Tag Archives: horse training

Dog Behavior, Dog Training, Dogs

CARMEL, CA: The Way And The Reason I Work.

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Someone asked me recently, “What makes YOU so special?” And, honestly? I love this question! There is something different about me and it does contribute to how and why I work so well with animals – and humans!

I’m a very calm, confident person and I give off that energy to those around me. Dogs are pack animals and appreciate a leader who knows “the way out of the woods,” so-to-speak. A leader who can handle any situation with confidence and ease – so they don’t have to. 

Energy! It’s all about the energy that I give off and even use to communicate with.

I also have a very good grasp of emotions happening; inside of me or within the people around me. I tend to keep myself very positive-neutral and under control – which translates to “leader” in dogs. The confidence I have, and my restraint from having emotional reactions come from years of my own work in self-reflection and understanding the brain and body coherence. 

If a dog is acutely aware of their present self and physical body position / motion, why can’t we be the same? It’s because we’ve become distracted, it’s been trained out of us. I have learned to enhance and utilize it to work for me, with animals, children, and the non-verbal in general. 

And Yes, I do use this same form of self-energy control and distribution to communicate as well. This is a bit more tricky to explain and teach; however, it’s something that we are all capable of. Everybody has the potential – it’s in our code. It’s the same as your gut feelings, your intuition – your Spidey-Senses! You’ve even experienced it before without being aware. Picture this…

You’ve just gotten out of a late night class. The campus is empty and dark. When you showed up earlier, the parking lot was full – so you had to park in the far back. As you pass one of the buildings you see a dark figure leaning against the wall, nobody else is around and suddenly you feel very anxious to get to your car. Your pace quickens, your footsteps pounding in your ears. Your breathing becomes quick and shallow. Your lonely car out there in the lot, by itself in the dark seems to be so far away; it feels like someone is looming right over your shoulder – about to grab you! 

The very next morning news gets to you that a building on your campus was broken into. The very same building you saw the figure the night prior. You felt something was wrong, you knew something was off about that place, that person, that time. You don’t know why or how, but you acted on that feeling by getting to your car quickly, your brain pumping your body full of adrenaline to give you the strength and speed to complete your one and only task of survival. 

It’s instinctual and can be fine-tuned to your advantage whenever you need it.  

Alternatively – You’ve just walked into a new school on day 1. You look around the room for an empty seat, trying not to be noticed. When you lock eyes with a new stranger and they smile. It’s as if a light has shone upon them; all your nerves disappear, you smile easily and suddenly you feel relaxed and excited to start this new year. The two of you have now been the best of friends (or lovers) for 25 years.

I just happened to notice that animals responded much quicker and easier to it all than people did. Though people absolutely can and do – just as well! 

I have been particularly sensitive to these types of moments and feelings since I was a very young child. It’s a silent language that we all are capable of speaking. I just happen to have practiced quietly, internally, since I can remember. Being a child whose vision depended on being extremely observant of my environment, situations, motions, emotions, behaviors and the people around me certainly helped my case. I had to rely on those senses and energy shifts and changes to tell me how to react and adapt in my life.

Energy shifts are the way of animal language:
The deer NEVER needs to walk up to the wolf and ask if he is a friend. He just knows. Zebra know the exact moment to run; the moment the lion has chosen to chase. Instinctual energies have a very palpable feel to them, and as soon as you learn to recognize and read them, is when you can be several steps ahead of the creature you’re working with. 

I do my best to teach this to every one of my clients.

Every time I’ve had a dog on lead who’s decided to attack another, I feel something like a pulse of energy, almost like a puff of air that hits me first. My reflexes and reaction time must be precise to ensure the safety of everybody involved. So I stop it before it starts, or gets too far.

If I start to lose a dog’s attention and they go dancing away, I can picture and *feel* something like an elastic band or cord attached between us, that encourages them to come back by tugging at them to return to me.

That is how I was always able to catch dogs running loose in the neighborhood. 

Now you see, there is something different about me, something special that I have that others may not. I work on many levels with my animals and people, so that everyone benefits and their lives improve. That’s my ultimate goal – to improve the lives of others through transforming relationships with their animals. <3

Published by Amy Noble on 10/23/19

Amy is an Animal Behaviorist and Dog Trainer in Monterey, Ca, with over Thirty years of experience and active knowledge working with animals. Amy’s love for every dog, cat, horse, rabbit, human (and more!) that she trains truly shows in her work and dedication.


Dog Behavior, Dog Training, Dogs, Service Animals, Training Tips

Carmel, Ca: Thinking of Registering a Service Animal? Here’s What You Should Know…

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…You can’t!

There is no such thing as a legitimate Online Doctors note, Registry or Certification for a pet to be a Service Animal.

Taken from the ADA’s website: “There are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a service animal.”

There are major differences between the three types of Service Animals: Emotional Support, Therapy and Service Animal.

The ADA defines a Service Animal as any dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. Otherwise meaning, the only ones lawfully covered by the DoJ are Task-trained Service Animals.

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are NOT the same as Task-Trained Service Animals. They are not covered by the ADA or Department of Justice, they do NOT have public access rights to “go anywhere you want”. They are not a license to have dogs where you otherwise couldn’t, and it is illegal and unethical to claim an Emotional Support/Service Animal to get around breed restrictions in apartments. Additionally, faking a Service Dog team can land you up to a $5,000 fine in California.

Including fines and other legal issues that those will run into when bringing their pet dogs to Wal-Mart or the grocery store? They are putting real, legit Service Dog teams in danger simply by just being there. These teams are highly trained and have spent countless hours and money on becoming what they are, and getting to the point of working together in public. More than likely, the pet dog has not had nearly the same amount, nor type, of training and can distract, react to, or attack a legit Service Dog Team. 

Not all disabilities are visible. Sometimes a handler may need their dog to alert them to an impending seizure, a drop in blood pressure, an oncoming anxiety attack, someone or something approaching proximity boundaries. It could be anything, and it is nobody’s business what disabilities the handlers have except their own and their Service Animal’s. The point is, if the animal misses his target because he’s distracted by Pet Dog, Fido, barking at him? His handler could get very seriously injured or worse.

Remember, you don’t need to be the Fake Service Dog Police. If you suspect a pet dog is pretending to be a Service Dog, seek out the store’s manager and alert them to your suspicions. It is up to them to ask the two individual questions that grant public access.

Emotional Support Animals DO have their place, and play a very important role in providing comfort and support in their human’s lives. ESA’s are not required to have any specific training because they don’t perform any tasks. ESA’s can also be other animals such as cats, rabbits, or parrots, though those animals may not be allowed to travel on airlines.

If you feel you could benefit from an Emotional Support Animal; you are still required to get your personal doctor or therapist to sign a letter stating your need for the ESA, in order for you to receive Reasonable Accommodations for housing or travel. Your ESA letter does not grant you public access into non-pet friendly stores. They are seen as pets and can be a distraction to Service Dog Teams. 

Emotional Support Animals can, however, accompany you to pet-friendly places such as pet stores, some hardware stores, some banks, and some outdoor cafes. If you’re fortunate enough to live in places like the Bay Area – You’ve got Stanford Shopping Center and Santana Row. Monterey County is quite dog-friendly, especially Carmel-by-the-Sea. All of these places are very dog-friendly and encouraged! Most stores will even have water bowls and treats hidden in the back for all the good boys & girls.

Therapy Dogs and Mini horses have a special place as well. These are the animals that visit hospitals, homes and schools to provide comfort and love to their residents. They are there for petting, resting, talking and reading to. These animals DO have a certification process that they generally go through to become a volunteer team. Most hospitals & homes will not allow individual Therapy Dog teams to visit their premises unless they belong with a specific Therapy Dog organization. Many of these Therapy Dog Organizations will require the dogs go through CGC Certification before, and to remain current on for the duration of their service.

Therapy Dogs and Mini horses do NOT have public access rights. They are only permitted in their designated places of service, and pet-friendly businesses.

Dogs and Mini Horses are the two most used animals as Service Animals. They have many different jobs that range from Guide Dogs, to Medical Alert, Mobility, and Psychiatric Service Dogs. These are considered Task-Trained Service Animals.

Psychiatric Service Dogs are very different from Emotional Support Animals. PSD’s are individually trained in tasks to help mitigate their handlers disabilities. They may perform Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) for anxiety attacks, alert to an oncoming panic attack from PTSD, perform Grounding, remind handler for medications, break dissociative episodes, wake from nightmares, etc. The amazing list of things goes on and the tasks are all individual to each handler team. These teams spend all day together. Some handlers need their Service Animals on an hour-by-hour, a day-by-day or a week-by-week basis. These animals are truly their daily side-kicks and Superheroes all rolled into one. 

Banner The Super Dog

Superheroes indeed, I wanted to share some Service Animals that I follow on social media. This girl’s name says it all: “Banner, The Super Dog”. What I love most about her is that she’s a Husky that has been very well trained by her handler. She gets to be a husky, and also takes her job very seriously. And who doesn’t enjoy a cosplaying dog?

Miniature Horses can also perform similar Service jobs; Vision Guide, Medical Alert, and they are a great option for handlers who may need more mobility support than a dog can give.

Flirty The Miniature Service Horse

One such Miniature horse I follow on Social Media is Flirty. She’s sassy and adorable and I really enjoy how open and honest her mama is. Her handler does more than her share of spreading education and information about Service Animals. She gives her readers a glimpse into the life of someone with invisible disabilities, dealing with the public, and the training and daily care of her service animal all while dealing with “real life” stuff. Flirty is her life line and it’s often shared, moments she has needed Flirty to jump into action to do her job. They are a great team, and you can see the love between them. 

This is only part of the information I wanted to share. I created a whole second blog to cover the rest. Read Paw’rt Two Here!

Published by Amy Noble on 7/31/19

Amy is an Animal Behaviorist in Monterey Ca, with over Thirty years of experience and active knowledge working with animals. She has helped clients train Medical Alert, Mobility, and Psychiatric Service Animals, and is an AKC CGC Evaluator.

Horse Training, Horses

Horse Training: Fear vs. Trust

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There has been a very long-standing practice of how one should “break” or “tame” a horse. That generally involved domination of the animal using ropes, chains, and whips. The practice of “Cowboying” a horse into submission provides you with an animal that is compliant – out of fear.

When mentioning working with a horse I’m often met with comments such as “Oh, I could get him to do what I want – you just gotta not be afraid of him and show him who’s boss!” Ok, sort of, yeah. But I disagree.

Horses are prey animals. They’re naturally afraid anyway, as they should be, of predators or anything that moves, honestly. That fear is what keeps them alive! So then you want to build a relationship based off of that fear? That doesn’t sound like a great time to me.

I know a lot of people do what they do out of love and not knowing any different. Those same people telling me they’d “show him who’s boss” would also say that they love their horses. The methods in which were used on that animal, were used because that’s the way it’s always been.

My very first horse was brought to me by the woman who had been his farrier and had kept him on her property the last year and a half of his, then, 4-year life. I had been studying horse body language and communication for a few years at this point. Looking for gentler, better, methods to work with and train horses, and to be the best I could be with mine. She led him out of the trailer towards the round pen and was telling me how I needed to “show him who’s boss” (yes, that’s a very popular statement in the horse world). She proceeded to close the gate, grabbed a whip, and BAM! Started cracking it right at his hind end. She was super aggressive, running at him growling loudly swinging the whip at him, making him run his heart out until he was glistening with sweat. She was talking about how I NEEDED to run him ragged before doing anything with him because he was “very hot”. I was uncomfortable, he was visibly uncomfortable trying to get away from her, and I felt frozen. I had been training dogs for 10 years at this point and had only ever studied about horses and casually ridden, after all. Whereas she had been a farrier for 20+. What did I know?

I knew for certain that, that would be the last time that ever happened to my boy. He never did choose to go to her, he was forced to stop by being herded into a “corner” and she caught him when he was frozen and shaking. It made me feel sick watching it.

I decided to use my methods with him. Positive reinforcement and building trust. That first week all I did was bond with him so I could basically reset his brain as much as possible. He did everything for me because he WANTED to. I built a friendship based on trust and love. I could get him to do anything I wanted, and he took care of me for the remainder of his life.

Using positive reinforcement, understanding how horses communicate with one other, patience and love will accomplish SO MUCH MORE with your horse. By doing so, you are showing them that you are a safe place. You’re not going to let anything happen to them and will take care of them, so they will trust you and feel drawn to be with you. The bond that is created between your horse and you will be stronger, and everything you do will come much easier.

This boy has had a rough time. Typical beginning with typical “training”. His behavior and body language speak volumes to me.

Before I met him, his basic story was: He can’t be caught. They chase him around for 3hours+ to no avail. His mom would end up sitting in the middle of his paddock completed defeated. Not only was she missing basic vet and farrier appointments? She had to miss out on work every time as well. He runs at the sight of a halter and has his ears pinned about 90% of the time. He’s kicked out at and given warning nips to anyone who tried to work with him. Had been through two different trainers before me, one of them he threw on her head. He hadn’t been ridden in years and the one and only time his mom got to, it ended before it started and that was the same day, right before the trainer got tossed. Everyone advising her said he “just needed a cowboy to come fix him”. Sounded like my work was cut out for me…

First day I met him, it was obvious he didn’t have a lot of trust in anyone! He pinned his ears pretty much constant; every time his mom or I would look at him or go to pet him, or even when anybody would move or do anything that he though was “out of his control”. He showed obvious signs of heavy hands being on him in his longtime past. He definitely had been broken. That day, I just listened to his story and won him over.

At the time of this writing, I’ve only worked with him for two separate hours. We’ve already managed to decrease the ear pinning down to about 30%. He is beginning to trust me, lets me pet him in more areas than his head/face, and I’ve caught and led him by having him come to me in just 35 minutes.

If it weren’t for my methods of positive reinforcement, patience, understanding and love? Who knows how many more missed work, appointments and frustrating hours, days or even years they would have had to endure. And where it stands now? She’ll be able to enjoy her horse for many years to come. I’m confident I’ll have her in the saddle as well.

We still have a lot of work to do – and I will be writing updated blogs on this guy! Stay tuned!