Dear Keith...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
When I worked for the state as an adoption and foster trainer the problem of acting out children (trying to take charge because they didn't trust adults not to abuse and neglect them) would come up often.
These children came with terrible baggage sometimes. Badly damaged and highly reactive. Even dangerously so.
My suggestion, and it worked every single time it was used by my students, was this:
"The next time he signals his displeasure at anything, even for an instant, you will drop what you're doing, take his nose between your hands and pet and pet and pet. Pet him like you've had a snoot full.
You'll pet until he takes his head away – and you'll grab it back and do it some more."
Recognize it? Your advice for curing the biting horse.
Well, I'd tell the budding foster parent, or adoptive parent, that when the child was coming off the wall, to grab them up and hug and kiss and just love them to pieces. And to provoke misbehavior if they needed to, so they could apply this tactic.
Thanks for cheering me up. I've an upcoming 60 day tuneup coming on a badly spoiled 12 year old Morgan gelding that is dominant-aggressive and a terror to work with in some ways.
He's a product of years of the make-a-friend-of-your-horse school of "relating to the horse," training.
You reminded me of a great tactic.
Loved it. You DO understand mammalian psychology, that's for sure, even if we are predator and horses prey.
Don |
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