discusses the importance of flexibility in times of uncertainty EMBRACING CHANGE

c o n s u l t i n g Embracing Change

Kathie Gregory examines life during and post-pandemic and how we can adjust our thinking to become more creative and intuitive in the way we engage with our animals

In these ongoing strange times, we are finding ourselves faced with what people are calling the “new normal.” I don't think any of us know exactly which parts of life will change completely, what will go back to how things were before, and what will be somewhere inbetween, but there are many people who are already doing things differently. I am very well aware that this is not necessarily a positive situation, and so many are struggling with lost income. Some have lost their jobs, and some their homes. Some have lost their lives.

We can't change what people have gone through, but we can hope for a positive future. With that in mind, I wanted to look at the opportunities that are emerging from the world being in lockdown. We have the chance to look at what and how we do things with the animals we live and work with and find inspiration to improve.

Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail

As the world changed, many of us had to change our ways to comply with government guidelines to keep us safe. Once the coronavirus hit, measures to keep people safe were communicated ahead of time so we could think about how to change the way we do things and live within the restrictions imposed. You may be wondering what this has to do with animals, but one of the things that helps both us and them be successful is preparing, as opposed to winging it. If we fail to prepare, we are leaving things to chance, and we may well find ourselves and our animals in a situation that could have been avoided. This is relevant to everything we do, particularly when we do something for the first time, and when we consider the emotional mind and how moods change throughout the day. We need to think through what we are going to do, the possibilities of what might happen, and potential strategies to counter potential unwanted outcomes.

With this in mind, think through what you might expect to encounter if you are taking your young puppy out somewhere new. Prepare for how he might react to new experiences and plan ahead what you can do to support him. The same applies to a young horse. What training do you have in place? Is this enough for the situation you are going to be in, or will your horse be overwhelmed and not able to listen to you?

Try Something New

In these changed circumstances, we have had to think of new ways to do what we did before. In some instances, this has proved to be less efficient and not the best solution, but there are many things that are actually better. We often do things the same way because we have always done it like that. This may be because we don't like stepping out of our comfort zone, and do not like change. Often, we do not change unless forced to do so. But, without change we stagnate and may miss opportunities to do something we wouldn't otherwise have done if we had remained in the same old comfortable, familiar situation.

We can take advantage of how we have had to try new ways of doing things and apply that to how we teach and interact with our animals. Change is more scary when you don't have any clue as to the outcome, but we have all managed to make changes and we have coped. This means we can all be brave and step out of our comfort zone.

© Can Stock Photo/photocreo

© Can Stock Photo/ sonyae (Top and bottom) By being in front of behavior and making sure they have a plan in place, trainers can anticipate what their animals are likely to do in each situation

Think about things first, so you make good decisions as to what you want to change. To some extent you need to use your intuition – what doesn't sit right with you? What feels wrong in what you do? Do you want to change the way you interact with your animals? The way you teach? Where you want to take your training? What you do together? Acknowledge those things that you know are not quite right. Now use your head, do some reading and explore other options. Can you map out a way to progress?

We are often held back by thinking we can't do something, but we actually can; we just need a plan and help along the way from those who have already traveled that journey. Obviously, we must ensure the welfare and safety of the animals we are with, so we go back to preparing. By doing this, when we try something new, we can do it in a controlled manner. If it doesn't work out, we can discard it; if it does, we can pursue it. Don't forget to also acknowledge what feels right in what you do. It is really important too to take the time to think about what we have achieved with our animals, what we know we can do, what we enjoy. Reminding ourselves of these things helps with our sense of selfesteem, confidence, and ability to have a go at something new. It also gives us emotional resilience, so when we try something new that does not turn out as we hoped, we will be able to put it aside rather than dwell on it, or think we are not good enough.

Be Creative

The time spent in lockdown has also given some people more free time. We have seen people taking up hobbies and activities they did not have time for previously. We can be creative with the time we spend with our animals too. Ask yourself what you have wanted to try but didn't feel confident enough to do. What activities would your animal enjoy? Say you have a breed of dog that is not commonly seen in agility but loves agility type activities. He may not be fast or master the weaves, but so what? You don't have to take up agility with the aim to compete. And, as long as you do not push your dog to do something he is not physically or psychologically capable of doing, then it doesn’t matter if he is not great at the sport. If he thoroughly enjoys himself and you enjoy teaching him, then you have a great activity and partnership. It's all about the experience and enriching both your and your animal’s lives.

Use Your Intuition

Doing something differently or learning something new can be worrying. It can result in not knowing what to do, never mind how to start. And our intuition is something we often tend to ignore. While we may have some sort of unspecified feeling, rather than explore it, our intellect kicks in and tells us not to be silly. However, listening to our intuition is so important. It can keep us safe. That gut feeling of unease or something not being right is our mind and body telling us to take note of something before our intellect responds.

Not only can intuition keep us safe, it can also help us on our life journey. We, hopefully, know deep down what fits with us, what feels right, what we want to do, and where we want our lives to go. We have

...think through what you might expect to encounter if you are taking your young puppy out somewhere new. Prepare for how he might react to new experiences and plan ahead what you can do to support him. The same applies to a young horse. What training do you have in place? Is this enough for the situation you are going to be in, or will your horse be overwhelmed and not able to listen to you?

...we do not want to teach animals in a way that stops their inquisitiveness and ability to try things, so how we do things is as important as what we do. Being aware of the effect of what we do and how we do it can then show us the way to teach and progress, while avoiding any outcome that has a detrimental element to it.

the same intuition when we think about our animals, as in how we interact with them, what activities we do with them, and how we teach them. We may not be sure what direction we should go in but we can explore and try out different things.

We can start by trying something that is easy and small to see how we feel as well, as how the animal feels. Then, by examining the outcomes of pursuing that particular activity, we can identify the possible pitfalls. For example, we do not want to teach animals in a way that stops their inquisitiveness and ability to try new things, so how we do things is as important as what we actually do. Being aware of the effect of what we do and how we do it can then show us the way to teach and progress, while avoiding any outcome that has a detrimental element to it.

Set Up for Success

Setting up for success is not just about thinking through new things, it is also about what we do every day. Most of what we do will not be new; rather, we will be engaging in familiar routines and teaching sessions.

So, we can take a twopronged approach. Firstly, be in front of behavior, not behind it. What I mean by this is that you know how things go, so you can anticipate what your animal is likely to do in each situation. There are often parts of the usual things we do that are not ideal, or don't go smoothly. This may be due to any number of elements, but instead of waiting for it to happen, get in front of it and adjust what you do so you can counter it and achieve a different outcome.

Secondly, think about which parts of your routine would improve if you changed them. Sometimes, it is not any individual component of the routine that is the issue, but the whole routine. Take time to think about what is important. What are you trying to achieve? Is it really important? What if you changed your goal? Would that be an improvement? Starting a new routine begins with these questions. It opens your mind and makes you think about what is really important rather than what you thought was important. From there, you can work towards a harmonious, mutually beneficial relationship with your animal, and a life that is full of positivity, solutions, and the ability to adjust for whatever comes your way. n Kathie Gregory is a qualified animal behavior consultant, presenter and author, specializing in advanced cognition and emotional intelligence. Passionate about raising standards and awareness in how we teach and work with animals, she has developed Free Will Teaching TM , a concept that provides the framework for animals to enjoy life without compromising their own free will. She has authored two books, A tale of two horses: a passion for free will teaching, and A Puppy Called Wolfie: a passion for free will teaching, and her work is currently divided between working with clients, mentoring, and writing.

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