Sides

I noticed the first time I worked with Gwene that she is very protective of her sides. She will try to block me with her head and/or sidestep. I can usually touch her sides if I start in front of her head and work my my way down her neck, but she does not like me to walk out and then back to her sides. We have not be able to work on the porcupine game with the carrot stick for this reason. I tried just getting myself next to her and keeping my hand on her side until she stopped walking away from the pressure, but I was not getting any real results. I then went to Sylvia. I learned I to be clear with what I am asking for and what I am NOT asking for. When she starts to move away, I need to ask her to stop until she does. I need to keep applying the pressure to her side until she stands still. I can also use my carrot stick to move her head away from trying to block me. Sylvia helped me understand that when she is physically blocking me with her head, she is also mentally blocking me. I am working on trying to help Gwene get past that. Since Sylvia's help, Gwene has gotten much better. I can now get up to her sides without having to ask her to stop for long periods of time. We are still far from perfect, but we are making progress. It is taking me a while to become coordinated with the carrot stick and getting after her with the lead, but I am slowing getting used to it. I am constantly amazed at just how fast she learns and understands what I am asking. I can see a distinct difference in her behavior in comparison to the first time I worked with her.