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Jedda was very relaxed in the pen, and producing small affiliative behaviours at around 3 feet, so we introduced the decoy putting her hand out at an increased distance as suggested on 5Q a while ago. After a couple of approaches where Jed looked "interested" in this change, and the decoy took this, Jedda stepped right forward to sniff the extended hand (poor decoy was very nervous about this unfortunately) and I asked the decoy to turn and walk away. When Kate approached to the same point and extended her hand, Jedda once again put her head out to sniff, but this time didn't touch the hand. On the next identical approach she displayed signs of stress, so we increased the approach distance by 1 metre and had the decoy keep her hands by her side again. Is this correct when the animal has made a very good approximation to friendly then appears to be emotionally unable to cope with the proximity they themselves have created. (?) Jedda walked right away from the decoy to the back of the pen, then returned and watched the approaches from about 2 1/2 metres away now. Gradually her head lowered, rump muscles relaxed, and we were taking soft head turns, soft ears and chewing, a nice relaxed mane shake with a big blow out of breath, and some playful behaviour with the tape. We then introduced a small lifting of the hand after the decoy stopped, and this caused no change. The session finished on a nice soft glance towards the decoy with lowered head from about a metre away. Jedda's reactions can still appear inconsistent and unpredictable, and the distances constantly changing back and forth. So, we just keep increasing that distance again?
Hey Laurel -
I recall you said that you were going to do this - I may have only thought it at the time and not suggested it, but putting out the hand, arm, or even holding an umbrella is a new thing and I would want to test the threshold for that first. You might find you need to start a ways back but you will get close quickly. Changing the criteria will always in my mind start from scratch....we are going to be doing this with Star today - hopefully I can tape some but we have a rug I have never showed him that I would like to get on him. I will start with asking him what his threshold is and then I hope I move in quickly. In the past when presenting him with anything new he understands completely CAT games and chooses within a short time to ask me to play C/T. It is almost - when my timing is right, that when I see when I have to go to CAT mode it is giving him permission to find himself and work it out- you can nearly see the expression now.
Decoy fatigue is always a problem...but hub who has to point the video camera fatigue...is worse!
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