October 18, 2025

Sometimes animals don't have boundaries, and neither do people, and that's ok. We just have to notice what we are noticing. How does it make you feel when someone pushes your boundaries? How do you respond?

With animals sometimes our first instinct is to push them away so we can exert our dominance over them. We insist they get out of our personal space. But what if we are grateful they feel so safe with us they want to be in our personal space? Doesn't that change how you feel? Of course, we don't want to get hurt by animals invading our space, so there is a balance to be had. But what if we share a different space, instead of demanding they get out of 'our' space?

This is something we can use when people make us uncomfortable too. We don't need let anyone invade our space, of course. But if they do, stop for a moment and think about how that makes you feel. Do you feel threatened? Angry? Indignant? Are those healthy responses? Is there a way you can try to see where that person is coming from, ask for them to respect your space, and meet them perhaps somewhere else in the middle? Perhaps not always the easiest thing to do, to think through our responses, before we simply respond.

The first step is noticing what you are noticing. And then, decide how to respond, instead of simply reacting. There might be more than one way to get to peaceful ground.

In #positivereinforcement #horse #training we are always seeking ways to not shut the animals down when they want to be with us, but seeking ways to work with them, to preserve our bond, yet, stay safe. After all, they are big animals. On this channel, we explore many ways to accomplish this, safely, using the science of R+. So if you find yourself frustrated with some of your animals behaviors (like you might if they were invading your personal space the way these two are in this short), I encourage you to check out how to use #clickertraininghorses to use the moment to distract them into a new game or behavior, thereby keeping you safe, while preserving the lucky fact they so badly want to be with you. If that sounds good to you, subscribe to this channel, and check out the education programs we offer over at www.ResqRanch.org. If you are local, we have our Trailblazers class https://www.resqranch.org/trailblazers-a

And if you just love our rescue animals and want to help us (even now we have people reaching out wanting us to take in their horses that they can no longer care for), you can support us here https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/Resqranch

And if you have a pet you love and like to spoil them, please consider getting their next gift here https://m0ztfs-p7.myshopify.com/

​Until next time, be kind to yourself, and be grateful. I am grateful I woke up today to spread the message of R+, I am grateful to you Animal Loving Angel for being here, I am grateful for Donkey and his kind and intuitive soul, I am grateful for Natalia the beauty I never knew I needed, and finally I am grateful for my healthy family. I wish you all the best day ever, God bless!