Chat
07-20-2016, 03:14 PM
I'm glad you're seeing improvement! I believe the most important voice command you can teach is "Whoa". I use the "Whoa" command for everything from trimming hooves, to walking nicely on a leash, to being brushed, saddled, or even just to stand still because I said so. There's nothing worse than a goat that won't stand if you have to adjust his packsaddle on the trail! I start teaching "Whoa" from the very first time I tie a goat to be brushed or trim its hooves. Every time the goat moves without permission I tug once or twice on the halter and say "Whoa!" firmly while making the goat stand where I want him. I give a treat as soon as the feet are still. When leash training, I practice by stopping pretty frequently and saying "Whoa". If they don't stop at the "Whoa" command, stop them physically with the halter and reward as soon as the feet are still. I second what Sabine said about slowly lengthening the duration. Make it just a brief pause as first, then work up to more. They will soon realize that they only get the reward after they stand still, and they will begin to keep their attention on you and wait for that treat instead of tromping on your toes and looking for everything interesting except you.
As for "misfires" with the willow switch, it just takes practice. You should hopefully by now be working away from having to use it. You want a goat that leads without encouragement from behind. One possible reason your goats are not standing still is that they've become accustomed to being flicked with the whip whenever they stop without permission. They need to learn to trust that the whip is only used when they disobey a direct order to walk on, and that the whip will never be used for a "surprise attack". In other words, the whip is only used after you have issued the voice command to "Walk on" and put forward pressure on the halter. Review your training technique and make sure you aren't accidentally skipping straight to the whip without prior commands. It's easy to sometimes cut corners by mistake and not even realize it.
One thing to keep in mind is that goats are bored easily, so what to you seems like a brief moment to talk to a neighbor may seem like an eternity to your young, endlessly curious goats. Some of this over-eager behavior will wear off as they get older and see more of life and realize that there is, in fact, time to stop and smell the roses. Standing still also comes easier as they begin to do real work because they'll see these pauses as a pleasant break to be taken advantage of. Right now they have way more energy than you're demanding of them and it wants to come out somewhere. Sometimes if I think I'm going to talk longer than my goats' attention span can handle, I'll tie them to something away from me so we don't get on each other's nerves. Try to find that balance between making your goat respect and obey your commands and demanding too much too soon. Also try scratching and petting your goat while you're standing still. Some goats will stand for ages as long as they're being scratched. Good luck!
As for "misfires" with the willow switch, it just takes practice. You should hopefully by now be working away from having to use it. You want a goat that leads without encouragement from behind. One possible reason your goats are not standing still is that they've become accustomed to being flicked with the whip whenever they stop without permission. They need to learn to trust that the whip is only used when they disobey a direct order to walk on, and that the whip will never be used for a "surprise attack". In other words, the whip is only used after you have issued the voice command to "Walk on" and put forward pressure on the halter. Review your training technique and make sure you aren't accidentally skipping straight to the whip without prior commands. It's easy to sometimes cut corners by mistake and not even realize it.
One thing to keep in mind is that goats are bored easily, so what to you seems like a brief moment to talk to a neighbor may seem like an eternity to your young, endlessly curious goats. Some of this over-eager behavior will wear off as they get older and see more of life and realize that there is, in fact, time to stop and smell the roses. Standing still also comes easier as they begin to do real work because they'll see these pauses as a pleasant break to be taken advantage of. Right now they have way more energy than you're demanding of them and it wants to come out somewhere. Sometimes if I think I'm going to talk longer than my goats' attention span can handle, I'll tie them to something away from me so we don't get on each other's nerves. Try to find that balance between making your goat respect and obey your commands and demanding too much too soon. Also try scratching and petting your goat while you're standing still. Some goats will stand for ages as long as they're being scratched. Good luck!