Hose and Splashing Fun

Two of the herd, O'Rion and Exy, are freaks about the water...they LOVE LOVE LOVE IT and will paw and splash until there is no water in the trough, so I have two troughs, one on a tall platform so they can't get in it! lol.

Fiona and Boss are not as great, although Boss LBI has had things done to him and he didn't seem to mind.  Although I know now that he did mind, and was afraid of a bath. 
He freezes and hardly ever exploded in the past, but he was almost comatose and staring with glazed eye if he became unconfident.

So yesterday I tried again (this has been an ongoing thing with him) to play friendly with the hose and water. 

I did friendly with the water just as if it were the CS and string.  Figure 8 around me with the water turned away from him.  some staring.  Retreat, he looked, I bent the hose so no water came out.  Lick, lick, lick.  Nice.

Repeated this for about 30 mins and my husband came over "What are you doing with the hose???"  he didnt' get it...that's ok.  I explained but he looked at me like I was a nut.  I'm ok with it.

Retreat and advance with hose flinging a wet figure 8 (rhythmic pattern for relaxation) that didn't touch him.  I was breathing with him...leg cocked (mine) and thinking "I'm ok, you're ok."  Lick, lick.   Every time he turned to me I bent the hose in half and backed a step away.  Eventually he started turning 100% toward me and even advanced to the water.  I put it on his feet, he started glazing over so I kept at it rhythmically with the silly figure 8 until he licked and looked at me...I bent hose and walked backwards.  This is when the big breakthrough happened, he started tracking me with ears and turned to me and advanced wherever I went.  Finally put water on his withers and back, and rump, (it was hot! and he is old, I wanted to cool him down) and he was ok with it. 

Success!  I gave him belly scratches while holding the hose in other hand, and he never glazed over again in this session.  Each time I retreated he came to me and had a lovely soft expression.  I ended on a very happy note, and a cool one, too, as I squirted myself to celebrate.   :)