I immediately pulled over, jumped out of my truck, knelt down while patting my leg and in my most soothing voice said “Would you like like to get out of the road?” She sported a bright blue harness with a handful of tags jingling from her collar so I knew she was not a stray. She barked at me but didn’t appear aggressive. She carefully kept her distance.

She had been running back and forth along a fence line enticing the two dogs inside to run with her. No doubt she was saying something like “Nah, nah, nah, nah, I’m free and you’re not!”

The commotion of all the barking drew two women out of the bushes, but they carefully kept their distance just like the dog did. I asked “Is this your dog?”  They said “Yes, but if we get any closer she’ll run away.”

I must have looked dumbfounded, so she continued. “Peaches is so smart that she knows if we catch her she’ll get yelled at or locked in the backyard.”

I stood speechless. My mind raced, ready to launch into all the reasons not to reprimand your dog for returning after a jaunt. Sensing the awkward silence, the owner continued.  “We love Peaches but we just can’t catch her. She just loves to run.”

So there I was, standing in the middle of the road knowing there is zero chance that Peaches will come close enough for a collar grab and cars were coming. In Peaches’ cute little head the appearance of the dreaded two leggeds meant her fun was about to end.

I asked, “Does she like to go for car rides?” I figured I could invite her into my truck and drive her to their house.

“She used to, but then she learned that a car ride brought her home.”

“Oh,” I said.  Then I remembered I had a few left over slices of Swiss cheese in a plastic pouch from lunch on the road.

I quickly grabbed the cheese and made certain to scrunch the plastic loudly in the process. I looked down. Peaches expression was one of interest.  I said, “Peaches, do you like cheese?” Then I added, “Good girl” and tossed her a tiny piece.

Soon she was out of the road and eating cheese out of my hand, but refused to be drawn in close enough for a collar grab. Her owners shouted and pointed, “If you can catch her we live right here.”

After about ten repetitions of the “Follow me cheese toss game” Peaches had safely accompanied me across the street and into their backyard.

Once Peaches was home with the gate closed, her expression was relaxed, tail wagging and seemed happy to let me pet her. I was very relieved that the owners didn’t yell at her. They sincerely cared about their dog and must have thanked me ten times for bringing her home. But what ensued still has my mind whirling.

They kept telling me all the things that they have tried to train their dog. “We’ve tried everything and she’s just too smart.” Then the owner said she wanted to order an $80 collar that advertised it could teach your dog to stay in its yard in just ten minutes. I referred her to Emily Larlham’s free progressive reinforcement training site chock full of amazing solution oriented videos. She repeated, “We tried everything, nothing works.”

If I could think faster on my feet I could have replied, “Have you tried Swiss cheese?” Or “Did you see what I just did? Peaches followed me. Peaches did not run away. I brought Peaches back home. Would you agree that what I did worked?”  But instead, I stood dumbfounded, (theme of the day) patiently listening to all the things they’ve tried that didn’t work.

What just happened? Peaches quickly and easily did as I asked but they still insisted nothing worked? I just gave a clear demonstration that something did work. Couldn’t they see that?

When I’d appear at events with my horses to paint, I’d frequently hear, “Horses will do anything for food!” It was as if the use of food completely invalidated the fact that my horses were performing some seriously complex behaviors that, by the way, would have been impossible to achieve through aversive techniques.

As always, when I point the finger at confusing human behavior, I find three pointing back at me. I began to ask myself how many areas in my life do I say, “I’ve tried everything, and nothing works”? Just as Peaches’ owners were completely blind to something that clearly succeeded (and made Peaches really happy), how many places in my life is the solution crystal clear and I just don’t see it because of some deeply ingrained bias or insecurity?

If only my solutions were as easy as a slimy, sweaty, chunk of dashboard-baked Swiss cheese.

But, maybe they are.

Oh, the irony.

-cw

My life is undergoing a major change that must be lumped into the category of ‘under construction.’ For the past decade I’ve been wrestling unsuccessfully with complications from celiac disease, which made me feel like my health was under destruction. Extreme chronic fatigue, massive joint pain, unbearable brain fog – these were my constant companions. This often made me feel like a complete hypocrite with a blog title starting with I Feel Good. It should have read I, ‘Feel Like Death, but my horses feel good.’

I wasn’t a complete hypocrite, thanks to the attraction-based positive reinforcement training. Even though I could barely lift a hoof, I always new that they felt validated, confident and rewarded by our interactions. And I in turn felt some relief seeing them in state of relaxation and joy, in spite of the fact my health was spiraling into a deep pit.

As of three months ago, the angels of the Internet tossed down a lifeline. I found a new diet that is totally reconstructing the devastation that years of incorrect diet wreaked on my poor body. This diet is called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and is designed for those suffering from Celiac Disease, Crohns, Irritable Bowl Syndrome and even symptoms relating to Autism.

It goes way beyond the traditional gluten-free diet, (which I had been very faithful to, with little improvement) into the healing properties of eating ‘specific’ monosaccharides and eliminating the complex carbs that laid waste to my ability to digest foods.

So far this diet has brought me back to the land of the living. I can almost speak in complete sentences since the brain fog has lifted. I can even open jars again! Yay! I haven’t needed massive infusions of caffeine to stay focused. I’ve literally been leaping out of bed instead of needing a front loader to haul me out.

Because of this major reconstruction, I’m taking what may be a permanent break from creating paintings with my horses. It’s been seven years of joy and discovery. It’s as if this amazing cycle is coming to a close and a new one is beginning. Hopefully one where I can honestly say, I FEEL GOOD!

I have no idea what the new cycle holds. It’s a bit terrifying (maybe exhilarating), actually, because for the first time in my life I’m starting a new cycle with zero vision, except to see clearly and heal.

Meet Peggy Hogan
Although I will not be selling paintings, I’d like to introduce you to a phenomenal trainer who is. I’m thrilled to introduce you to Peggy Hogan and her website, Clicker Training Horses. She currently has two miniature horses delighting audiences everywhere. Take a look at ‘Handsome as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer.’ It looks like there is no place he’d rather be than with Peggy and performing.

And then see ‘McKee’ in action as he paints. Of all the horses I’ve seen paint, I’d be the most thrilled to have a painting by him. Each stroke seems to generate such enthusiasm and joy that, without a doubt, a painting by him would most certainly fill your home with the same!

The Future
Thank you for all your past purchases of paintings, your support of my blog and in sharing the journey of attraction-based training. If the brain fog stays away, I hope to expand this blog to areas of healing through diet, my musings on both dog and horse training and the mind blowing power of positive reinforcement for all!

Cheryl

She has developed her own unique and dramatic stroke style perhaps endowed by her terrier genetics to grasp hold of small (usually fast moving critters) objects and shake them into submission.

Typically her trademark move involves grabbing a toy and rapidly shaking it side-to-side. She’d be dangerous with a pair of nunchuks! With a paint brush, however, she’s got an almost 180 degree vertical swing.

Of all my dogs, I thought Trixie would be the most difficult to teach to paint, because she’s, well, a terrier.  A few of her favorite things include scaling the fence on garbage day and suddenly turning deaf, and digging under the fence every other day and suddenly turning deaf. This process of teaching her to paint has opened my eyes to a dream dog I never knew I had. I now realize her garbage day romps were simply her way of telling me, “I’m bored! I need something to do!”

Stay tuned for more painting dog videos!

Cheryl

I first teach the touch cue using a target stick, then I teach them to target the back of my hand. This has probably been the single-most valuable skill I’ve labeled for my horses. For instance, instead of having to motivate them from behind (waving of arms, shushing, tapping with whip) say to walk on a trailer, or move out of my space, I can simply hold out my hand or target stick and say touch, and my horse gets to move towards something with eagerness, and happy anticipation rather than moving away from an irritant or aversive.

Once my horses became ‘touch’ savvy, is when I began to experience and feel the contrast between attracting my horse into a behavior or forcing. Soon I began to see with my horses that even a benign tap on the hindquarters to move them more quickly through a gate was ‘repelling’ them. Now I can stand in front of them with my hand outstretched and invite or attract them where I need them to go. Their attentiveness, softness and enthusiasm to interact with me is much higher when they are moving toward something  to touch rather than trying to avoid being touched.

Then, the exciting part is that they can learn to touch and target other objects with both their mouth and hooves which has made my life so dreamy and easy with my herd. More about this attractive easy dreaminess next time…..

Cheryl

Cheryl Ward – Interspecies Collaborative Artist, Author, Spiritual Explorer & Creator of PaintingHorse.com.

Can Horses Really Paint?

Find out as Anna and Vin interview Cheryl about this extraordinary talent of both human and horses.  She will tell us how she came to develop this amazing artistry.  You will meet the many equine artists she works with and learn just how they create these very special and individual works of art.

Cheryl shares her experience of food as reward and weighs in on the commonly held notion that horses just want to hang out in their pasture all day, eat and be left alone.  She also explains how she successfully uses positive reinforcement training and high value rewards to not only teach the horses how to paint but to heal past traumas and create an environment of fun and exploration.   She doesn’t simply teach them to paint.  All her fellow equine artists enjoy their time at the canvas and look forward to expressing their unique voices through the paint.

Join us for this 2-part conversation and find out how Cheryl’s painting horses can help you with your training and your relationship with your own equine companions.

And best of all, it’s completely FREE!

Click Here to register and listen on ReachOutToHorses.com.
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_______________________________________________________________________________
The Reaching Out with Anna Twinney Podcast
There’s nothing like it anywhere!

This is your opportunity to learn from the best of the best! You will hear interviews of legends in Natural Horsemanship and Training, Animal Communication, Healing, Alternative Modalities and more.  Nowhere else will you find this caliber of guests in one spot… Anywhere!

People like Madeleine Pickens, Frank Weller, Linda Tellinton-Jones, Carolyn Resnick, and Franklin Levinson… just to name a few.

And the best part is that it’s FREE!

All interviews are free up until a week after all the episodes of each guest are aired.  Then, if you should happen to miss them, you can download the entire conversation for a small fee.  All you need is a computer and an internet connection (which you already have if you are reading this), and you can take advantage of this incredible resource.  So go to www.reachouttohorses.com, tune in and get informed and inspired!

About Your Host:
Anna Twinney is an internationally respected Animal Communicator, Equine Specialist, Natural Horsemanship Clinician, and Reiki Master.  She has been featured on TV, national and international magazines and travels the world educating people and horses working in the horse’s own language.  As the founder of the Reach Out to Horses® program, she remains on the cutting-edge of genuine, gentle communication techniques with all our planetary companions.  For more information on Anna & the Reach Out to Horses program go to reachouttohorses.com.

Reach Out to Horses      www.reachouttohorses.com     Golden, Colorado

Enjoy!

Cheryl

Progressive Reinforcement, the term coined by Emily, means: Teaching animals by rewarding desired behaviors and excluding the intentional use of physical or psychological intimidation. A type of animal training exists that involves no forms of intimidation, confrontation, violence, reprimands, or domination.

This is the type of training I’ve been doing with my horses for almost a decade. I started out as a novice horse owner with a troubled horse and a treat pouch. This horse was so damaged mentally that physical or psychological intimidation turned him into an equine pressure cooker. Results of those explosions weren’t easy to clean up, so I turned off the heat. I began training by rewarding the desired behaviors and promptly dropped intimidation, confrontation, violence, reprimands or domination. In other words, no yanking, shanking, pulling, pushing, prodding, yelling, smacking, whacking, stomping, shushing, poking, waving, flagging, sending, twirling etc. (The absence of all these action words in my training, combined with wearing a treat pouch made me really popular with horses, but sadly, not with people.)

A fascinating thing happened. By rewarding the desired behaviors, my horse kept offering other desirable behaviors. Soon my training sessions felt more like meditation, like I had entered a zen like place where the communication was effortless between us. I call it my law of reciprocity.

When I ‘honored’ or rewarded my horses desired behavior, it made me feel great, and caused me to act toward my horse in a way that felt honorable. In the past, when I was training using pressure/release, and the horse was having difficulty, and I would amp up the pressure. This ‘amping’ would always result in regret and guilt, for which I’d ‘repent’ with pocket full of apple slices. This repenting accomplished nothing other than appeasing my guilt and causing my horse to wonder how it just scored such a juicy treat.

Now, when I train, it’s my aim to enter into this reciprocity because it feels so wonderful. When  I honor/reward my horse, and he honors and rewards me back with more of what feels so good to both of us. And ironically this is a classic dynamic of the Golden Rule. Just for kicks, here are a few translations from a variety of religions:

Buddhism
Hurt not others with that with pains yourself. (Udana v.18)

Hinduism
Never do to others what would pain thyself. (Panchatantra III.104)

Jainism
One who neglects or disregards the existence of earth, air, fire, water, and vegetation disregards his or her own existence, which is entwined with them. (Mahavira, 6^th century B.C.E.)

Christianity
In everything do to others as would have them do to you; for this is the law of the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Judaism
What is hateful to you, do not to your fellowmen. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary. (Talmud, Shabbat, 31a)

Sikhism
Treat others as thou wouldst be treated thyself. (Adi Granth)

I Feel Goodism
Train animals the way you would like to be trained if you were residing in that animal’s body. (I couldn’t resist)

I especially like the Jainism verse that if we disregard our air or water, not to mention our animals, we disregard our own existence. This rings so true for me in my work with the horses. When I regard their needs, motivation, their point of view, suddenly and almost magically they regard mine in a similar manner and I feel validated by them.

From what I’ve seen of punishment, it’s painful to the punisher. For example, every time before my brother and I got spanked (which wasn’t very often) we’d hear, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you!” My poor father would give us a halfhearted whack and only to leave the room with big tears filling his eyes. I know he didn’t want to spank us, but because of the societal push to spare the rod, spoil the child he had painful peer pressure driving him to do something he didn’t want to do. It wounded him to cause the children he loved, cherished and protected, pain with his own hand.

Too bad he didn’t have all the scientific resources available today that explain the ineffectiveness of punishment and intimidation. It would’ve saved him (and my butt) a lot of anguish. Too bad I can’t go back in time and hand him a copy of the Progressive Training Manifesto. Perhaps I can make up for lost time and supply maternity wards with this information to be sent home with new parents, or more to the point of this post, animal shelters, and veterinary offices.

I think the moral of this story is that when an animal or human is rewarded for correct behavior, the act of rewarding, making the animal feel good, becomes a giant reward for the trainer. I think it feels good to make something else feel good. In contrast, for most folks, it feels bad to make something else feel bad. Unfortunately in our punishment based society it’s not always easy to shift gears to something that feels better and is more effective.

I think Emily Larlham’s Progressive Reinforcement Manifesto is one of the most clear and concise guides to help with this shift. Not only is her manifesto in my opinion, gold, but her website and videos are just as spectacular. Check out the first video on her free videos page to see some examples of phenomenal, progressive dog training.

Enjoy!

-cw

In my humble opinion, it clearly shows the awesome power of positive reinforcement (force-free, pressure-free, creating an atmosphere where folks can feel good way of relating) in a world desperate for some new energy.

I’ve seen the power of this new energy transform even the most difficult of beasts. This video shows the ultimate transformation.

Enjoy!

-cw

“I can openly say for the first time (with sadness, but really frankly) that if we are honest with ourselves and if we have respect for other living beings, if we rely solely on scientifically sound and accurate data, we have to recognize that the anatomy of the horse (no matter who is on horseback: a child, a Haute Ecole master or an athlete) leaves no possibility for riding. There can no riding – no need to fool your head – not for five minutes or ten minutes.

Riding is always a huge problem for the horse’s spine and spinal cord, and the muscles cutaneus scapulobrachialis, and cutaneus maximus – those subcutaneous muscles that take the first blow. I can say that after riding, the restoration of the horse to a relatively normal state of the back, with restored blood flow in some muscles, takes more than a year. I understand that to some extent these unpleasant words will probably turn away many from the school; but for those who come in the hope to achieve an extraordinary relationship with the horse, no, you can not ride anymore.

The sadness is due to the fact that I regret my own name is associated with riding on horseback (despite some unique achievement in this area), and the fact that I, wittingly or unwittingly, have done very much to popularize this extremely disgusting fun. I now regret it, but, as I always say: well, of course, I was not born with the knowledge that I have at the moment. But, alas, I am to get this knowledge and also to work as icebreaker for the whole School, because I am involuntarily leading the way, breaking the terrible ice of errors and delusions.

The school must progress with the teacher; riding is no longer admissible for the students of NHE; not even collected and not even for five minutes, it is senseless to think we can fight for Horse Revolution, and still ride on horseback.”

Nevzorov writes extensively about his reasons in a 4 part series called Tractate on a School Mount: Man on the Back

Each part is found in issues ( Volume 1, 2009 through Volume 4, 2009 of his magazine/Journal  Nevzorove Haute Ecole Equine Anthology

I also found the same series at Horse Conscious.

I’d love to know what you think of about his research and the decisions he’s made as a result.

This is of major interest to me, as you know my main focus is on the question “Does my horse feel good?”  I simply can’t feel good about my relationship with my horse if I think in anyway he’s feeling some sort of discomfort, especially a discomfort I am directly responsible for and have the ability to relieve.

Coincidentally, as a result of communicating with my horses using attraction-based methods, I found my self riding less and less, but enjoying my relationship with them so much more. Their ability to interact with me, much like a service dog, to retrieve, stay, lie down on cue, perform agility became much more interesting to me then riding. The times when I would ride, I would incorporate retrieving under saddle and try to make riding ‘fun’ for them, but my rides rarely lasted over 15-20 minutes. I always thought it was my ADHD kicking in, but it may have been something else……Interesting to note that prior to Nevzorov issuing the statement that he no longer rides, he stated the following in Tractate 4:

“Spatium” is an old School name for the time during which a rider can be on horseback.Our spatium equals 15 minutes. Why?

Because our primary target is not to cause discomfort and pain in the muscles and skin of a horse’s back. That is why the maximum “School” period of being on horseback is exactly 15 minutes. Notably, I stress, that is the utmost maximum.

After 15 minutes under the weight and pressure of rider and saddle, the microtrauma of tissues begin, the compression effect accumulates, and the back of the horse begins to feel light discomfort. Dermal receptors produce an “itchy”(2) feeling.

Under the impact of direct compression, under the weight of the rider and saddle, the “perimysium”, the sheath of connective tissue surrounding muscle fibers, begins primary deformation, accompanied by feelings of discomfort, then these symptoms become more acute. At the end of 20 minutes, they turn into the feeling of dull pain.

He then gives the following suggestion:

In addition, I wouldn’t be as generous as science allows and for different horses I would require different spatiums.

For horses from 4 to 5 years old – this spatium is 5 minutes.

From 5 to 6 – 10 minutes.

From 6 until death – 12-15 minutes.

However, as evidenced by his statement regarding his school, I guess Nevzorov had concluded that any riding is detrimental to the horses’ back.

Alrighty then. Fascinating stuff. I’m still sorting through all the information. Meanwhile it’s my hope that rather than Nevzorov’s research causing lots of controversy it can give rise to new avenues for folks to enjoy their horses (without peer pressure that horses have to be ridden) who for some reason or other cannot ride, in areas such as horse agility. My ultimate hope is that studies like these will serve to increase awareness of the generous nature of the horse and treat them the sensitivity they deserve.

-cw

As I was contemplating the current popular trends in horse training, I couldn’t help but note the similarities between the game of pinball and pressure/release/aversive/intimidation based horse training. In the game of pinball, the ball is directed by flippers, mechanically controlled levers that whack the ball throughout the playfield. These flippers are the main control that the player has over the ball.

When the ball is moving along the correct path, the player has no need to whack the ball. (Release of pressure or aversives) In a sense, if the ball were sentient, it would quickly identify the correct path by the lack of whacking. The only way it would know it was doing something wrong, like moving right instead of left, was by forceful contact with the flipper. (Punishment, aversives, intimidation) This is perhaps why pinball is so fun for the player, the forceful, skilled whacking gets the job done. The player has asserted hierarchy over the pinball and shown it who’s boss. Fortunately, the cute little metal pinball has no feelings or defense mechanisms and can’t escape its glass cage.

Let’s say a positive reinforcement pinball player enters the game. This player has decided that whacking isn’t a fair way to tell the ball what to do,  but still enjoys the challenge of directing the pinball through the maze to the to the target. So instead of using flippers to forcefully direct the ball, he simply pulls out a magnet from his pocket. The pinball feels the draw of the magnet and is instantly attracted. The player then proceeds to move the magnet through the maze with the pinball following easily, steadily, smoothly, directly in line.

If we were to ask the pinball which method it preferred to be played, do you think it would say the forceful headache inducing flipper whacking or the effortless attraction to the magnet?

I recently spoke with a director of a several prominent zoos. At his zoos, they employ exclusively positive reinforcement/operant conditioning with even the most powerful creatures such as bull elephants. He told me a terrific story of a wild bull elephant who for a mere apple, quickly learned a complex chain of behaviors, that cured a dangerous cuticle infection.

The big deal here is that normally, elephants when presented with 300 lb jumbo sized foot soaking tubs will yell “Trebuchet!” and hurl the tub out of the enclosure. Compounding the difficulty, how many folks can simply walk up to a wild hormonal elephant and say Lend me your ear so I can poke you with sharp object? All these death defying feats were accomplished smoothly, quickly, easily and systematically by attracting the elephant into the behavior.  No super charged electric prods, tranquilizer guns, spears, ropes or elephant sized flipper paddles used to intimidate or establish leadership, just an apple.

The director then explained to me that the use of operant conditioning as a method to communicate with wild animals was the first time he could sleep at night knowing his animal keepers and the animals were safe.

If I were a television producer, I would bet that attraction-based pinball playing would not satiate audience’s desire for drama and action. However, there are many thankful zoo keepers that hinge their lives on the drama-less power that operant conditioning/positive reinforcement/red delicious training provides. Not to mention all the animals that feel good with the opportunity to use their brain rather than being treated like a pinball.

-cw

-cw