Chat
08-07-2016, 04:03 PM
In anticipation of giving goat rides to kids in the two-wheeled cart this weekend, Phil and I spent a few days taking turns driving the boys single. Finn has pulled kids in the two-wheeled cart a couple of times before with no problems, but the only time I ever hitched Sputnik to the cart was near the end of last year, and he was scared of the shafts, the cart, and the noise and tried to run off. He kept hitting me with the shaft and running over my feet and I knew he needed a lot more work and confidence-building before we could try that again.
Well Sputnik has come a long way since that time and he's now brimming with confidence and is developing a tremendous work ethic. For two days Phil and I took both goats and hitched one to the cart at a time and one of us drove while the other one walked the extra goat. Then we swapped halfway through. Once again we were on the quiet, flat loop near the golf course. Both goats did pretty well the first time and much better the second time. But the third time was something totally different. Phil was busy that day and I wanted to drive, so I took Sputnik and the cart and it was just the two of us. For a change of scenery I took him to lake instead of the golf course. It's not as easy a drive and there is a lot more activity around the lake, but I felt confident that Sputnik could handle it. And handle it he did!
The first thing we did was go through a narrow gate. It's barely wide enough to allow the cart to pass through, and since I knew that Sputnik would probably not be able to maneuver it perfectly on his first try, I walked behind the cart where I could lift and move it over. Sputnik did not know this and he got most of the way through the gate when he saw that one wheel was about to hit the post. He immediately stopped and backed out of the gate even though I was telling him to walk on. He wouldn't go back into that narrow space until I went to his head where I could direct him through very precisely. It wasn't my first choice of how to negotiate the obstacle, but I was very proud of Sputnik for paying attention to the cart wheels and recognizing that he wasn't going to fit. I'll bet next time we go there he'll have the confidence to let me help from behind. The drive around the lake is almost 1 1/2 miles and in that whole time Sputnik only dropped a wheel off the walkway twice and he immediately corrected each time.
The lake drive is mostly level but there are several slight grades where I got out and walked beside the cart. He never once swerved and ran over my foot (an ever-present danger when driving from beside the vehicle). For the entire drive, Sputnik obeyed my walk, trot, and whoa commands almost completely on voice alone. He loves to trot, but since he's not yet grown I'm keeping him almost entirely to a walk with only the occasional short trot on nice smooth, level ground.
The first "scary" thing we encountered was a flock of geese. We rounded a corner and discovered them napping in the walkway. Sputnik has rarely seen geese and I thought I would have to get out and lead him toward them, but he never hesitated. He marched right up to those birds as if he owned the path, and after giving him a few indignant honks and ruffled feathers, they got up and waddled out of his way. He hesitated once or twice when he saw fishermen hiding in the bushes along the shore, but he was more curious than scared. They didn't look like people in that half-concealed state, and he didn't quite understand the fishing poles. The next "spookum" that came along was a cyclist. Sputnik slowed down his walk, and his head and ears went up, but he did not stop or swerve as she came toward us. I let the lady pet Sputnik and feed him cookies. I want him to learn that these encounters are positive.
After the cyclist we encountered several dogs, but Sputnik is not afraid of dogs. One man stopped and talked to us for quite a long time while his dog sniffed around Sputnik's ankles and barked with jealousy every time the owner reached out to pet Sputnik. I never got out of the cart and Sputnik never moved except when the dog came up and barked in his face. At that point, Sputnik whipped his head around, presented his horns, and stamped a warning foot at the dog, who promptly backed off and quit harassing him. I was very proud that he was so brave. At one point he even crossed a small creek and I did not have to get out of the cart to lead him across.
It could not have been a better drive and I could not be more proud of my Sputnik! A year ago he was afraid of his own shadow, and now he's boldly striking out on his own without hesitation. He's going to make a good working goat after all. He is the one I kept because I wasn't sure I wanted to stake my reputation on a "dud". He's always been super clever but also super timid and unsure of himself, hated to be touched, panicked when trapped or stressed, and had a hair-trigger temperament. I could not in good conscience sell a goat like that to anyone, knowing he would be useless and could even become dangerous. But I've always known that he is exceptionally intelligent and that is why I wanted to give him the chance to prove it and make good.
Well Sputnik has come a long way since that time and he's now brimming with confidence and is developing a tremendous work ethic. For two days Phil and I took both goats and hitched one to the cart at a time and one of us drove while the other one walked the extra goat. Then we swapped halfway through. Once again we were on the quiet, flat loop near the golf course. Both goats did pretty well the first time and much better the second time. But the third time was something totally different. Phil was busy that day and I wanted to drive, so I took Sputnik and the cart and it was just the two of us. For a change of scenery I took him to lake instead of the golf course. It's not as easy a drive and there is a lot more activity around the lake, but I felt confident that Sputnik could handle it. And handle it he did!
The first thing we did was go through a narrow gate. It's barely wide enough to allow the cart to pass through, and since I knew that Sputnik would probably not be able to maneuver it perfectly on his first try, I walked behind the cart where I could lift and move it over. Sputnik did not know this and he got most of the way through the gate when he saw that one wheel was about to hit the post. He immediately stopped and backed out of the gate even though I was telling him to walk on. He wouldn't go back into that narrow space until I went to his head where I could direct him through very precisely. It wasn't my first choice of how to negotiate the obstacle, but I was very proud of Sputnik for paying attention to the cart wheels and recognizing that he wasn't going to fit. I'll bet next time we go there he'll have the confidence to let me help from behind. The drive around the lake is almost 1 1/2 miles and in that whole time Sputnik only dropped a wheel off the walkway twice and he immediately corrected each time.
The lake drive is mostly level but there are several slight grades where I got out and walked beside the cart. He never once swerved and ran over my foot (an ever-present danger when driving from beside the vehicle). For the entire drive, Sputnik obeyed my walk, trot, and whoa commands almost completely on voice alone. He loves to trot, but since he's not yet grown I'm keeping him almost entirely to a walk with only the occasional short trot on nice smooth, level ground.
The first "scary" thing we encountered was a flock of geese. We rounded a corner and discovered them napping in the walkway. Sputnik has rarely seen geese and I thought I would have to get out and lead him toward them, but he never hesitated. He marched right up to those birds as if he owned the path, and after giving him a few indignant honks and ruffled feathers, they got up and waddled out of his way. He hesitated once or twice when he saw fishermen hiding in the bushes along the shore, but he was more curious than scared. They didn't look like people in that half-concealed state, and he didn't quite understand the fishing poles. The next "spookum" that came along was a cyclist. Sputnik slowed down his walk, and his head and ears went up, but he did not stop or swerve as she came toward us. I let the lady pet Sputnik and feed him cookies. I want him to learn that these encounters are positive.
After the cyclist we encountered several dogs, but Sputnik is not afraid of dogs. One man stopped and talked to us for quite a long time while his dog sniffed around Sputnik's ankles and barked with jealousy every time the owner reached out to pet Sputnik. I never got out of the cart and Sputnik never moved except when the dog came up and barked in his face. At that point, Sputnik whipped his head around, presented his horns, and stamped a warning foot at the dog, who promptly backed off and quit harassing him. I was very proud that he was so brave. At one point he even crossed a small creek and I did not have to get out of the cart to lead him across.
It could not have been a better drive and I could not be more proud of my Sputnik! A year ago he was afraid of his own shadow, and now he's boldly striking out on his own without hesitation. He's going to make a good working goat after all. He is the one I kept because I wasn't sure I wanted to stake my reputation on a "dud". He's always been super clever but also super timid and unsure of himself, hated to be touched, panicked when trapped or stressed, and had a hair-trigger temperament. I could not in good conscience sell a goat like that to anyone, knowing he would be useless and could even become dangerous. But I've always known that he is exceptionally intelligent and that is why I wanted to give him the chance to prove it and make good.