Chat
01-18-2017, 11:33 PM
I worked with Finn for a while myself today. We have salted peanuts now and Finn really seams to enjoy those. In fact, he even ate the animal crackers after they'd been sharing the pouch with the peanuts, so maybe it's the salt he craves. He was distracted when doing his tricks, but when he turned his back on me I tapped him on the butt and said, "Uh-uh Finn! Look at me!" He needs to understand that when a person is working with him, turning and walking away to nibble at Cuzco's leftover breakfast crumbs isn't acceptable behavior. He can give me ten minutes of his undivided attention. After a few minutes I had him feebly jumping through a hoolah hoop. It wasn't spectacular but it was a start. Phil has had trouble just getting him to walk through the hoop, so I felt like it was a successful lesson.
After that I harnessed him up and ground-drove him down the driveway. This was a difficult lesson because we left the other goats behind. However, I'm quite confident that Finn knows the driving commands very well, he's comfortable going places with me, and he's more than familiar with the area so there was nothing to spook him. Nevertheless, once we got to a certain distance, Finn decided he'd had enough and tried to turn himself around and head home. I was firm about it. We turn around when I decide, not when Finn decides. I have a rule that if three sharp smacks from the whip is not enough to convince a stubborn goat, then it's time to go to his head and lead-drive him. I went to his head, said "Walk on!" and tapped him firmly on the hind legs with the whip. We walked and he got rewarded. By the time we got to the end of the driveway I was able to drop back and drive him from behind and he went quite nicely. His attitude had changed from stubborn to philosophical, and he wasn't sulking. He was happy to take treats for his efforts, and by the time we headed back toward home we were becoming friends.
Phil came out and joined us shortly after I turned Finn toward home. With Phil there, I turned Finn back down the driveway and showed Phil how to lead-drive his goat, and also when to tap with the whip (right when Finn first hesitates--not after he's already stopped), and when to say whoa and reward. By the end of this lesson Finn already seemed much more clear about what was expected of him and happier to do his job. I believe Phil has been somewhat off on the timing of his cues and has accidentally confused his goat in the process. I also think Finn sensed that Phil was a bit out of his depth and was taking advantage of the situation.
After we were through and Finn was unharnessed we took all the goats for a walk and I noticed that Finn was more responsive to me than usual and was more likely to come when called. Finn needs to learn to trust that even when I am firm in my commands, I will not ask him to do something he can't handle. He also needs to learn that obedience is easier and more rewarding than balking and resisting. I think a large part of being happy in his job is knowing what his job is and knowing that if he does that job well he will be praised and rewarded.
After that I harnessed him up and ground-drove him down the driveway. This was a difficult lesson because we left the other goats behind. However, I'm quite confident that Finn knows the driving commands very well, he's comfortable going places with me, and he's more than familiar with the area so there was nothing to spook him. Nevertheless, once we got to a certain distance, Finn decided he'd had enough and tried to turn himself around and head home. I was firm about it. We turn around when I decide, not when Finn decides. I have a rule that if three sharp smacks from the whip is not enough to convince a stubborn goat, then it's time to go to his head and lead-drive him. I went to his head, said "Walk on!" and tapped him firmly on the hind legs with the whip. We walked and he got rewarded. By the time we got to the end of the driveway I was able to drop back and drive him from behind and he went quite nicely. His attitude had changed from stubborn to philosophical, and he wasn't sulking. He was happy to take treats for his efforts, and by the time we headed back toward home we were becoming friends.
Phil came out and joined us shortly after I turned Finn toward home. With Phil there, I turned Finn back down the driveway and showed Phil how to lead-drive his goat, and also when to tap with the whip (right when Finn first hesitates--not after he's already stopped), and when to say whoa and reward. By the end of this lesson Finn already seemed much more clear about what was expected of him and happier to do his job. I believe Phil has been somewhat off on the timing of his cues and has accidentally confused his goat in the process. I also think Finn sensed that Phil was a bit out of his depth and was taking advantage of the situation.
After we were through and Finn was unharnessed we took all the goats for a walk and I noticed that Finn was more responsive to me than usual and was more likely to come when called. Finn needs to learn to trust that even when I am firm in my commands, I will not ask him to do something he can't handle. He also needs to learn that obedience is easier and more rewarding than balking and resisting. I think a large part of being happy in his job is knowing what his job is and knowing that if he does that job well he will be praised and rewarded.