Sara H, who has spent some time with Domino recently, had the following to say about their time together:
I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Domino for three days during the last Joel Conner Clinic in November 2021. It was clear this distinguished gentleman has a few habits, particularly being heavy on the front end while backing up and wanting to cuddle up close with his handler. With generous coaching from Joel, we started seeing progress in Domino respecting my space and doing so with fewer signs of frustration. I’ve been able to work with him on groundwork manners twice a week for a couple of months now, and the changes are clear.
Domino is more understanding of what I ask of him, and his expression continues to soften with forward ears, a relaxed neck, and soft eyes. He is confident and gaining proficiency in yielding his hindquarters with ease and has made progress with his front quarters, but due to being heavy on his front, we still have a bit of challenge in connecting these movements smoothly and easily. The pieces are there and I’m confident that he’ll have this mastered soon. We’re also working on moving along the panels with a hindquarter yield to return to me and lifting his front legs while backing in circles. He’s also becoming more comfortable when pulled away from his BFF Mac for our sessions, and calms down much more quickly than he did in the beginning of our post-Clinic work. I am so looking forward to working with Domino again in the June 2022 Joel Conner Clinic at SAFE, and it’s obvious he’ll make a wonderful gentleman companion for some lucky family (and gelding friend, of course).
