GOAT WON'T LEAD
*Please feel free to print out these tips.
If you have exhausted all options (usually with adult
goats) and they just plain will not lead without half dragging them , then
there is one left. Some may think it cruel but if your goat will not lead
in required areas then it is worthless. Also you should be aware that most
goats that require this method of teaching have almost always been sluggards
on the trail too. If you have an exception to this rule and it packs great
but will not lead then this is what you can do.
First beg, borrow or buy an
electronic training
collar. (Click to check out the Walk'r available through our on-line store) The kind that emits an electrical shock when you push a button on
the controller. You should test the collar to make sure it works before you
put it on the goat. Next wet the hair on the neck of the goat so the probes
on the collar can make contact with the skin of the goat. This is important
for the collar to work properly.
Once you have a working collar on the goat, attach
the lead and pull it tight and give the goat your command to heel. When the
lead gets tight, press the button on the controller and hang on. The goat
will immediately react, usually by moving in some direction at full speed.
Don't let it get away from you. The IMPORTANT thing to do here, is to let
off of the button as soon as the goat moves. As soon as the goat calms, pull
the lead and give the heel command again. When the lead gets tight, hit the
button again and let off as soon as the goat moves. NEVER shock the goat
with a slack lead rope. You are associating the shock with the tight lead
and the goat WILL figure this out in only a few minutes. Once the goat starts
to give to the lead to keep it from getting tight, shower it with praise.
Start again by walking forward and telling the goat to heel and only administer
the shock if the goat lets the lead get tight. Most goats are leading with
a slack lead in about five minutes.
After the goat has figured out the general principles
of this setup, I usually give a bump or two on the lead before I give a shock.
After a few warnings and then a shock, it only takes a bump on the rope to
make the goat step into the rope and give you slack. Repeat this lesson several
times over a three day period or until the goat is leading reliably.
Goats can be surprisingly stubborn, so be prepared
for the goat to test it a few times. If you have a goat that rears back against
the lead when the shock is administered then hold the button until the goat
gives and moves forward. Some goats are also very pain tolerant (they butt
their heads together for fun) and may require a fairly high setting on the
amount of shock it takes to get their attention. Once done correctly, however
I have never found a goat that was able to resist this method. Even weeks
later, a bump on the lead will have the goat giving immediate slack in the
lead.
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