Feet Trimming -- After the Trim
After the last trim there was an exchange between Gunny, Eric and I that I think is worth mentioning here to show how little things can mean so much.
After the trim had went so fabulously, complete with communication and cooperation, Eric finished and got complacent. He set down the right hind foot, paused a moment and then picked up his tools and came forward to Gunny's shoulder. Gunny turned to look at Eric and his trimming tools. Eric was mentally onto the next thing, so he was just going to walk on by. As Eric stepped into the space where Gunny's head was, his ears went back and his expression became unhappy. It happened quicker than I could say anything to Eric about pausing and staying in the moment. Eric did see the ears back and unhappy expression and stepped back. At first he didn't step back far enough for it to make a difference for Gunny. (to me it still felt like he was mentally onto the next thing at this point) I suggested that he step back farther and I explained how I saw what had happened.
After the last foot, Gunny had turned to Eric to interact with him. Eric was not present to reciprocate. Furthermore Eric was just going to square his shoulders and push his chest through the space where Gunny's head was. I put it in human terms. What if a person was standing there and had turned around to say something and the other person totally ignored them and even went to push them out of the way as they walked on by? Would that person be mad or offended? Yes, most likely they would.
As we were talking, Gunny licked and chewed. Eric came forward and Gunny turned to look at him again. Eric let him sniff the tools and talked to him briefly, but then was going to push on by. I reminded Eric to wait for Gunny to "open the door" (by turning his head). Eric paused another couple of seconds and Gunny did open the door and Eric walked by.
So I finished explaining my interpretation in human terms as Eric was getting ready to leave the barn. I think this part included talking about someone walking away before you were done with your conversation and how that would feel, that both parties need to end the conversation, not just one. Gunny started to chew and yawn repeatedly while I was doing this. At the time I did not put two and two together that they were connected. But once I wrote this down in my journal I could see that they most likely were.
Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!
After the trim had went so fabulously, complete with communication and cooperation, Eric finished and got complacent. He set down the right hind foot, paused a moment and then picked up his tools and came forward to Gunny's shoulder. Gunny turned to look at Eric and his trimming tools. Eric was mentally onto the next thing, so he was just going to walk on by. As Eric stepped into the space where Gunny's head was, his ears went back and his expression became unhappy. It happened quicker than I could say anything to Eric about pausing and staying in the moment. Eric did see the ears back and unhappy expression and stepped back. At first he didn't step back far enough for it to make a difference for Gunny. (to me it still felt like he was mentally onto the next thing at this point) I suggested that he step back farther and I explained how I saw what had happened.
After the last foot, Gunny had turned to Eric to interact with him. Eric was not present to reciprocate. Furthermore Eric was just going to square his shoulders and push his chest through the space where Gunny's head was. I put it in human terms. What if a person was standing there and had turned around to say something and the other person totally ignored them and even went to push them out of the way as they walked on by? Would that person be mad or offended? Yes, most likely they would.
As we were talking, Gunny licked and chewed. Eric came forward and Gunny turned to look at him again. Eric let him sniff the tools and talked to him briefly, but then was going to push on by. I reminded Eric to wait for Gunny to "open the door" (by turning his head). Eric paused another couple of seconds and Gunny did open the door and Eric walked by.
So I finished explaining my interpretation in human terms as Eric was getting ready to leave the barn. I think this part included talking about someone walking away before you were done with your conversation and how that would feel, that both parties need to end the conversation, not just one. Gunny started to chew and yawn repeatedly while I was doing this. At the time I did not put two and two together that they were connected. But once I wrote this down in my journal I could see that they most likely were.
Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!
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