Chat
02-06-2017, 10:25 AM
I'm glad you're seeing progress. Work on it a little every day and you'll be surprised how quickly you can handle her all over without tying.
I trim all of my goats' feet without tying them. I make sure we're in a place that's contained so the other goats can't harass them while I do it, and so they can't run off before I finish. But I expect them to stand still and let me hold their hooves without being restrained. Not only is it good practice for the trail, it also alerts you to any behavioral red flags before they escalate. If a goat will let you trim its hind hooves without being tied, then you know it doesn't have any serious hind end touching issues. I also use the voice command "whoa" when I want them to stand still. This has so many applications at home and on the trail that I think it is probably the single most important command you can teach. Hoof trimming is an excellent time to teach it.
I trim all of my goats' feet without tying them. I make sure we're in a place that's contained so the other goats can't harass them while I do it, and so they can't run off before I finish. But I expect them to stand still and let me hold their hooves without being restrained. Not only is it good practice for the trail, it also alerts you to any behavioral red flags before they escalate. If a goat will let you trim its hind hooves without being tied, then you know it doesn't have any serious hind end touching issues. I also use the voice command "whoa" when I want them to stand still. This has so many applications at home and on the trail that I think it is probably the single most important command you can teach. Hoof trimming is an excellent time to teach it.