We are now approaching the last of Harley’s visit. His owner joined me here at the ranch on Wednesday to practice the new techniques and work collaboratively on our “exit plan”. Which will include trailer loading on Friday, a regular trigger for his bolts.
To speak candidly, this has been a challenge. His sheer size and massive strength, combined with a long ingrained habit has left me scratching my head frequently. How do I get this big guys attention? The handy nylon rope with O ring as described in my previous post has proven effective, except for two occasions where fear precipitated the bolt- ie a spook and bolt, the worst kind. We could slow him down, but still not stop him. Therefore, its really not effective, so back to the drawing board. We sat down to evaluate the system so far and determine necessary improvements. We still wished to stay away from the harsh realty of a stud chain through his mouth, although his owner began to acknowledge that as an option. I really wanted to save that as a last resort and find a humane answer somewhere in between. By this time, Harley had made the rope part through his mouth nice and mushy from chewing on it. It had definitely lost some influence. I decided to replace that portion of the rope with a light chain, no change in set up. Now, where could I find a light weight chain with a ring on both sides <<light bulb>>… a canine training collar aka “choke chain’! Do they come in draft horse size? Just kidding. A trip to the local farm supply store and, after a long look at the cow/bull halters, hmmm…..just might work,….we continued on to the dog section. We had the length in mind, 16-18 inches, but the sizes of the chains varied. Harleys dutiful owner promptly placed each chain through her mouth and confidently declared the thinner one as feeling more effective. Now that’s dedication. I would have just guessed. We headed back to the ranch with a solid plan.
We made the adjustments, and headed for the big boy. He was receptive to the modification and didn’t seem apprehensive about the chain. Its very light weight, small linked and not at all stud chain like. Off we go to try it out. We headed out the arena without incident and reinforced the pressure response release cues. I was really pleased with the quick release action of the chain. Now it was time to test it out. Harley has not been lungeable in a non round pen setting, so that seemed like a good way to illicit his “waggle” (Well said Donna! Check Donnas post for the waggle theory). Sure enough, as I began to move him from a circle to a drive him out ahead of me in prime bolting position, he was looking for exit stage left. But then he’d run into the chain pressure and soften up. Then it got good. Harley began to make some very pointed faces that left no doubt as to his opinion of this whole contraption, and me as well. He even threw in a couple angry stomps with his front feet just to be sure I knew his intention. Hot DAWG! This meant one thing and one thing only, we got his number and he knew it. He had never made any such expressions of defiance before. He knew any attempt we made at holding him against his will was child’s play, not even worth his comment. Now, suddenly, he was not so sure. Keep in mind, through out all of this, as long as he remained soft and responsive, this rig doesn’t touch him. The right answer is easy for him to find. After a short time, he began to relax and lower his head, his eyes softened and we loved him up and gave him some lunch.
After letting his owner play around with a couple of the ranch horses and discover her inner reiner, we decided it was time she give Harley a spin. Again, an uneventful trip to the arena. I guided her through some basic lunging and she felt some real control for the first time. Never knowing when to leave well enough alone, yeah, I know… I decided to push the envelope just a bit more to see if we were looking at an honest solution. I took over and pushed him up to a canter and then off ahead of me, and yee haw he took the bait. He leapt forward and I dug in my heels. For the first time ever, he hit a brick wall that turned him to face me, eyes wide with a “yes mamn“ look, just as I lost my grip on the rope (I have a very weak left hand due to an injury, so hanging on with my left is tough) but that was ok, he was done, disengaged and at complete attention. ( I’ll attach the video as soon as I figure out how to) I quickly picked up the dropped rope and dialed him right back to me. He was surprised, I was ecstatic.
A few quick pressure response releases to reinforce the soft side of life, and he and his owner headed back to the barn.
Next comes the trailer…stay tuned, and cross your fingers!
Whoo Hoo! I love the inventiveness of the solution, and the confidence that goes into you and Harley’s owner going shopping together – that speaks worlds about your relationship and your shared approach to dealing with Harley. Reading this story makes me way more comfortable using with unusual approaches that fit Sunny and me, even if they aren’t in the mainstream.