Chat
05-18-2017, 09:51 AM
Ah yes, the burden of leadership. Finn knows that well, and I'm sure you remember the difficulty we had with him when he came into "rut" (or whatever it is you call it for wethers). That's a hard thing to work through. Finn didn't like to leave the herd last fall either. How could he leave all those defenseless ladies at the mercy of two lecherous bucks?? We did have some breakthroughs, but it was baby steps. I also had to be firm with him a few times and let him know he wasn't going to ignore me. If he turned his back on me when I was trying to work with him on his tricks, I smacked him on the butt with the whip and let him know he must get both eyes on me when I talk to him.
Don't be afraid to whack Koby with that whip if he is ignoring you. If you're using it so lightly he can ignore you, you're going to end up desensitizing him to it (or just irritating him), and then you have a much bigger problem. You mustn't get into a position where you're constantly nagging him with the whip. It's like the frog in the boiling water. If you try to put a frog in boiling water he jumps out. But if you slowly turn the heat up he'll tolerate it to death. Same principle with the whip. If you nag with it and only slightly increase the intensity, you end up using it a lot more and a lot harder than if you'd cut right to the chase and demanded respect in the beginning. If you touch your goat with the whip he should move away. Period. If he feels the whip and intentionally ignores it, give a firm vocal command and smack him hard enough he can't ignore it. I'll give up to three hard smacks before I go to his head and lead. When a goat is ignoring me, I lead him on firmly at a brisk trot, and I use the whip on his hind legs every time he stops or slows to reinforce that he must move from the whip. We stop when I'm ready and then I reward. I may start and stop several times while leading, using the whip firmly each time we start again so he can't ignore that signal, and then I reward.
I highly recommend using your cart if you can. You can use a cart on your own. Tie Koby to a fence, harness him, and then bring the cart up and hitch. Koby shouldn't be nervous of it, but if he is just go slowly and reward. Take it in small steps if necessary. Just put the shafts in the loops and take them out the first day or two and reward. Once you get him hitched for the first time, just lead him around for a couple of sessions before you try to drive. Ground driving is hard without shafts to help keep the goat pointed in the right direction. Every time Koby turns to face you, you both end up frustrated and he probably gets a little confused. It's also self-rewarding because he gets a break every time you have to reorganize, sometimes he gets a cookie, and he succeeds at staying close to home. Never give Koby a cookie when he turns to face you. Only give a treat if he stands perfectly still when you say "whoa". I wish you could bring Koby with you to the Rendezvous!
Don't be afraid to whack Koby with that whip if he is ignoring you. If you're using it so lightly he can ignore you, you're going to end up desensitizing him to it (or just irritating him), and then you have a much bigger problem. You mustn't get into a position where you're constantly nagging him with the whip. It's like the frog in the boiling water. If you try to put a frog in boiling water he jumps out. But if you slowly turn the heat up he'll tolerate it to death. Same principle with the whip. If you nag with it and only slightly increase the intensity, you end up using it a lot more and a lot harder than if you'd cut right to the chase and demanded respect in the beginning. If you touch your goat with the whip he should move away. Period. If he feels the whip and intentionally ignores it, give a firm vocal command and smack him hard enough he can't ignore it. I'll give up to three hard smacks before I go to his head and lead. When a goat is ignoring me, I lead him on firmly at a brisk trot, and I use the whip on his hind legs every time he stops or slows to reinforce that he must move from the whip. We stop when I'm ready and then I reward. I may start and stop several times while leading, using the whip firmly each time we start again so he can't ignore that signal, and then I reward.
I highly recommend using your cart if you can. You can use a cart on your own. Tie Koby to a fence, harness him, and then bring the cart up and hitch. Koby shouldn't be nervous of it, but if he is just go slowly and reward. Take it in small steps if necessary. Just put the shafts in the loops and take them out the first day or two and reward. Once you get him hitched for the first time, just lead him around for a couple of sessions before you try to drive. Ground driving is hard without shafts to help keep the goat pointed in the right direction. Every time Koby turns to face you, you both end up frustrated and he probably gets a little confused. It's also self-rewarding because he gets a break every time you have to reorganize, sometimes he gets a cookie, and he succeeds at staying close to home. Never give Koby a cookie when he turns to face you. Only give a treat if he stands perfectly still when you say "whoa". I wish you could bring Koby with you to the Rendezvous!