# Skittish Goat question



## mreeves (Sep 25, 2010)

Hi. I would like to pose a similar question about skittishness but from a different perspective. One of my alpines is 3. I got him 4 months ago and is a very strong goat but I took him out on the trail after many training exercises for the first time last weekend. He does great in the pasture and down the lane and he leads well but is VERY alert and I decided to drop the lead and see if he would follow me on the trail. He followed for the first 1/4 mile than he stopped, let me get down the trail 50 yards and RAN back to the truck. So...we tried again..basically everytime I let go of the leash he RAN the other way. He was really sketched out by being tied up and really worked up. He stopped alot on the way back to stare ahead as if something was spooking him but I found no pattern to it. So, here is the question, I think he was scared because he was the only goat. 
Does this seem like a ludicrous supposition? His mom was eaten by a cougar when he was 6 months...maybe that doesnt help either. 

THANKS!


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

*Re: Skittish Goat*

Hello,

except the goat is really well bonded to people I take a single goat only out on a lead. Or I take a at least a second goat with me. I've found that the smaller the group the more alert against possible predator attacks the goats will be (been training two goat as harness goats in winter and this was a struggle sometimes).

It also takes some time for them to get used to being "outside" if they don't have much experience outside of paddocks and/or pasture - this is the safe world and now they are in the unsafe outside world.

I wouldn't let him go off lead until he's much calmer, he will only develop a bad habit if you don't change your training right now.

Keep in mind that they see, hear and smell much better than humans. One of the goats that I was training in winter reacted to cars driving on a country road about 1 mile away which he could see because we were on top of a hill and could look down in the valley at the road. He couldn't recognize what it was but the movement caught (and kept) his attention.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

*Re: Skittish Goat*

Just my 4 cents worth.

You have only had him 4 months.
How much time do you spend with him Dailey?

1 hour, 2 hours, 15 minutes?

I am thinking he is not bonded with you, yet.
Also on your walks do you treat him regularly?

a handful of sunflower seeds. teaspoon at a time.
Will go a long way towards bonding.

If you want to bond even faster and closer to
him. Sleep in the barn with him. LOL


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

I always take new goats out with a solidly bonded goat that I trust. The new goat will almost never leave another goat to head back on its own. Once the goat gets comfortable with hiking and all the new scents and sounds it will fall into the routine. By then I am comfortable with the goat and there are never any problems when I take it out alone. 

If the new goat continues to ignore me and other goats to run off on its own then I cut my losses and give it away as a weed eater.


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## IceDog (Aug 1, 2010)

I recently got a new 3 month old doeling. She also was very skittish. She was even afraid of my cats. Any fast movement and she was outta there! She was raised on a pasture in the hills where they had problems with mountain lions. Maybe the whole herd behaved in a hyper alert fashion due to the mountain lion situation and it is a learned behavior.

I've let her run free here and she's settled down a lot.

She is a 1/2 Boer 1/4 Alpine 1/4 LaMancha. (Sire 1/2 Boer 1/2 Alpine, Dam 1/2 Boer 1/2 LaMancha.)

Her name is Jewel. This photo was taken before we got her. I think she's slimmed down a lot with all the running & jumping she gets to do here. I need a more current photo.
[attachment=0:2si90z2m]Jewel DOB 4-2-11.jpg[/attachment:2si90z2m]


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