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Mr. Moon had his first outing today. We went to the post office and met with a postal worker whom we new to love goats. She thought he was incredible and profusely thanked us for bringing him by. Then we went to the feed store and Moonie enjoyed following me around the store, but he was not cool with the dog that lives there. He was in no danger from the dog, but Moon was too scared of him so I just picked Moonie up to spare him from having a negative experience. Overall I'm the most surprised by the fact at how calm he was in the car. All the goats I've ever transported in the car because of purchasing them or delivering them to a new home were always terrified by the experience, but Mr. Moon acted like it was totally normal! I'm so happy with his first adventure, and I can't wait to get him out again!
Here he is in my lap during the car ride. I'm going to have to figure out different seating arrangements since I'm sure he'll outgrow my lap pretty quickly.
Breeding Kinders in Western NC since 2019
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Posts: 4,594
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The more outings Moon has, and the more experiences, the better companion and packgoat he'll be. He'll learn from a young age that he can safely be near people and dogs and bicycles and traffic and noises without panicking. He'll learn to be curious instead of timid. He'll learn that people are friendly and fun to be with. They're usually nervous the first few times out, but they soon get more confident. I like getting this kind of socialization done when they are very small and I can more easily hang onto them. It's hard to control a panicked goat that has already reached "giant beast" status! I encountered a little of that with Sonic and Scout, my current 3-year-olds. They were COVID babies so all the events I would normally have taken them to were canceled in 2020 and even in 2021. It was 2022 before I was able to get them to some public events, and by then they were very large and had huge horns! We got through it, but I don't know if they'll ever be as cool and confident in public as goats that were introduced to new settings as babies. Sonic might be, but he has an incredibly laid-back personality and a natural affection for humans. Scout is not as trusting and is somewhat high strung, so he will probably always be a bit suspicious in unfamiliar situations.
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(04-01-2023, 06:20 PM)Nanno Wrote: The more outings Moon has, and the more experiences, the better companion and packgoat he'll be. He'll learn from a young age that he can safely be near people and dogs and bicycles and traffic and noises without panicking. He'll learn to be curious instead of timid. He'll learn that people are friendly and fun to be with. They're usually nervous the first few times out, but they soon get more confident. I like getting this kind of socialization done when they are very small and I can more easily hang onto them. It's hard to control a panicked goat that has already reached "giant beast" status! I encountered a little of that with Sonic and Scout, my current 3-year-olds. They were COVID babies so all the events I would normally have taken them to were canceled in 2020 and even in 2021. It was 2022 before I was able to get them to some public events, and by then they were very large and had huge horns! We got through it, but I don't know if they'll ever be as cool and confident in public as goats that were introduced to new settings as babies. Sonic might be, but he has an incredibly laid-back personality and a natural affection for humans. Scout is not as trusting and is somewhat high strung, so he will probably always be a bit suspicious in unfamiliar situations.
I really appreciate your advice!
I'm going to try and take him out at as much as I can to help build his confidence. He's already doing so great that I think he's going to really excel at this given enough exposure. I should also try and have him around our own dogs to get him used to them too; that would probably help. I guess I don't have to worry quite as much about being able to control him as an adult since my wethers are probably half the size of yours.
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The fun thing about bringing baby goats out in public (well, any goats really, but especially babies) is that people absolutely LOVE them. Everyone wants to come see and come pet. I like to allow it so long as the kid isn't terrified. Once they are old enough to be interested in treats, I nearly always have some with me so I can let people feed them to my goats.
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04-03-2023, 09:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2023, 09:45 AM by MellonFriend.)
It's good to know that you let people give your goats-in-training treats. I wasn't sure that would be okay since I didn't want him learning to maul people for treats. lol.
Breeding Kinders in Western NC since 2019
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He looks so relaxed and at home in that scary car! Well done Mr. moon!
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The thing to be careful with giving treats is them learning the noise of bags with treats. You don't want them to think they are getting treats every time they hear something crinkle.
We put things in our pockets to give them.
We can stop along a trail with young kids and everyone gets snacks out to eat and doesn't have a 200 lb horned monster jumping in their laps wanting whatever was in the crinkle bag. They just Mill around and mind their own business giving the humans their space. They might come over for some love but don't mow you down trying to get a treat before the other treat monsters can get to it first.
Kris
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I'll be sure to keep the treats auditorily concealed before they are dispensed. Thanks for the advice!
Breeding Kinders in Western NC since 2019
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Mr. Moon has had a few adventures since I last updated. I've got to get one of my walking companions to take some pictures of him out and about, but for now all I have is some pics from him at home:
Mr. Moon 4-23-23 Mooney on a log
I've been taking him about weekly to walks at Western Carolina University where they have some walking trails that have been perfect to take him on. He absolutely loves being out. He gets such a jolly little bounce in his step. The car he only seems to tolerate at this point. He does a lot of quiet chatter while in the vehicle. He's doing great though over all! I am surprised at how few people he's had the opportunity to interact with. It seems like some people don't even notice that he's not a dog.
I'm hoping in the coming weeks I can take him to more heavily trafficked areas so that he can get more socialization. He seems to be warry of people he doesn't know, so that's something we've got to work on.
Breeding Kinders in Western NC since 2019
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