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09-04-2018, 07:13 PM
What you experienced sounds very normal to me.
In my experience, around the farm it’s going to take time to get them comfortable with following you away from the pasture. Their pasture and shelter represent safety. Leaving that safe spot can be very scary to them.
I’d start with taking them out one or two at a time, on lead, and only go a short distance, take plenty of treats, and sue them liberally. I’d put a halter on my guys for doing this. Get them used to the idea that being outside the pasture with you is safe. Then start going a little further.
After they are comfortable following you on lead, start the same process over again, off lead.
Driving them to a trailhead in a truck, it less of an issue because you are not leaving from home. Still, I’d do a simplified version of the same process. On the trail, the trailhead and truck still represent Home and safety.
If you pass someone who is heading toward the trailhead, they could decide to follow them. If you stop, they could decide to head toward the trailhead. It could well take half a dozen hikes, perhaps more for them to reliably follow you.
And of course, every goat’s different, but if one heads back toward the trailhead, the others are likely to follow. There seems to be a strong tendency for goats to follow whoever goes first.
In my experience, around the farm it’s going to take time to get them comfortable with following you away from the pasture. Their pasture and shelter represent safety. Leaving that safe spot can be very scary to them.
I’d start with taking them out one or two at a time, on lead, and only go a short distance, take plenty of treats, and sue them liberally. I’d put a halter on my guys for doing this. Get them used to the idea that being outside the pasture with you is safe. Then start going a little further.
After they are comfortable following you on lead, start the same process over again, off lead.
Driving them to a trailhead in a truck, it less of an issue because you are not leaving from home. Still, I’d do a simplified version of the same process. On the trail, the trailhead and truck still represent Home and safety.
If you pass someone who is heading toward the trailhead, they could decide to follow them. If you stop, they could decide to head toward the trailhead. It could well take half a dozen hikes, perhaps more for them to reliably follow you.
And of course, every goat’s different, but if one heads back toward the trailhead, the others are likely to follow. There seems to be a strong tendency for goats to follow whoever goes first.