SPEAK BETTER ANIMAL!!!
Stress Free Stock and Dog Handling
Animals talk with their body language, not with words. But what are they saying? And are we watching? In turn, are we humans aware of what our bodies are saying to the animals?
The clinic will start by explaining body language concepts and proxemics illustrated with video clips, pictures, diagrams, and models. We will then work with sheep (RRSF’s) WITHOUT DOGS to learn how to handle livestock while minimizing stress and to gain experience about how proxemics works on that species. Later, we will “read” the body language of individual dogs to see what they are telling us, and practice using human body nuances to de-stress them as we handle them.
Topics
v The flight/arousal zone- proxemics
v Pressure zones—the edge of the flight zone
v Directional and postural nuances applied and interpreted in context
v Facial expressions—sheep, dogs, yours
v Look into the eyes—or not
v Signs of relaxation; signs of tension, signs of attention—5 keys
v Using your body more effectively—“dotting the eye,” how to release pressure and stress.
v How to create directional movement of the animal towards, away, past you
v Blocking versus leading; how to lead.