Today was a great day, training wise. I started with the trailer. We did a few walk and halt transitions on our way there and to see if she was listening. I opened the top door on the trailer and she walked on. No muss, no fuss. We walked off (she wanted to walk over me on the way out, so I backed her away from me and we tried it "like a lady" and she walked off quietly. I turned her around and put her back on a second time and we walked off, closed the top door and went to the barn for the rest of the session. Harness on, a little longing, and I pulled out the PVC poles...no big deal. Then I put the shafts of the training travois into the shaft hangers of the harness and we did several laps of the round pen both directions, first with me leading and then with her leading. Lots of turns to get her used to the feel of the poles against her legs and lots of halts. We dragged them through puddles for the change of noise, through gravel for the rattling, and through the grass, which is all feel and no noise. She did it all with no problems whatsoever. Her only issues stem from wanting to be in charge. It's where she's comfortable and letting me be in charge is slightly out of her comfort zone. After all, she doesn't know me and I might ask her to do something that will get her hurt. So she second-guesses most of what I ask. Sometimes she is right, but sometimes in her efforts to be right, she messes it up. Discipline for her involves a jiggle on the line; nothing more is necessary. Wow!
