Over the weekend, Sharon found herself doing some work on some barriers in the small pen of the deer yard. It just so happens three fawns were in it. Not an ideal situation, but rehab is seldom ideal and we work around obstacles/challenges all the time. Here’s her account:

“Working in wildlife rehab has made me a better dog trainer by giving me flexibility, problem-solving skills and a proficient expertise in reading animal body language.

When I started working with strange tools, the fawns were a little uncertain, but settled down quickly. One of the aptitudes I’ve developed is being able to do the task at hand while my peripheral vision is tuned into something else.  When the fawns started to get uncomfortable, I’d change my body language subtly and they’d settle right down.

Soon they accepted me so well, I was trying to accomplish my tasks with at least one fawn trying to nurse from my forehead, suck on my hair or hands and generally accost me.

It took longer for my tasks to be finished, but it certainly made the tedious task lots more interesting!”