# soft pack pattern



## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

hello! i just got my goats yesterday (finally!) and i want to start training them as soon as this darn rain stops. i know i will haveto teach them the basivs and work my way up but its spring and there will be plenty of rainy days to work on a soft pack. the problem is i dont have a pattern. i have some ideas for a pattern but i havent tried them yet. milky way is a yearling and moonbeam is about 14 wks. how long should i wait to start with the soft packs after they listen to me without a pack?

any training tips are welcome also!


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

You could take two small "tote" bags and sew a piece of fabric between the tops so you could drape it over their back...then you'd just need some straps to keep the pack from sliding forward or backward which you could probably make pretty easily from fabic and velcro...maybe some polar fleece padding to keep it from rubbing. 

You could start letting them both wear an empty pack as soon as they are good on a leash. You could put a small amount of weight (5-10lbs including the weight of the pack) in Milky Way's pack for short periods of time after she got used to wearing it. Moonbeam is too little to have any weight added. Goats probably shouldn't carry a full load until they are about 3 yrs old. 

There are some good websites out there on pack goats and training...I am not sure what they are at the moment, but if you google pack goats you'll probably find some.


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

yes, there are LOTS! lol! i also frequent packgoatforum.com
i have read everything i can find about training, i like hearing what other people think though. see what did or didnt work for them.


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