Chiro and Handling

Yesterday Bug and I saw our chiropractor. Bug had a little tune-up; all his adjustments held and he was barely tight! Yes! Me on the other hand …. the sheep knocked my pelvis out of alignment when they ran into me on Sunday. Monday I had severe lower back aching and I just KNEW I was no longer in alignment. I feel much better now. It gives me so much more respect for what our dogs feel like when they are out of alignment or have just been adjusted to go through it myself.

After visiting the chiropractor we headed to handling class where Kerry fussed with Bug a bit more than usual to get him used to her. She stacked him on the table and worked on getting ears from him.

I am getting more handling clues from her as she thinks out loud about how she will manage Bug’s turn-out than I did when I was attending as just a drop-in student.

She suggested, not placing his front feet TOO close together as she feels that draws attention to the turn-out.

Turning his right leg in slightly from the shoulder when hand stacking him. This I can’t do, but I watched her do it.

I gaited him very briskly and he did not break into a giddy-up, so that’s good.

I also worked on hand stacking him while on the ground and he was MUCH better about having his feet handled when I went under him versus reaching over.

This morning the show schedule arrived for the second day of the shows I am having Kerry handle Bug. There are no conflicts for Kerry on either of the days she is handling him. I thought there was a conflict on the second day and I very nearly had an anxiety attack thinking about handling him myself. I guess I really don’t like it!