Karen, you are so expressive. I'm too am not drinking any Kool-aid, clinician or any other kind, and I am certainly old enough to remember when a whole group of folks did..
What I like to see in my horses (and currently in my obedience class dog) is joy. Hunter (TWH) is a bit reactive sometimes - yesterday was day for killer deer attacks - but there is a joy and vibrance about his work both on the ground and in the saddle. Twist (the sad Standardbred) never seems to have any fun. I need to pull out "The Click That Teaches". Twisty does love food and also T-touch. Hank, the dog, is in a huge class of 15 dogs. Last night we were working on long stay at the end of a 20 foot rope. There were various degrees of obedience and expression, from a tiny bouncing poodle to a mixed breed dog that never moved a foot. He and his owner had the same facial expression, quite dour. I had to wonder how they got to looking like that, sad, angry, bored, tired? Neither one seemed to be having any fun. Hunter has FUN. Nancy
