Elisha's Positive Training

08/15/2026

Punishing unwanted behaviour requires the behaviour to occur in the first place.

Training to address the cause of WHY a behaviour exists involves meeting needs, achieving emotional regulation and does not seek to provoke a bad reaction or cause a horse to “practice” an unwanted behaviour in order to correct it.

The idea that trainers who don’t promote punishment as a primary means of addressing an unwanted behaviour are “unsafe” and create “dangerous behaviour in horses” is laughable because the primary goal of ethical horse training is to avoid the occurrence of dangerous behaviour in the first place.

It doesn’t get as much applause or anywhere near as many views but any time I am given a dangerous horse to work with, my primary goal is to make them look as safe as possible because if I provoke dangerous behaviour in training, it means that something has been overlooked or wasn’t addressed for whatever reason.

We don’t need to create dangerous behaviour first to fix it.

Punishment relies on addressing problem behaviours as they occur.

Systematic behavioural modification relies on addressing what causes the behaviour in the first place and taking away the horse’s need to use that behaviour as a coping mechanism.

All behaviour has an underlying motivation.

Punishment suppresses the behaviour without actually addressing the cause.

It’s kind of like putting a bandaid on a wound that needs sutures.

Ethical horse training treats the “wound” for infection and sutures it instead of just covering it up and hiding it from view.

08/15/2026

*** Every interaction is a deposit… or a withdrawal ***

One of the most interesting ideas from the scientific literature on the human–horse relationship comes from a simple but powerful concept:

Relationships are built through a succession of interactions.

Every interaction your horse has with you influences the next one.

Your horse doesn't experience today's training session in isolation. They carry memories and expectations from previous experiences into the next interaction.

If handling regularly predicts fear, pain, confusion or conflict, those experiences shape how your horse feels about you.

If interactions consistently predict clarity, safety, reinforcement and positive experiences, those experiences shape the relationship too.

Of course, not every interaction can be pleasant. Horses still need veterinary care, hoof trims, wound treatment and other necessary procedures that may be uncomfortable.

But behavioural science suggests something important:

We can actively counterbalance those unavoidable negative experiences by creating many more positive ones where possible.

For me, this is exactly why I place so much emphasis on cooperative care, clear communication, positive reinforcement and other non aversive approaches.

Not because life should be free from challenges, but because every positive interaction becomes another deposit into the relationship.

And over time, those deposits matter.

I highly recommend reading this paper:

Hausberger, M., & Visser, E. K. (2008). A review of the human–horse relationship. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

08/15/2026

08/15/2026

Current info on file for your dog's chip is important and can speed up reuniting your pet with you should they get separated. Also, chips can migrate, so it can be a great idea to have your vet check its position.

Today is National Check the Chip Day, a perfect reminder to keep your dog's safety net current. 🐾

A microchip is only as good as the information attached to it. If a pet gets lost, an up-to-date chip is often the fastest way home.

A quick two-minute checklist to share with clients:
- Confirm your dog is microchipped
- Log in to the registry and verify your phone number and address
- Update your details any time you move or change numbers
- Pair the chip with a current ID tag for good measure

It takes just a few minutes today and can make all the difference tomorrow.

When did you last check your dog's chip info? Consider this your friendly nudge and share with your clients.

04/26/2026

03/30/2026

I love seeing how positive reinforcement can help all species of learners.

11/19/2025

DISTANCE ASSISTANCE

It’s not easy having a reactive dog. As much as we may feel frustrated, restricted, angry or even ashamed or embarrassed, our reactive dogs are also experiencing a range of negative emotions when they react to something that triggers them.
Reactive dogs have a nervous system issue not a training issue.

This nervous system reaction is usually caused by anxiety, fear, feeling threatened, frustrated or may even be pain related.

These emotions cause high levels of stress and stress prevents both us and our dogs from being able to process information, think clearly or learn a different, more acceptable way of reacting to whatever triggers us.

This is why creating enough distance is so important.

I’m really scared of snakes and even struggle to look at them. The only thing I want to do is run and create as much distance as possible.

If someone was restraining me, forcing me to sit and look at the snake while trying to feed me my favourite chocolate, telling me there was nothing to worry about or trying to educate me about the reptile, it would do nothing to alleviate my fear and would only increase my stress levels.

Doing this at a sufficient distance, where I felt safe would be far more effective and my stress levels would be much lower. In time, with patience and practice, I may even be able to get much closer to the snake without having a negative reaction.

The same principle applies to reactive dogs. Creating sufficient distance where they can see the trigger but still feel safe and don’t react is the best way of helping them to cope with their feelings.

Some dogs, or people, may never be able to decrease that distance and that’s also okay.

We need to accept our dogs for the unique individual they are, keep working on the things we can improve and change and accept the things we can’t.

10/31/2025

This is a great option and helped my doggos immensely.

Hey there, Halloween enthusiasts! 🎃 If you’re all about letting the little ghouls and goblins come to your door tonight for some trick-or-treating, I've got a pro tip for you. Consider putting up a baby gate across the threshold! It’s a total game-changer for keeping your pups from making a dash to join the candy chaos and stopping those overly enthusiastic kiddos from barging in for a little petting session.

Seriously, it’s all about keeping everyone safe and sound while still enjoying the fun. A little barrier goes a long way in making sure everyone has a blast without any chaos. So, let those munchkins get their candy fix while keeping your furry friends cozy inside! Have a spooktacular night, everyone!

10/21/2025

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!

It may be really disappointing or frustrating when our dogs are not the social beings we expected them to be.

Many people assume dogs should just naturally get along with other dogs, after all they’re the same species.

Some believe the “unsociable” dog has a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”.

Early, appropriately timed and proper socialisation is really important, but sometimes despite all of this, some dogs are just not that sociable or socially selective to varying degrees.

Sometimes this can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance and sociability, which also change throughout a dog’s lifetime.

If we, as a human species, don’t get along with everyone we meet, how can we expect our dogs to?

Do we label or try to fix every person that has an argument; doesn’t make friends with everyone they meet, dislikes some people, or just prefers not to be social as having a problem that needs to be fixed?

Why is it so easy to accept that every individual person is different than to accept that every individual dog is different?

When we have done what we can to improve our dogs’ social skills, we need to accept and acknowledge our dogs for the individuals they are, allow and respect their choice of whether to be sociable or not and never force interactions that dogs are not comfortable with.