I've decided to move the topic here, as that's probably where one would look for it.
Faldor wrote:
That is a great idea , but I hate the idea of when I put the wormer in the syringe and he comes along expecting the usual game and then gets a horrible chemical in his mouth instead
.
I totally understand your concerns. I would feel like betraying my horse when a fun game would suddenly turn sour like that.
I never trained Mucki to accept deworming paste before hand. His first experiences where by hands of the barn owners of our former places. Only lately I started to administer it myself.
When I did, I experienced an interesting thing, which also happens when applying bandages, or other medical treatments:
First, Mucki recognises the situation immediately when he sees me holding the syringe. Usually, he slowly walks away from me and the treatment (wise boy
). Would I use pressure or force to hold him back, the situation would escalate.
What I do is to be gently persistent. I tell him of the necessity of the treatment, and then I reward every little approach to the subject of fear (or disgust
).
It is astonishing, how I can see the dislike in Mucki's face, but at the same time his acceptance of the treatment.
Mucki is definitely not the type to be lured into a situation he doesn't want just by treats. Instead, I feel like it is the mode of interaction that he recognises and then chooses to comply.
This is not so much a result of specific training for this kind of situation, but more a cummulated effect of the reward based training over time.