I bought my goat a ball :)

[ThreeBoysChicks]

You should get one and bottle feed it. That was so much fun.

heh heh. yea, I doubt I'll be doing any competitive agility or Freestyle dancing with him... but he is fun to train

The lamb is doing great... although I think shed appreciate a sheep friend to hang with instead of this thing with horns

 

[peachick]

Ed I'd love to do that... maybe kent will ahve something for me this fall

Wow, that is really neat! Does he learn fast when you are clicker training him? He is a handsome goat!

Yes, hes been very easy to train (highly food motivated LOL) He also offers a lot of behaviors, so the clicking and treating is almost constant
OR
maybe I just think everything he does is adorable LOL

 

[Henrietta23]

Huh! Mine have a soccer ball they ignore. I'm going to have to try that!

 

[mabeane]

DAS wrote:

I hate to rain on anyone's parade -- or bright red ball, but, as much fun as it is to push against his head with the ball, it just might return to bite you. Or butt you. What you're doing is something that, IMO, should never be done with a goat: challenging by pushing the head. Even though you have the ball between you and the goat, as far as he's concerned he's being challenged by you. And when he rears up it may be cute, but you are teaching him that a potentially dangerous behavior is okay. If you push against a goat's head it is likely to push back harder, and he will hurt someone eventually. Add in the horns, and you may have a dangerous goat.

Just my opinion.

DAS

I certainly agree with this post.
A cute goat will become dangerous very quickly.

 

[TigerLilly]

I hate to rain on anyone's parade -- or bright red ball, but, as much fun as it is to push against his head with the ball, it just might return to bite you. Or butt you. What you're doing is something that, IMO, should never be done with a goat: challenging by pushing the head. Even though you have the ball between you and the goat, as far as he's concerned he's being challenged by you. And when he rears up it may be cute, but you are teaching him that a potentially dangerous behavior is okay. If you push against a goat's head it is likely to push back harder, and he will hurt someone eventually. Add in the horns, and you may have a dangerous goat.

Just my opinion.

DAS

Which is why -- as stated plainly by the OP -- they went from pushing with the hand, to pushing with the ball, to having laid the ball down so the goat could push and play with it all on its own...which it did.

If the goat had associated that play with the OP's hand, it would have ignored the ball and come back at her hand -- but it didn't. Frankly, that tells me that what the OP did was pretty effective.

I say,

Sounds like they are being pretty responsible about it, IMHO.

 

[peachick]

Thanks for you input everyone. As he matures I keep an eye on his behavior towards me. First of all he is ridiculously tame, and I can do practically anything to him.

Yesterday we played with the ball for the first time in a week. His attitude is the same. His focus is only on the ball. I hold the ball on the ground and he rams it. Sometimes I push back with the ball, but hes gotten pretty strong He is less interested in it when I let go... allowing him to push it around the yard. He's more interested in the interactive game with me. When the game is over and i take the ball away he just walks away.

Actually the only time he gets a little pushy with me is over food... but Im pretty sure he'd do that anyway.
Im not sure the best way to correct a goat when they exhibit unwanted behavior. (other than the spray bottle) What do you guys do???
When he knocked a food bucket out of my hand the other day I yelled and stomped my foot at him... he Fainted!!
LOL I suppose that was pretty effective

 

[apdan]

Just an idea but what about a jolly ball? That might hold up quite well.... I used to have one for my horses and goats. Got one for my dog and he shredded it........ :/ But that might be an idea for a ball!

 

[peachick]

yes I might get one when the basketball busts )

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Hey Kat, to answer your discipline question. My big whether Danny gets rather pushy and when he does I push back, maybe a little hip action to push him out of the way. I have bopped him on the nose once or twice, when he puts his nose were it does not belong.

Another thing I do, is when they jump up on me to get the food bucket in my hands, I try to ignore them. If that does not work, I use my knee and push them away. I figure my 2,000 lb draft horses know to respect me when carrying a bale of hay or feed bucket into the pasture for them that the 100-150 lb goats can learn to respect me also.

And they do. I really don't have much of a problem with them. You are going to have the same issue I have in that your goat does not fear you and neither do mine. I can not really drive them anywhere So if I want them somewhere, I either have to lead them with a lead rope or carrying a bucket a food.

 

[Egg_Newton]

Just an idea but what about a jolly ball? That might hold up quite well.... I used to have one for my horses and goats. Got one for my dog and he shredded it........ :/ But that might be an idea for a ball!

That's what I was going to suggest. I've been thinking about getting one of those for my goats.