Flehmen responce

[Poodlepill]

So I was clicker training my mini and I noticed he was doing that flehmen lip thing a lot for no apparent reason to me. So I thought "oh, I should use that action to teach him to smile" so I clicked him a few times and he seemed to get it. Well later I was concerned that since he does it quite often normally, would I be encouraging him to do it even more? He was gelded at 1.5 years old, I have only the two geldings.

Its kind of cute in connected with viewed as a "smile" for the public, but not so cute if its a compulsive addiction.............

 

[Riverrose28]

The fleashman is a response to a smell, but you can teach them to smile. We taught one of our stallions to smile and show his teeth for the judge at shows by just touching his upper lip. When we touched his lip and he retracted his lower as well as his upper we gave him a treat. The judges loved it. But didn't place him any higher then he deserved.

 

[minimomNC]

It can also be a response to pain, if he is doing this alot and doesn't usually. I would check him out.

 

[Poodlepill]

HI, thanks for your responses. He does it randomly, more of a stud type thing. He smells the ground like a stud would too, not all the time but often enough for me to notice the difference from my other gelding who never does any of that stuff and was gelded younger. I was figuring it was because he was gelded at 1.5 years old as apposed to 6 months old like some?

Anyway, my main concern is that if I link it to the click for him to make a cute smile (thats what most public would think) I just didn't want to teach him to be doing it all the time. Its cute but its kind of an ugly face cute LOL.

 

[Tremor]

I've had some of my fillies do this as well, including sniff the ground afterwards and pee ontop.

I personally wouldn't worry about it.

Here's my filly doing it:

 

[Double T]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I taught my stud to smile like that at less than a year as part of his trick training. He does it on cue for me, or if he sees me coming with my treat bag, he'll try to impress me before i ask. LOL And of course during the normal studdy stuff when he's checking the girls out. LOL