Comparing Sessions

This is a driving/ground driving session with Zorro:

• You want me to walk? Okay I'll walk until you tell me something else you want me to do.

• You want me to whoa? Okay I'll stop and stand quietly until you tell me what else you want me to do.

• You want me to trot? Okay, I'll trot until you tell me what else you want me to do.

When we ground drive, Zorro will always stay in front of me and does everything he can to stay straight, even when I ask him to whoa. IF he some how gets turned around or tangled in the long lines, all I have to do is ask him to walk on and he will get all lined out and untangled from the long lines, nearly by himself. Sometimes I'll have to take a line out from between his front legs, but he has been known to lower his head and step back over the line so it's on the outside of his body as it should be.

When I trim his feet he hands them to me politely and stands on three legs all by himself. He doesn't like me to trim his right hind and will sometimes give me some trouble with that one. But he stands like such a nice gentleman for the others.

This is a ground driving session with Sky: Let's see if you know how to handle THIS!

• First I'll walk slowly and see if you know how to get me try harder.

• Then I'll jig and see if you can get me to walk.

• Then I'll stop and spin around to face you and see if you can get me untangled.

• You ask me to trot? I'll zig zag all around like a drunk pony to see if you can get me to do a nice circle.

• You want me to walk? I'll whoa.

• You want me to whoa? I'll come to the middle of the circle OR if you are ground driving me I'll turn around to face you. Every. Time.

Sky spends all her time TESTING me. She does not take anything I ask her to do lightly and will nearly always do something other than what I asked first. Just to see. She will do all of the above in one session.

When I trim her feet she lays on me. Or she stomps her feet. Or she rears up and tries to climb the hitching wall. She takes her feet and slams them down on the ground. All while wearing the sweetest and most adorable expression. Even going to so far as to bat her beautiful long eyelashes at me, making her bright blue eyes as big as she can and tipping her head, making a cookie face.

Sigh.

It's such a good thing she is cute.

And I think it's clear why I prefer to drive Zorro... LOL!