Chat
08-30-2018, 08:31 PM
Thank you, thank you, thank you Nanno for taking the time to provide this advice. It all makes perfect sense.
You are right in that Koby seems to understand the commands now and is definitely not a clueless newby; he just tends to do what he likes at times. I do think he acts dumb sometimes (stops and stares into space), to try to get out of doing what I ask when that doesn't suit him. I'll make him work harder when I have to get out to lead him.
How best should I introduce the bit? Should I let him out in the paddock with his bridle on and the bit - supervised of course, and not with the other goats - so he can get used to the feel of it before I ask him to work with it in the cart? Or would it be better to just put it on him without a fuss and see how he goes in the cart?
I don't have any cones but I have some tall red buckets with lids that I could half fill with dirt (to add a bit of weight) and set them out to make a course. I'm thinking I should probably make them light enough that they will tip over if a wheel runs into one with enough momentum, as a cone would do.
There are also a couple of shallow ditches in the paddock where we have our lessons. I've been avoiding them so far but after reading your advice I think I'll let him drive into them so he can get used to some uneven terrain in a "safe" environment. I might also ask Mark to drive slowly along inside the paddock to get Koby used to "traffic" while in the cart
. He is used to the odd car passing us when we are hiking but he'll need to understand that he can't just shimmy sideways onto the verge when he's hitched to a cart.
We definitely always end our lessons on a high/positive note and I generally keep them less than 20 minutes.
Thanks again for your pointers, I can't wait for our next lesson!
You are right in that Koby seems to understand the commands now and is definitely not a clueless newby; he just tends to do what he likes at times. I do think he acts dumb sometimes (stops and stares into space), to try to get out of doing what I ask when that doesn't suit him. I'll make him work harder when I have to get out to lead him.
How best should I introduce the bit? Should I let him out in the paddock with his bridle on and the bit - supervised of course, and not with the other goats - so he can get used to the feel of it before I ask him to work with it in the cart? Or would it be better to just put it on him without a fuss and see how he goes in the cart?
I don't have any cones but I have some tall red buckets with lids that I could half fill with dirt (to add a bit of weight) and set them out to make a course. I'm thinking I should probably make them light enough that they will tip over if a wheel runs into one with enough momentum, as a cone would do.
There are also a couple of shallow ditches in the paddock where we have our lessons. I've been avoiding them so far but after reading your advice I think I'll let him drive into them so he can get used to some uneven terrain in a "safe" environment. I might also ask Mark to drive slowly along inside the paddock to get Koby used to "traffic" while in the cart
. He is used to the odd car passing us when we are hiking but he'll need to understand that he can't just shimmy sideways onto the verge when he's hitched to a cart.We definitely always end our lessons on a high/positive note and I generally keep them less than 20 minutes.
Thanks again for your pointers, I can't wait for our next lesson!
Happiness is a baby goat snoring in your lap