniques used to help change the emotions, so that your animal can cope in situations where it has a strong emotion, such as fear, pain (including memories of past pain) or frustration. They include gradual exposure and pairing something your animal (currently) finds negative with a pleasant event.
I discuss with you, which methods, or combination, would suit you and your pet best, based your own circumstances. I offer a free, no obligation video or phone call first to make sure you are happy and this is the right route for you.
The three elements to understanding behaviour
- Motivation – Why is the animal behaving this way? What is it trying to achieve? By drawing on our understanding of the animal’s natural behaviours and evolutionary history, as well as their personal life history, we can seek the reasons for the behaviour. Once we have identified the motivation we are able to see how to change this or direct it more appropriately.
- Emotions – What is the animal feeling? Six key emotions have been confirmed in all mammals, with two others under debate. Some training methods result in a well-behaved animal, but not necessarily a calm and happy one. If your dog or horse is running uncontrollably, staying still would certainly be an improvement, but taking away the need to flee is the real goal.
- Learning and Reinforcement – What consequences have made this behaviour more or less likely to occur? Very often whether intentionally or not, the way an animal behaves will alter our responses. Take a dog that snarls when being groomed – it is likely we will remove our hand and the brush, then try again when it is calm. For an animal which dislikes grooming, this may encourage snarling and discourage stillness. Unintentionally, we are teaching it to snarl. Similarly, a horse which bangs the stable door may be fed first, confirming that this is the right way to ask for its bucket.
After analysing these elements, we can begin to understand the world from our animals’ perspective better. This helps us as humans empathise, giving us the patience and qualities we need to improve the situation. I will then help you to identify the changes you can make to manage and retrain your animal yourself. I work with you, rather than training for you, so that you have the skills you need and can apply this in the future. This results in a more contented animal, who fits into your life and a deeper bond, as you understand each other’s needs and expectations better.