Episode 141 Constructional Versus Pathological: Which Mindset Ripples Through Your Training?

We’ve talked a lot about constructional training in these podcasts. This week we’re exploring two related topics. The first asks how do you look at the world? Are you a glass half empty sort of person where you get mired down in the problem? Or is the glass half full where you have a clear vision of what you want and you go about learning how to get there? You could be using a positive reinforcement procedure to try and stop an unwanted behavior. Or you could be using what can look like a very similar procedure to teach your learner a set of desired behaviors. It can sound like a difference that makes no difference, but when the root is different so too is the plant that grows from it. So in this podcast we’re looking at constructional training. My interest is not just how does this effect the training strategies we use with our horses, but also what is the ripple effect into the rest of our lives? Our horses can teach us so much that carries over into our interactions with other people.