Fox Hollow Dog Training

30/07/2025

RIDING BRIDLELESS IN A AN ARENA WITH OTHER HORSES ON THE 6TH RIDE.

This photo is from a clinic in Holland or Belgium about 8 or 9 years ago.

It's of an amazing lady named Jo, and her horse Asphodel. I believe he is an Arab x Connemara. By the time Jo came to the clinic Asphodel had 4 or 5 rides, in a round pen.

Jo is British, but lived in Germany at the time, and she had spent a lot of time STTDP (Stick To The Damn Plan). Sticking to the plan involves making sure each step in the horses education is good before moving on to the next step.

One of the steps that Asphodel took a while to get good at before the clinic was the transition from the ground to the saddle (actually the mounting block to the saddle). Jo would pick her foot up to put it in the stirrup and her horses head would raise slightly, so she'd work on that till it was good (meaning it no longer concerned her horse, even slightly).

Then the next day that was good, but when she placed her foot in the stirrup, her horse would tense slightly. She worked on that until it was good.

Then next say she could pick her foot up, and place it in the stirrup, and her horse was good, but when she went to bounce slightly on the foot that was on the mounting block, her horse was slightly concerned. By the end of that session, that bit was good.

The next session she could pick her foot up, place it in the stirrup, and bounce slightly on the mounting block, and her horse was good, but when she bounced with enough energy to mount, her horse became a little concerned. She worked on that until it was good.

This was all at the place she kept her horse (so before she came to the clinic). All of the other riders at that particular barn would walk by and say things like "aren't you ever going to ride that horse", or "just get on and ride", or "you're wasting time, it will take forever at this rate", etc etc.

The final step was to be able to lift her foot, place it in the stirrup, bounce slightly, bounce more, then mount, and her horse was just as relaxed as he was before she even stepped on the mounting block. So the process, from the mounting block, to actually sitting on her horse, took 5 days. So of course everyone at her barn (livery, whatever you choose to call it) now thinks she's taking things way too slow.

Fast forward to the clinic, the first day she went to mount, she had to go back through that step by step process, but instead of taking 5 days, it takes over an hour, because he's in a different environment.. But then when she's on, her horse is completely relaxed, and we take that relaxation into the riding.

Which brings me to this photo.

By day 2, her horse can walk, trot and canter, without any steering (Jo was just riding in a rope halter) and he under his own control. Jo isn't controlling him, he is controlling himself. To show everyone there how important it was that Jo spent those 5 days working on the little things, we pulled the halter off and had her ride at a walk, trot and canter in an arena full horses (I had the others all stand still for this) without a problem. Jo told me that when she went home from the clinic and showed pictures to the people at her barn, they all changed their tune from "you are taking too long" to "oh you are so lucky you have a quiet horse, mine would never do that", but the truth is if they had taken the time with their horse that Jo had, they could be that lucky as well (I like the saying "you make your own luck").

Some people might think that 5 days is a long time for that one step, but if you are planning to ride this horse for the next 15 years, 5 days is actually 0.0913242009% of the time.

Before people start saying how brave Jo is, I want to direct your attention to a big sign on the wall in the photo, that you can't quite see all of. In full it says "I'm not brave, I'm thorough". Brave is knowing something dangerous is going to happen and doing it anyway. When you are thorough, and know you have your horse properly prepared, you don't need to be brave.

if you are interested in learning about all the steps involved in having a horse be able to control themselves like this under saddle, just go to our video library at videos.warwickschiller.com

17/07/2025

It’s not great for cats either!!!!

“But my dog plays with a laser pointer, and he’s fine!”

I’m going to tell a story.

Years ago, I evaluated fairly young (under two) dog for their problems with light fixation. It was very severe- the glint of a ring off the floor, a camera flash, and so much more. Any flicker on a surface sent the dog into a frenzy.

Months prior, they played with their dog with a laser pointer. After one session, the dog paced and whined for over an hour after they put it away. After two sessions, the dog began light chasing, causing severe damage to their carpet, and they realized the huge mistake they made.

We set up some lessons. And days before their first lesson, they called to cancel. The dog had chased the reflection of car headlights across their living room and went straight through their large picture window. The dog did not survive its injuries.

The story is one that has haunted me for years, and while it’s the most extreme incident stemming from laser pointer play I’ve personally seen, it’s not remotely the only dog I’ve seen with severe issues from it.

In the wrong dog, playing with a laser pointer, flashlight, etc., can trigger behavioral problems shockingly fast in only a small handful of sessions.

“But my dog loves it!”

Your dog may love it, but make no mistake, that is a matter of luck and nothing else. There is no lack of great toys out there to play with your dog that don’t carry such extreme risk.

If I handed you a box of 100 dog treats, and said “your dog will love 99 of these treats, but one of them could cost him his life”, would you still give one to your dog?

Please do not expose your dog to laser lights or similar devices for play.

11/07/2025

Tomorrow is your last day to register for the Happy Tails workshop! This event is open to 5th, 6th, and 7th graders for the 2025-2026 school year. Come join the Greenfield Recreation and local canine experts at Happy Tails and Fox Hollow Dog Training to learn about canine behavior, body language and the safest ways to play and interact with furry friends.

Registration closes tomorrow! Register online at: https://magreenfieldweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/

09/07/2025

I should have made this post on Sunday when I officially went on vacation, but hey half way through the week isn’t bad 😂

I am on vacation until Sunday the 13th!

I’m sorry to all the dogs who don’t understand what a vacation is and is probably worried I haven’t come to pick them up 😂

06/07/2025

Silently naming breeds? My partner WISHES 😂😂

05/07/2025

Weekly Recap!
This week went by so fast!
We had a new friend join school and she’s starting to open up! Miss Stella was a little nervous to start, but is quickly warming up and became fast friends with Fox, Winnie, Anna and Cali!
She and Reilly (another Wednesday friend) look so similar 😂 so the only way to tell is their face and ears!

Stella has floppy ears, Reilly has pointed ears! That doesn’t help when they are running but 🤷🏻‍♀️ I can tell them apart and I think that’s all that matters 😂

This weeks enrichment was a premade lick mat mix. It was so simple to put together! I recommend it and so do all the dogs!

On Thursday Cash’s mom sent in little treats for everyone! Everyone loved the snacks! I will have to get the recipe !
Leo the lab didn’t even chew his, just swallowed. We won’t ask his opinion on how it tasted 😂

03/07/2025

We are so excited to help Happy Tails Greenfield run this workshop for youth!
If this workshop was around for little Finn they would have FLIPPED with excitement!!

Calling all dog lovers! Join us at Happy Tails dog care for a workshop on canine behavior. Get hands on experience and real life interaction with dogs to learn how to read their behavior and body language to safely interact with them. Learn empathy, practice building a relationship with a furry friend and learn safety cues about their behavior by the experts at Happy Tails.This workshop is July 19th from 9-11am for 5th-7th graders of the 2025-2026 school year.
Registration is free at: https://magreenfieldweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/
Please use code: 10591D

30/06/2025

I missed my Tuesday and Wednesday friends this week! I hope everyone was able to stay cool. We spent a lot of time in water this week!

28/06/2025

Piper is showing off some of her at home agility equipment!
- car ramp
-recycling bins
-snow sticks
It’s fun finding things around the house to repurpose for our dogs!
I think it’s so smart Pipers people used the sticks to make weave polls!
What are some things around your house that could be repurposed?

24/06/2025

I thought this was a reflection at first 🥺
Anyone looking to add a couple of cuties?

Not the most quality picture we’ve ever taken, but it’s up there with the “too much cute our hearts are about to burst”.

These two are still waiting for a foster or adopter! Bonded oldies whose owner recently passed! Sweet as can be! 11 year old siblings! Misty is blind and handles it beautifully. While they are getting so much love from our volunteers, we’d love for them to be in a home.

Please share these cuties!!

24/06/2025

If you’re not tucking your dog in with you in bed what are you even doing 😂

The range of emotions I go through whenever I see this happen: 😐 🤔 🫠 🤨 🫡

23/06/2025

Weekly recap coming in just under the wire before the new week 😅
It was a weird week weather wise. It was rainy for most of the week and then came the wave of heat and humidity 🫠

We took lots of cooling breaks in the ac and also splashed in as much water as possible!