Episode 380: The Very Best Behavior Pt 4: Transforming Grass Into A Carpet of Motivation
- Jun 25
- 2 min read
This is part 4 of a conversation that’s on one subject - the foundation lesson that I call the grown-ups are talking, please don’t interrupt. In several recent podcasts Dominique has said this is her favorite behavior. That’s a strong statement to make, so we both thought we should have a conversation where she gets to explain why she likes grown-ups so very much.
It turns out we both have a lot to say about grown-ups. In Part. 1 I got us started by describing the behavior I’m referring that I call the grown-ups are talking, please don’t interrupt.
We ended that episode by saying that we aren’t just looking for a particular head orientation, but we are looking for the whole expression of the horse because we want to build in calmness and Deep all-is-well relaxation.
In Part 2 we described how you go about creating not just a horse who stands still when asked, but who is relaxed, confident and at ease when doing so.
We included some handling tips for building duration. Building duration helps the base behavior of grown-ups to expand. It morphs into ground tying meaning your horse remains in stillness while you move around him and perform tasks such as grooming, foot care, saddling, etc.
We looked at what it means for grown-ups to be an off switch for other behaviors. And we ended with the way grown-ups can be used to teach great balance. We can use grown-ups to normalize the feel of standing in balance.
That’s so important, so we continued to talk about balance, both physical and emotional in Part 3 We described default behaviors - what they are and how they function. Default behaviors for me include “the pose” which is a behavior that has been a keystone in Robin’s training. I describe both how the pose was taught, how it functions and its many benefits.
We ended just as we were starting to talk about how grown ups can be used to teach great grass manners. That’s the main focus of this episode - how you transform grass into a welcome carpet of motivation.
Grown-ups perfected becomes an elegant behavior. Clicker training turns the ordinary into extraordinary behavior.
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