manybirds
Loving the herd life
My baby goats suck on my cloth but i just let them. i'm a bad goat owner 
. I don't mind as long as they're not really biting me
. I don't mind as long as they're not really biting me
correcting bad behavior
- Thread starter Tapsmom
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #22
Tapsmom
Loving the herd life
I don't mind them sucking on the fabric either..but they are starting to actually bite into it immediately-which is why I needed to stop them
We all learn that what starts out as innocent and cute can later become a problem.
Goatherd
Overrun with beasties
Just ask Joan Crawford's kids.
autumnprairie
Owned by the Rotten Heifers
NO WIRE HANGERS EVER!!!!Goatherd said:
sorry had to
Queen Mum
N.E.R.D.
Never had to hit a goat. Hitting is aversive, yes, but they will learn to avoid your hands. That is not preferable because your hands also do other things and you need them to trust your hands.
I start when they are young. They have a collar immediately at birth. If they do something I "lead" them away with the collar. Just a little pressure. A gentle movement is all it takes. Reward them with releasing the pressure. They get the idea fast. Use a clicker at the same time.
Of course, if you have a bigger herd, you can't leave the collar on if you also have horned animals. OR if you don't have them young, and you watch what an older goat does, you will notice they head butt in the shoulder area. It's not a hit, it's a push. Use your knee for that. Also, a twist and tug on the butt hair or belly hair works more effectively than a smack or a hit. The hair tug smarts, Mama does will do this with the kids. So they will respect it.
Both techniques are VERY effective. They are "goat language" that the goats will understand. The push is common language and it does not allow the animal to associate the action with your hands. It is aversive enough to get the message across. Even seasoned bucks respond to cues that they remember that their mothers used from infancy and so they won't usually "talk back" to the hair tug thing.
Sara
I start when they are young. They have a collar immediately at birth. If they do something I "lead" them away with the collar. Just a little pressure. A gentle movement is all it takes. Reward them with releasing the pressure. They get the idea fast. Use a clicker at the same time.
Of course, if you have a bigger herd, you can't leave the collar on if you also have horned animals. OR if you don't have them young, and you watch what an older goat does, you will notice they head butt in the shoulder area. It's not a hit, it's a push. Use your knee for that. Also, a twist and tug on the butt hair or belly hair works more effectively than a smack or a hit. The hair tug smarts, Mama does will do this with the kids. So they will respect it.
Both techniques are VERY effective. They are "goat language" that the goats will understand. The push is common language and it does not allow the animal to associate the action with your hands. It is aversive enough to get the message across. Even seasoned bucks respond to cues that they remember that their mothers used from infancy and so they won't usually "talk back" to the hair tug thing.
Sara
Queen Mum
N.E.R.D.
BTW, we have 80 some odd goats here and all of them suck on my shirt and pick at my pockets and hands. They are looking for goodies, pets, scratchies and whatnot. None of them bite. They may nibble, but they are careful NOT to bite.
Sara
Queen Mum
Sara
Queen Mum
Mamaboid
Loving the herd life
Our youngest girl likes to put her feet up on me for rubs (she was raised the first 4 months of her life with kids that left her do it). I use the same method on her that I do on my dogs when they jump up. A knee to the chest, combined with a sharp "DOWN". She is getting the idea, lately she has started to put her feet up and then remembers and drops to the ground. When she does this, I give her a good rub and a lot of "good girls". She loves "good girls" and has learned that she doesn't like what happens when she hears "NO" and doesn't listen. She doesn't get treats or rubs. I love to watch them learn things, you can almost see on their faces when the "get it".
Queen Mum
N.E.R.D.
It is so gratifying to see them learning! I love it.
Sara
Queen Mum
Sara
Queen Mum
Livinwright Farm
Goat Fancier
Ayaiyai! I had a doe that would bite the rejected buckling's rump and then tear out a chunk of his hair, just because he was standing too close to her.Queen Mum said:
thankfully this eventually stopped as he got older and could move quicker.For my herd, I have learned a couple dam's tricks for the misbehavers.
(1) Stand VERY erect while looking the offender in the eyes, tilt your head toward them while swiftly bending sideways and give a decent stomp. It mimics a corrective pre-head butting warning... something commonly done by a head queen.
(2) learn the alpha's grunts, moans, and other verbal communications. Take note of the ones she uses to get those under her away from food or away from kids. Usually a 2-3 grunt, grunt. You'll know what I mean when you hear it. The really angry one is a single extended grunt/moan.
