Help me decide on a new cue for Joy!

[Joyscarer]

When I went up to do the ponies tonight I found a new itchy spot on Joy that got her hanging her head downwards and to one side and doing droopy, quivering bottom lip!

My 6 year old daughter (who had just got her 400m swimming badge, very proud mum moment!) found it hilarious that Joy liked having her bottom scratched and would thoughtfully raise her tail and rock backwards and side to side on my hand with an obvious look of ecstacy on her face

What I need is a cue to invite and initiate Joy to do this so that she doesn't think she can dictaste when this happens and back up towards everybody willy nilly demanding a botoom scratch as this could be dangerous. She did think about it with my little girl when I was poo picking but I was watching and got E to use her voice and body language to send Joy away.

Joy is very tuned into voice and body language and has done very well in accepting new cues previously so I won't have any hassles there but I need to think of the right cue that is clear and unmistakeable and not likely to be given by accident by those who don't know her!

Please help by giving suggestions as I need to have one ready for next time I go down to her.

I was thinking about having my index finger pointing upwards and then tracing a circle round and round to get her to spin. What do you think?

 

[palmerlover52]

I guess anything would work...she's pretty in tune...just as long as you're not accidentally going to do it! I think what you said would be good because you can make it a really obvious action at first, then progress to just a tiny swivelling of the finger. My dad was really laughing at her whiffly lip when I was scratching under her jaw the other day!

 

[Joyscarer]

I have decided that the loopy finger signal is the way to go and she is to be invited in with body language first and then asked to turn around. That's something I can't accidentially reproduce.

Any attempted turning round and backing up without an invite will result in her being sent away.

I predict that within a couple of weeks she'll have it, sooner if I weren't spending so much time away from the yard at the mo