Westie - Session 3-5 - Toe Dragger & Hard to Bridle

Tonight was session five with Westie and he has come such a long way! Some of my favorite things are how willing he has become to change directions on the lunge line, his eagerness to tackle new tasks like trotting and cantering over poles and low jumps, and his good manners when I take him out into Water Works Park to stretch his legs.

For his physical rehabilitation (see session 1-2 for more info), helping him gain the muscle to carry himself better and pick his toes up instead of dragging them, I've really focused his exercise on those areas. If we are lunging on flat ground, I keep at least two or three heavy ground poles within our circle, so that he's constantly thinking about picking his feet up. I don't know for certain why he drags his toes. It could be something he has always done, or a habit he picked up along the way. I do not think it is a true permanent physical limitation at this time, as he is also perfectly capable of lifting his legs high without any sign of stress or discomfort. We'll know for sure if he continues to improve over time. For now, with just five sessions, he is already showing improvement.

Working on the bridling has been interesting. He's very clever and has learned ways to get away with avoiding the bit, and I'm assuming it worked a number of times in the past. He sort of snakes his head around during his avoidance tactics, which certainly does make it challenging. I brought up using fruit roll-ups to make the bit tastier and was told this had been tried previously. Not one to be deterred, I thought I'd try it anyway. First, I took some time to teach him that fruit snacks are tasty by buying regular small ones and using those as rewards. Then, wrapped the bit and made the effort. He liked the smell, so avoided a lot less than usual. Today I bridled him twice, and caught a little video of the second time to share also. I think it will certainly take more tries before he replaces negative thought with positive regarding being bridled, but he is a smart boy and likes to learn.

Until next time!

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