Chat
08-10-2016, 06:34 PM
I'm happy to hear about your training success! I agree with Sabine that a mat or rope on the ground is good target to teach your goat to ground tie. I started with both actually. Another good visual aid is something like a hula hoop that you can stand your goat's front feet in. When we began I had my goat stand on a rubber mat and I dropped his lead rope on the ground. I use the command "whoa" instead of "stay" because it means the same thing--all feet still. I like to reduce the number of words my goats have to learn because I don't think they are as good with voice commands as they are with hand signals, body language, and other physical signs (such as a dropped lead rope). This makes sense given their own limited vocalizations and prolific use of body language to communicate with each other.
I admit I have not worked on the whoa (stay) command very much, but I've had pretty decent success considering. I've got my goats standing still while I walk 20-30 feet away and feed cookies to the others, and they'll usually stand still for a few seconds while I disappear around a corner or into the house to grab something. I'd never trust them to stay there for long though, and so far we've only done it in contained settings where I know the other goats can't harass them while we work. Old cowboy wisdom says "a ground-tied horse is a loose horse" and the same goes for a goat. But they can learn to stay put for a few minutes while you walk away because I've seen it done very well in the circus, and my own goats aren't too bad at it.
I first started with a mat but we don't need it any more. I also drop their lead rope on the ground and say "Whoa". You've already got your goat standing still for a bit and that was no problem for me either. My trouble started when I fed treats to other goats or disappeared round a corner. I solved this by striking a whip on the ground and saying "Whoa!" when the goat moved from his spot. The whip got his attention and usually made him stop. If he kept coming, I went toward him with the whip and slapped it on the ground until he backed up to his original spot. Then I rewarded and began again. It didn't take my boys long to figure out that they were not going to be rewarded for coming to me without permission, but that they would get a reward if they stayed put.
One thing that was hard for my goat Sputnik was allowing me to walk around him while he was ground tied. He likes to face me at all times, but this can make it difficult to adjust a harness or saddle, so I wanted him to learn how to stand while I walked around him. This took patience on my part and walking only a little ways toward his side and back and rewarding when he stood still. If he moved out of position I would use a verbal reprimand (I say "ah-ah" in a harsh tone) and move him back and reward before starting again. It took about a week for him to figure it out. I haven't practiced this specific exercise in some time because I haven't had trouble harnessing or saddling him any more so I haven't thought of it. But I'm guessing he'd be pretty good nowadays even without practice. Now I'm curious and I may have to try it tomorrow!
I admit I have not worked on the whoa (stay) command very much, but I've had pretty decent success considering. I've got my goats standing still while I walk 20-30 feet away and feed cookies to the others, and they'll usually stand still for a few seconds while I disappear around a corner or into the house to grab something. I'd never trust them to stay there for long though, and so far we've only done it in contained settings where I know the other goats can't harass them while we work. Old cowboy wisdom says "a ground-tied horse is a loose horse" and the same goes for a goat. But they can learn to stay put for a few minutes while you walk away because I've seen it done very well in the circus, and my own goats aren't too bad at it.
I first started with a mat but we don't need it any more. I also drop their lead rope on the ground and say "Whoa". You've already got your goat standing still for a bit and that was no problem for me either. My trouble started when I fed treats to other goats or disappeared round a corner. I solved this by striking a whip on the ground and saying "Whoa!" when the goat moved from his spot. The whip got his attention and usually made him stop. If he kept coming, I went toward him with the whip and slapped it on the ground until he backed up to his original spot. Then I rewarded and began again. It didn't take my boys long to figure out that they were not going to be rewarded for coming to me without permission, but that they would get a reward if they stayed put.
One thing that was hard for my goat Sputnik was allowing me to walk around him while he was ground tied. He likes to face me at all times, but this can make it difficult to adjust a harness or saddle, so I wanted him to learn how to stand while I walked around him. This took patience on my part and walking only a little ways toward his side and back and rewarding when he stood still. If he moved out of position I would use a verbal reprimand (I say "ah-ah" in a harsh tone) and move him back and reward before starting again. It took about a week for him to figure it out. I haven't practiced this specific exercise in some time because I haven't had trouble harnessing or saddling him any more so I haven't thought of it. But I'm guessing he'd be pretty good nowadays even without practice. Now I'm curious and I may have to try it tomorrow!