training standing still while tied

[dragonmaker]

How do you teach standing while in halter tied to a fence? I want to be able to trim my buck's hooves in their own pen instead of having to haul them through the doe pen to get to my milk stand. I do best when I see someone train, or when I'm given step by step instructions on how to break it down for the animal.

[Nanno]

The best way to teach goats to stand quietly while tied is to tie them up regularly and leave them there while you do other things. The goat has to learn to be patient. I always keep an eye on tied goat in case he gets himself in trouble with the rope, but I try not to rescue them while they're figuring it out unless I really have to. Once they get bored they will usually try fighting the rope, getting up and down, rearing on their hind legs, and getting their front legs over the rope. Unless the goat is actually strangling itself I leave it alone to figure out how to undo these little entanglements. Once they learn that fighting the rope doesn't make it go away, they usually resign themselves to it and either stand quietly or lay down.

When trimming hooves on a large, strong goat such as a buck (or any goat with horns), I always tie with a halter so I have more control and so they can't swing around and hit me with a horn. I tie them up short but at a comfortable height. I push them up against the fence with my body so they don't feel like they can escape. It also gives me a leverage advantage if they start to struggle since I can lean in and use my body weight to control their movement. Once I pick up a foot I try not to let go no matter what. I've had some instances where I've had to drop my trimmers and hold onto a foot with both hands until the goat settles. Once I'm done trimming, I always try to wait until a moment when the goat is relaxed so I can place the foot down gently. If he's resisting and I just let go, the foot slams down and the goat may feel that resistance is key to getting his foot back. I always give a treat after each successful hoof trim. I also do a lot of verbal communication with my goats during hoof trimming. Fighting gets a verbal reprimand while relaxing and behaving get a lot of reassuring praise followed immediately by a treat.

[dragonmaker]

Thanks! When first teaching a goat to stand quietly while tied, do you let them go as soon as they have resigned themselves and relaxed and slowly work up to longer and longer times being patient, or do you just let them stay there for the next 10+ minutes until you’re done with whatever chore you’re doing?

[Nanno]

I untie them whenever it's convenient for me. Once they've learned to be patient there's nothing wrong with letting them continue to be patient a while longer. It takes less time for them to settle each time they are tied, and pretty soon there's no fuss at all.

[dragonmaker]

Thanks!