On the way back this morning from Ziggy's obedience training (where he was a star, BTW) I saw this quote "No one raises to low expectations" posted at a church noticeboard.
It made me think. Of course, if you set your expectations low then there is no disappointment. On the other hand, with low expectations no one will never stretch the limits and live up to the full potential.
I had a pretty awesome ride with Remy today. He was soft in my hand, responsive, on the aids, and things pretty much just flowed. With Judy's encouragement and help I have come to set my expectations high. They are high - but realistic, which is key. Of course, I don't expect to do one-tempis overnight. I can, however, expect to get clean changes. If I would set my expectations low (i.e. saying "well, if we happen to get a change that's good enough") we'd never get to the one-tempis.
Admittedly, this took some time for me to get used to. I tend to be happy with (too) little effort when it comes to my animals (animals only!). Setting high expectations also does not mean ignoring small progress and rewarding the accomplishments.
Remy is doing very well with this concept, his confidence has greatly improved. He clearly shows that he is proud of himself after a good schooling session or when he has mastered a new skill. As long as I keep the cookies coming he will try to raise to my high expectations.
Note to JP: Keep the Teuscher Champagne truffles coming and I might make an effort to raise to your high expectations :-)!
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