# Help with show goat training, etc.



## erinbelle

Hello, I am new to this site and joined for a few reasons. One being that I will more than likely be showing a goat next year with my local FFA chapter. 

Our county has never had a goat show, strictly steer and hog shows, so this will be a first for everyone. Even my 4H hasn't done a goat show. I have been doing much research, watching many videos, and more. I am learning everything I can before this show happens.

I currently do not have my show goat as I am getting it this summer. I still have to talk to my adviser about several things including will it be a dairy or meat show, nanny goats or bucks or wethers, and what will be the basics. If it is indeed a dairy show, I will more than likely get a Nubian or an Alpine nanny, as for meat shows a Boer wether. 

I want to bottle raise the kid from after it turns a few weeks so that we will have a better bond. I have bottle raised in the past, so I don't need help with that. The main thing is how to train a goat for show. Dairy goats and meat goats alike. I have many questions, all will listed below. If I missed anything, please let me know.

I guess I should add that I', in high school, if that helps.

-How to train a dairy goat? Tips?
-How to train a meat goat? Tips?
-What is the best age to start training? 
-What is some basic gear I need? (I can go ahead and get some of this.)
-Anything else I need to know? 
-Any suggestions?

Thank you for your time.


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## Daisy-Mae

My daughter showed for the first time last year. She walked her goat everyday. She also worked a lot on her stand. Got her into a routine. She won champion 


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## 4-HGoatGirl

Go to Tractor supply and get a short leash and the collars they sell. As a little kid you can start walking slowly and as he/she ages advance to a show collar. You'll want to shave your goat and I recommend Hoeger products. At Tractor Supply you can buy mild shampoo and Show Sheen. A good show routine would be:

Bathe goat a day or two before show and put in trailer or somewhere clean. At show bring baby wipes and brushes. (soft brush, face brush, etc.) Clean up your goat and do last minute touches. Sprit Show Sheen on and you're ready. 

Also, there are good articles on eHow. Remember, things happen and judges WILL reward good behavior. Eye contact, and a light smile. If your goat does misbehave handle it quickly but properly. The judge won't discredit you for this. Personally, I'd start with a dairy doe, then get into Boer wethers. Hope this helps


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## erinbelle

Thank you both for the input.

I am hoping to do dairy as it was my first choice, but it really depends on _if _the chapter does a dairy show, meat show, or both.


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## HoosierShadow

I am no help with dairy goats, but I am sure training and prepping is similar to meat breeds, especially wethers who have to be shaved.

My kids show boer & percentage boer goats. In our state, you can go from county fair to county fair and show, so they love showing goats and going to all the surrounding counties. The state dept. of agriculture also has shows that they started attending last year.

My kids breed and raise their own 4-H goats. This year they have 8 babies they are showing 6 born in January, and 2 born in late February.
They start lead training about 4-6 weeks. Slowly getting them adjusted to wearing a halter while being loved/petted, then they start trying to lead them a few steps each day until they go more willingly. If a baby is jumping around and acting out of control, we will tie them to the fence post and let them get over their temper tantrum lol. 
Biggest thing IMO is bonding with your goat before you train, and gaining trust. Lots of patience, baby talk helps too!

This is the adjustable halter/lead we use, they are awesome, and very strong. The clip on the end is very nice so you can tie them when need be, especially at the shows, it also helps that they are very inexpensive  we use them on all ages of goats, even bucks we've had!
http://www.jefferspet.com/poly-rope-sheep-halter/camid/LIV/cp/0040089/cn/33083/

After a couple of weeks of halter training, that's when the kids start using the show collar. Sometimes they adjust to the show collar without issue, and sometimes they will act like it's the end of the world, just work them through it with patience, and lots of praise.
This is the show collar my kids use:
http://www.jefferspet.com/show-goat-collar/camid/LIV/cp/W2-G2/cn/33083/

We do use a 2 headed clip and snap it on to each side of the handle to help keep the goats head from slipping out if they are small and can twist out of it easily. But by the time your goat shows, it's preferred they have only the show collar - no clips. Sometimes you just have to use the clips for naughty goats who like to sneak out of the collar. We don't dehorn our goats, so the horns do help a lot with keeping a goat from slipping out of it's collar.

Grooming/fitting will depend on what animal you will be doing. I am horrible at clipping/fitting goats lol But I help my kids out the best I can - they do their wethers, but I have to do the does/bucks. I'm hoping this year they can learn how to do the others.

I think dairy does are clipped very similar to market wethers? So they may be somewhat easy compared to fitting a boer doe.


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## cowgirlboergoats

I show boer wethers and I walk them around about 10 to 15 mins. every day. I use the same ones that HoorierShadow kids use and after the get use to the halter then I will put them on a chain.If you are showing a wether, you need to teach him how to brace. I am starting to teach my boys how the brace and you should do it when you are walking him. He wouldn't be happy about that but he will learn to like it.


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## kimbuffet

My daughter shows Nubians. She spends time petting and playing with them. Sometimes she even goes out and sits in the pen and reads a book and the goats usually won't leave her alone. We teach them to lead using treats. She puts a few animal crackers in her pocket and they will follow her anywhere. The treats in her pockets make the goats pay attention and want to be close to her.


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