Halter training
I put my bad mood to work removing a 2 metre tall, mostly dead bamboo plant outside my house that had become not only an eyesore but also a fire hazard. Three hours of breaking things and swinging an axe and going up and down a hill with a wheelbarrow caused me to feel much better. Outdoor physical labour is a pretty sure remedy for office-based agitation. I don't think I could do enough exercise to handle a 5 day a week office job any more. I'd have to start marathon training.
Then I spent some time halter training last year's alpaca cria.
Walking on a lead rope may look simple, but they have to learn that mild pressure on the head means to walk forward in the direction of the pressure. When you look at all the things they try first, it clearly isn't an intuitive response! The first response is always HOW DO I GET THIS THING OFF MY HEAD?
I'm still figuring out the best way to go about this, since I've only done it twice before, but I've been starting with just putting the halter on in a small yard (3m x 3m) for the first day or two. They're used to being touched, though they aren't wild about it - alpacas aren't a very tactile species and tend not to touch each other much.
Halter goes on. Cria goes, "There's something on my face!!" while tossing its head around at the end of that long neck and maybe doing some leaps and jumps. About 30 seconds later, they go, "Hmm. I guess it isn't a problem."
A few days later I move on to attaching the lead rope in the small yard and asking them to first bend their necks and then take a step or two in the direction of the pressure. As soon as they move the way you want, you release the pressure, so they can learn that was what you wanted and that there is a reward (removal of the pressure) for complying. Because of the leverage the long neck gives you, it's easiest to ask them to step to the side first, rather than straight forward. Before they figure out what you want, though, they might try rearing, jumping, kicking, putting their heads through the fence or throwing themselves on the ground - all perfectly valid responses in their effort to understand what you mean. I really enjoy this part, just like I enjoy trying to teach my horse anything new. Not the thrashing around part, which is hopefully to be avoided, but rather watching the light-bulb moment when they get it, and seeing their obvious relief at understanding what you're asking for.
Once they're moving willingly and calmly in the small yard, where there's only room for a step or two, it's out into the bigger yard. These pictures are from about a week ago, of Miranda's first time out there with the halter. Just before this, she'd given a demonstration of what people mean when they say halter training an alpaca can be like flying a kite, when she'd leapt into the air, crashed down with a well-padded thud on her side and then bounced back to her feet seemingly no worse for wear. I just tried to make sure there was no pressure on the rope at the time and let her figure out that such antics weren't really required.
Maybe I can get out or hide
Maybe I can bend the other way
How about I go over there, away from you
This is what you want to avoid - pulling on the rope from the front tends to lead to resistance!
Twisting might help?
I'm pretty smart really
Today was her first day out in the big paddock and she was a star pupil, walking along as nicely as you please. (She's Sherry's full sister, very well bred on her dad's side, but unfortunately they both take more after their mother!)
I'm also trying to train Zareena the llama to carry small children, using a part-filled bag of lupins as my child substitute. She could do a fair amount of damage to a child's face with her neck if she decided to throw it around and I'm not sure what to do to minimise that risk. Practise with a large teddy bear? Unfortunately I'm much too heavy for her.
Then I spent some time halter training last year's alpaca cria.
Walking on a lead rope may look simple, but they have to learn that mild pressure on the head means to walk forward in the direction of the pressure. When you look at all the things they try first, it clearly isn't an intuitive response! The first response is always HOW DO I GET THIS THING OFF MY HEAD?
I'm still figuring out the best way to go about this, since I've only done it twice before, but I've been starting with just putting the halter on in a small yard (3m x 3m) for the first day or two. They're used to being touched, though they aren't wild about it - alpacas aren't a very tactile species and tend not to touch each other much.
Halter goes on. Cria goes, "There's something on my face!!" while tossing its head around at the end of that long neck and maybe doing some leaps and jumps. About 30 seconds later, they go, "Hmm. I guess it isn't a problem."
A few days later I move on to attaching the lead rope in the small yard and asking them to first bend their necks and then take a step or two in the direction of the pressure. As soon as they move the way you want, you release the pressure, so they can learn that was what you wanted and that there is a reward (removal of the pressure) for complying. Because of the leverage the long neck gives you, it's easiest to ask them to step to the side first, rather than straight forward. Before they figure out what you want, though, they might try rearing, jumping, kicking, putting their heads through the fence or throwing themselves on the ground - all perfectly valid responses in their effort to understand what you mean. I really enjoy this part, just like I enjoy trying to teach my horse anything new. Not the thrashing around part, which is hopefully to be avoided, but rather watching the light-bulb moment when they get it, and seeing their obvious relief at understanding what you're asking for.
Once they're moving willingly and calmly in the small yard, where there's only room for a step or two, it's out into the bigger yard. These pictures are from about a week ago, of Miranda's first time out there with the halter. Just before this, she'd given a demonstration of what people mean when they say halter training an alpaca can be like flying a kite, when she'd leapt into the air, crashed down with a well-padded thud on her side and then bounced back to her feet seemingly no worse for wear. I just tried to make sure there was no pressure on the rope at the time and let her figure out that such antics weren't really required.
Maybe I can get out or hide
Maybe I can bend the other way
How about I go over there, away from you
This is what you want to avoid - pulling on the rope from the front tends to lead to resistance!
Twisting might help?
I'm pretty smart really
Today was her first day out in the big paddock and she was a star pupil, walking along as nicely as you please. (She's Sherry's full sister, very well bred on her dad's side, but unfortunately they both take more after their mother!)
I'm also trying to train Zareena the llama to carry small children, using a part-filled bag of lupins as my child substitute. She could do a fair amount of damage to a child's face with her neck if she decided to throw it around and I'm not sure what to do to minimise that risk. Practise with a large teddy bear? Unfortunately I'm much too heavy for her.