Chat
01-17-2017, 01:18 PM
I've mentioned in other posts recently that Finn hasn't been very happy in his work lately, so Phil and I have been slowly tinkering with this issue as time and weather allow. Finn gave Phil his first real problem about two weeks ago during a driving session, but I'd noticed a growing disinterest well before that. Unfortunately, our practice times have been so limited by the season that it's been hard to pinpoint exactly when things began to turn sour. However, Phil and I have been talking about it and we've come up with a few reasons why Finn isn't happy and some plans on what we can do to turn things around.
Finn first began to lose interest in working with Phil and I when rut started back in October. Yes, he's a wether, but he doesn't seem to know it. He began to be very protective of "his" girls and doesn't want to leave them now that we have real bucks on the premises. Fortunately, this problem is correcting itself now that the rut is almost over and most of the girls are bred. Not so fortunately, the attitudes Finn developed during this time may have begun turning to habit, so it's important for us to get this turned around as soon as possible.
Secondly, Finn has become quite bored with the animal crackers we use for treats to the point that now he rarely eats them. This is an easy and immediate fix. Finn loves our goat grain mix of sweet feed and sunflower seeds. The first time I tested the new treat last week it made a huge difference to Finn's attitude. He hid behind a tree when he saw me coming with a halter, and after I caught him he refused to do his tricks and only reluctantly jumped in the truck on the "load up" command. He wouldn't take the animal crackers at all. Then I offered him a few bits of grain. The change was immediate and dramatic. He was dull, uninterested, and kept looking over his shoulder at the other goats until I offered him a bit of grain. Then suddenly his head went up, his ears pricked, his tail started wagging, and an excited spark leaped into his eyes. He performed all his tricks with enthusiasm and he leaped in and out of the truck with a happy wag of his tail each time. So from now on we plan to pay closer attention to Finn's treat preferences and change things up before he gets bored with the selection.
On our drive two weeks ago, Sputnik was a trooper but Finn was balky. At the end of the drive, I took Sputnik back to the truck and unhitched while Phil decided to drive Finn on past. Phil had a goal of having Finn go willingly for ten steps. Unfortunately, Finn fought Phil every step so Phil kept going further and further in an attempt to meet his goal. By the time I had Sputnik unhitched, I could see that Phil and Finn were locked in a battle of wills and it was going nowhere good. Sputnik and I walked over to offer moral support. By going ahead of him, I was able to convince Finn to walk on without balking and Phil was able to meet his goal, but neither he nor Finn were happy about it. Afterwards, Phil and I had a discussion about goals. First off, Finn doesn't know or understand Phil's goals. A goal that seems easy for Phil may not be easy at all for Finn, so Phil needs to be flexible about his goals and how to achieve them. There would have been nothing wrong with Phil getting out of the cart and leading Finn ten steps down the road. There would have been nothing wrong with waiting for me to come over and help before things got dicey. There are lots of ways to modify goals before you get into a fight.
Something we learned the other day is that Finn is more likely to act up for Phil than for me. This is something Phil and I will need to work on together. If Phil is giving Finn confusing/conflicting signals, timing his aids poorly, rewarding improperly or inadequately, etc. then I'll need to work with Phil on these things so he doesn't accidentally discourage or anger his goat. Two days ago while I drove Sputnik, Phil harnessed Finn but didn't hitch him up. We just let him follow along and hopefully watch and learn. On the way back while I took Sputnik to the truck, Phil followed far behind and called Finn back to him several times. Finn turned away from Sputnik and went back to Phil each time, which was a very encouraging sign.
We probably should have ended on that good note, but we stopped to get a load of water for our cistern on the way home. I had some letters to mail and the post office is only a couple hundred yards from the water standpipe. I suggested that Phil take Finn with him when he walked over to mail the letters. It should have been an easy thing, and Phil didn't tell me he thought it was a bad idea (Phil needs to communicate when he thinks something is too much). While Sputnik and I hung out at the truck and did tricks, Phil dragged a reluctant Finn up the road to the post office. When they got back to the truck Phil was in a bad temper. So I took Finn to see how he behaved for me. We left Phil and Sputnik at the truck and Finn never looked back. He came right along with me and never once hesitated or dragged at the halter even when I asked him to trot. We even had fun leaping over some cement culverts, so there's something about Phil that is not inspiring Finn's confidence and cooperation. It might have had something to do with Phil's attitude. He didn't think Finn would cooperate. Perhaps Finn sensed Phil's hesitation and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. It could also be because Phil doesn't interact with the goats as much as I do. Phil has spent more time training Finn than I have, but I spend more time with him day to day when I feed and care for the goats.
In any case, I'm sure with a little work we can get Finn and Phil working together again. They used to have a very strong bond, but it fell off quite a bit when Finn was a buck and Phil stopped interacting with him. They never really got that close relationship back after Finn was wethered, but I think some time and effort on Phil's part could correct this pretty quickly. Phil also needs to take a deep breath and try not to get emotional when Finn misbehaves. If Finn learns how to push Phil's buttons, or if he gets nervous because he's afraid Phil will get upset, then it's going to start a vicious cycle. Finn is a good boy so I'm sure we'll get over this bump in the road with a bit of time and patient effort. I usually focus so much on Sputnik that I forget that Phil has never trained an animal before and could probably use a little help along the way. Training is very rewarding but can also be infuriatingly difficult when you and the animal aren't seeing eye to eye. Little nothings can quickly escalate into big battles, confusion sets in, tempers flare, and pretty soon you aren't talking to each other at all. I need to make sure I'm taking the time to help school Phil and Finn both so they don't get into a nasty rut and forget how to have fun together.
Finn first began to lose interest in working with Phil and I when rut started back in October. Yes, he's a wether, but he doesn't seem to know it. He began to be very protective of "his" girls and doesn't want to leave them now that we have real bucks on the premises. Fortunately, this problem is correcting itself now that the rut is almost over and most of the girls are bred. Not so fortunately, the attitudes Finn developed during this time may have begun turning to habit, so it's important for us to get this turned around as soon as possible.
Secondly, Finn has become quite bored with the animal crackers we use for treats to the point that now he rarely eats them. This is an easy and immediate fix. Finn loves our goat grain mix of sweet feed and sunflower seeds. The first time I tested the new treat last week it made a huge difference to Finn's attitude. He hid behind a tree when he saw me coming with a halter, and after I caught him he refused to do his tricks and only reluctantly jumped in the truck on the "load up" command. He wouldn't take the animal crackers at all. Then I offered him a few bits of grain. The change was immediate and dramatic. He was dull, uninterested, and kept looking over his shoulder at the other goats until I offered him a bit of grain. Then suddenly his head went up, his ears pricked, his tail started wagging, and an excited spark leaped into his eyes. He performed all his tricks with enthusiasm and he leaped in and out of the truck with a happy wag of his tail each time. So from now on we plan to pay closer attention to Finn's treat preferences and change things up before he gets bored with the selection.
On our drive two weeks ago, Sputnik was a trooper but Finn was balky. At the end of the drive, I took Sputnik back to the truck and unhitched while Phil decided to drive Finn on past. Phil had a goal of having Finn go willingly for ten steps. Unfortunately, Finn fought Phil every step so Phil kept going further and further in an attempt to meet his goal. By the time I had Sputnik unhitched, I could see that Phil and Finn were locked in a battle of wills and it was going nowhere good. Sputnik and I walked over to offer moral support. By going ahead of him, I was able to convince Finn to walk on without balking and Phil was able to meet his goal, but neither he nor Finn were happy about it. Afterwards, Phil and I had a discussion about goals. First off, Finn doesn't know or understand Phil's goals. A goal that seems easy for Phil may not be easy at all for Finn, so Phil needs to be flexible about his goals and how to achieve them. There would have been nothing wrong with Phil getting out of the cart and leading Finn ten steps down the road. There would have been nothing wrong with waiting for me to come over and help before things got dicey. There are lots of ways to modify goals before you get into a fight.
Something we learned the other day is that Finn is more likely to act up for Phil than for me. This is something Phil and I will need to work on together. If Phil is giving Finn confusing/conflicting signals, timing his aids poorly, rewarding improperly or inadequately, etc. then I'll need to work with Phil on these things so he doesn't accidentally discourage or anger his goat. Two days ago while I drove Sputnik, Phil harnessed Finn but didn't hitch him up. We just let him follow along and hopefully watch and learn. On the way back while I took Sputnik to the truck, Phil followed far behind and called Finn back to him several times. Finn turned away from Sputnik and went back to Phil each time, which was a very encouraging sign.
We probably should have ended on that good note, but we stopped to get a load of water for our cistern on the way home. I had some letters to mail and the post office is only a couple hundred yards from the water standpipe. I suggested that Phil take Finn with him when he walked over to mail the letters. It should have been an easy thing, and Phil didn't tell me he thought it was a bad idea (Phil needs to communicate when he thinks something is too much). While Sputnik and I hung out at the truck and did tricks, Phil dragged a reluctant Finn up the road to the post office. When they got back to the truck Phil was in a bad temper. So I took Finn to see how he behaved for me. We left Phil and Sputnik at the truck and Finn never looked back. He came right along with me and never once hesitated or dragged at the halter even when I asked him to trot. We even had fun leaping over some cement culverts, so there's something about Phil that is not inspiring Finn's confidence and cooperation. It might have had something to do with Phil's attitude. He didn't think Finn would cooperate. Perhaps Finn sensed Phil's hesitation and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. It could also be because Phil doesn't interact with the goats as much as I do. Phil has spent more time training Finn than I have, but I spend more time with him day to day when I feed and care for the goats.
In any case, I'm sure with a little work we can get Finn and Phil working together again. They used to have a very strong bond, but it fell off quite a bit when Finn was a buck and Phil stopped interacting with him. They never really got that close relationship back after Finn was wethered, but I think some time and effort on Phil's part could correct this pretty quickly. Phil also needs to take a deep breath and try not to get emotional when Finn misbehaves. If Finn learns how to push Phil's buttons, or if he gets nervous because he's afraid Phil will get upset, then it's going to start a vicious cycle. Finn is a good boy so I'm sure we'll get over this bump in the road with a bit of time and patient effort. I usually focus so much on Sputnik that I forget that Phil has never trained an animal before and could probably use a little help along the way. Training is very rewarding but can also be infuriatingly difficult when you and the animal aren't seeing eye to eye. Little nothings can quickly escalate into big battles, confusion sets in, tempers flare, and pretty soon you aren't talking to each other at all. I need to make sure I'm taking the time to help school Phil and Finn both so they don't get into a nasty rut and forget how to have fun together.