Hey Melissa, just getting a chance to catch up on a few of these posts. I think it’s so interesting that your question very quickly went to people's experience with horses. It was also the first thing that came to my mind when thinking of an experience to share with you.
So a little off topic and will probably end up long winded, but I’d like to share a story from my younger days with my Arabian mare.
She was a high strung, spirited six year old that had been used as a brood mare and was green broke when I bought her. I was in 4H and we had a few pony clubs surrounding the town I grew up in. She was fast and compact and we did well in gymkhana.
Her pleasures were good enough to compete, but we never placed in the top. I was young and the fire in her just wasn’t what the majority of quarter horse judges were looking for at the time. Trail work was also not her specialty, to say the least. Although she did great on our country outings, she could spook quite easily. The gait and bridge work in Trail competitions was always a challenge for us.
At this one show there was a Trail class which I chose to enter. All the wonderful, rock solid, quarter horses did their routine, many flawlessly, and then it was my turn. There was a twist thrown in where we had to pick up this garbage bag full of tin cans and walk it through the routine - over a raised bridge, through a closed gate, etc.
Well I picked up that garbage bag ever so gently. At the first rustle she did a side step that would have impressed a dressage judge and we went for quite a ways. I stayed on though and held onto that bag. I just remember sitting so deep in that saddle and being the calmest I’ve ever been. I knew at this point we didn’t stand a chance so I just turned this into a total training opportunity.
I took my time, way over what was allotted, but they never called me of f the course. I was quite surprised but we kept going. She was prancing and dancing, snorting, ears all over the place and I saw the whites of her eyes a couple of times. With as much calm encouragement as I could muster up, we eventually hit all the stations. I remember the crowd clapping but was sure it was because I was finally finished.
I didn’t stick around for the results (just wanted out of there) and brought her back to our designated stall. Took her saddle off and told her how proud of her I was, regardless of what others may have thought. About a half hour later a lady came in and congratulated me. I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, maybe the fact that I actually finished without getting thrown.
Then one of the judges came in and told me that was one of the best displays of horsemanship he had seen in a while. Well my jaw dropped when he handed me a yellow piece of paper that had "Honorable Mention" written on it. The best "award" I ever got.
Absolutely not a brag and this was almost 30 years ago now but his words have always stuck with me and those were "You worked her at her pace and stuck with it. It takes a very patient person to do what you did". To this day, it takes a hell of lot for me to admit defeat with an animal - I'll blame this judge for that.
But I guess what I’m really trying to say is much of what others already have. Patience truly is a virtue when it comes to these guys. Melissa, you know your dog. Make a plan, have a baby step in mind, small result you're looking for and build on that. Don’t judge him against other dogs that you know or may be impressed with and don’t worry about what others may think.
Be comfortable with the dog you're with. He's yours and in the end that’s all that truly matters. What he learns along the way is up to you. He's who he is and he doesn’t have to measure up to anything except the expectations you put on him.
If those expectations are reasonable and your relationship is good, I’ve never seen a species more willing to try their heart out for us. Take it slow, build up that relationship you feel you didn’t get a chance at and celebrate the small successes with a pride that will line your heart with a wall of trophies.
Re: Making progress with my shy dog
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Reading about other people's experiences is very heartening.
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