Change the Environment, Change the Response

Could your surroundings be reinforcing a response you’re trying to change?

In this episode, I share how changing the environment can help interrupt familiar patterns in you, your horse, or your dog. From hoof handling and nail trimming to our own movement habits, a different setting can sometimes create the opportunity for a different response. 

Resources:

Grab your FREE video training to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get Mary’s bestselling, award-winning book, “Grow Young with Your Dog,” for a super low price at: https://tinyurl.com/growyoungwithyourdog. Demonstration videos are included at no extra cost. ⬅️⬅️⬅️

💥Learn how the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ can help improve your seat, position, and balance on your horse! Free rider videos masterclass: https://www.marydebono.com/rider 💥

All information is for general educational purposes ONLY and does not constitute medical, veterinary, or training advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider if you, your horse, or dog are unwell or injured.  Always use caution when interacting with horses and dogs.

About the Host:

Mary Debono is a pioneer in animal and human wellness, blending her expertise as an international clinician, best-selling author, and certified Feldenkrais Method® practitioner. With over three decades of experience, Mary developed Debono Moves, a groundbreaking approach that enhances the performance, well-being, and partnership of animals and their humans.

Mary's innovative approach draws from the Feldenkrais Method®, tailored specifically for horse and dog enthusiasts.  Her methods have helped animals and humans:

• Improve athletic ability and performance
• Enhance confidence and reduce anxiety
• Reduce physical limitations and discomfort
• Deepen the human-animal bond

Mary's flagship online programs, "Move with Your Horse" and "Easier Movement, Happier Dogs," provide animal enthusiasts with an innovative approach that combines the concepts of Feldenkrais® with her signature hands-on work for horses and dogs (Debono Moves). Through this transformative approach, both people and their animal companions discover greater harmony, ease, and connection.

Transcript

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It's often possible to help your dog or horse change their behavior. Maybe they're doing some behavior that you don't find appropriate. You can often help them change that behavior simply by changing the environment that they're in. So for that, I mean, let me give an example with a horse first, and then I'll give you a dog example. So say your horse has difficulty picking up their hooves and you've already ruled out, you know, a physical problem.

You've worked with them with that to help their movement be freer. And you. But the thing is, you're asking them over and over again in the same location. Maybe it's the location where the hoof trimmer comes, or maybe you trim your own horse, but you're always asking right there. Maybe it's a grooming area instead. If you take them someplace completely different where it's unexpected, then they don't have that environmental cue that is often reinforcing their response.

So when you eliminate that, it often helps set them up for success. Then you can do all like the wonderful hands on things you can do do bono moves to help improve their mobility and stability so that it's easier to pick up their hooves. You can do all that fun stuff. And that's very helpful, right? But. And simply changing the environment can help them have an even better response to that.

Same is true with your dog. Same thing. Maybe your dog has issues whether they react to other dogs in certain areas, or maybe they don't like to get their nails trimmed or whatever it happens to be. But if you keep working on it in the same location, that may really work against you and your dog. So instead, if you do it someplace completely different, maybe in the backyard, and you've never done it that there or in the bedroom, and that's not usually where you do it, or even in a completely different location.

Like maybe there's a quiet park where you can take your dog and you still have them, you know, safely on leash. But maybe you introduce something in a completely different environment than you're normally in that can help set them up for success. So you have to be obviously smart about this. Use common sense. You don't want to put them in a situation where they'd be more likely to be anxious.

So it has to be something where they're quiet and calm about it. But when you eliminate the environment as a familiar cue, it can make a big difference for them. This happens quite often with humans as well. So for example, people will tell me that they deal with certain aches and pains and then when they go on vacation, those aches and pains aren't present. They're not present in the same way.

Well, yes, it could be to, due to a change in routine. Sleeping is different. You're not doing maybe the same physical activities. However many times it's just simply the change of environment that now, you know, you don't have those, you know, external cues that are prompting your nervous system to respond in a particular way. So whether it's you that's dealing with something, your horse, your dog, it can be very effective to simply go out of your familiar environment and you know, set yourself up for success so that you don't have those external cues that are constantly prompting you to maintain the status quo.

Right. So change one thing. Have it be something that's a, you know, again, a relaxing place, a place you're not going to be very distracted. And then you could work on your movement, your well being. You can do Feldenkrais awareness through movement, new location. And, and you know, it's, it's interesting. When I was doing the four year Feldenkrais training, our teachers were very clear. They wanted us to have our Feldenkrais mat in a different spot in the room every day.

Now many of us didn't follow that exactly, but because you kind of get, you get cozy, you get familiar, you get comfortable in a certain spot. But what it does by changing where you're doing your Feltenkrais, it gives you more opportunity to interrupt your habits. So think of it that way with your horses and your dogs as well. Give them the opportunity to break free out of habits or patterns that are no longer serving them.

So have fun with it. Let me know what you try. And thank you so much for listening and I look forward to seeing you next time. Bye for now.