# Training



## The Goat Lover 21 (Apr 18, 2011)

I'm getting five news goats, and my stepmom wants me to show one of the goats, but, I only shows cows and I been looking around, but can't find any good info on how to train and show the goats :hair: 
I don't want to train the goats wrong and get pulled out of the class (like what happened 3 years ago showing cows) and get told that I'm showing them wrong.  HELP PLEASE! :help: :whatgoat:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

welcome :wave:

As to showing goats -- Ive never seen a person removed from the ring because they showed them wrong. 

You want to lead the goat around the ring keeping the goat beween you and the judge. Never walk behind or step over the goat (if a mini or junior doe) but you want to move around the goat from the front switching hands as you move.

You use collars for leading -- so if you train your goat get them use to the collar and you holding it and leading them around.


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## The Goat Lover 21 (Apr 18, 2011)

That's a relief!  Thank you! So never walk over a goat?? Well, I won't try to. As for moving around the goat, what if it spooks at the judge or just spooks? Sorry for being to neive, but I never had goats and I'm learning slowly about them. I have been trying to look at pictures of goats set up, but there no very clear on how to do it and how it looks. :shrug:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We're learning too! What kind of goats do you plan to show? My kids want to try 4-H and see if they like it, and each have a boer doeling. Have you ever leash trained a dog? About the same idea IMO. The 4mo old is more stubborn than the 7 week old, and is picky about treats, so we just give them both a little grain as a reward when they make a couple of laps around the front yard without a fuss 

I'm sure someone can tell me I am wrong, but generally you are on the left side of the goat, goat is on your right side. That's how I was taught with dogs, and horses. Of course if you have to walk a different direction with the goats you'd have to switch sides.


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## The Goat Lover 21 (Apr 18, 2011)

I plan to show Alpine goats. I have trained dogs, so it's like that? Okay, this can get confusing, but there is alot of good info! THANK YOU!


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

I'm curious too. Sounds alot like dog showing. Do you stack them like with dogs, or get them to naturally go into the right stance?


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## myfainters (Oct 30, 2009)

You stack them like dogs...well at least with the mini silkies and fainters.  If you click on my webpage...the home page shows 2 goats "stacked" in a show stance.


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## The Goat Lover 21 (Apr 18, 2011)

myfainters said:


> You stack them like dogs...well at least with the mini silkies and fainters.  If you click on my webpage...the home page shows 2 goats "stacked" in a show stance.


What does stacked mean? Sorry for being neive. onder:


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## Squires (Sep 14, 2010)

I was just trying to learn this myself -- there is a virtual goat show at the Miniature Dairy Goat website and some directions on how to photograph the goats for the competition - and they explain WHY you do certain things: <http://miniaturedairygoats.com/V-Show/EntryGuidelines.htm>

Some of these comments here are from things I learned from that site, or other websites, but some is from rusty old memory of 4H and shows long ago. So bear with me . . . as I explain this to you, I'm also sorting it out for myself, because I have to go out there and re-learn how to train these babies myself (back in goats after 30+ goatless years . .. )

Really good exhibitors can make a good goat look better. Poor handling can sometimes lose a good goat a place or two -- because if the goat is moving and stands wrong and the class is large, the judge may not see all that it has right.

You want to show off things like the width of its chest, the four-square support of its legs. Front legs are directly under the front quarters and straight and vertical. The hind legs should drop naturally from the hips (not over-extended like some German Shepherd dogs are shown), and the line from the hock-joint to the hind pastern should be pretty much vertical. With the legs stretched out a bit, the back is allowed to relax and lengthen -- showng what a long body the animal has. Some people also put a hand or finger on the loin to get the goat to relax more and really lengthen out (nervous goats sometimes hunch up and can look a little roach-backed even if they are not). A trained goat knows you want this stance and will more quickly move into it without too much fuss.

Ideally head is up and ears are alert (except for Nubians, I guess). Some people with very good showmanship will train a goat to look alert or make some signal or sound to get it to perk up. Some individual animals are just plain good at looking that way anyway. 

I bought a doe who someone had trained nicely, and it is obvious - when she wants to be milked, it is SO easy to move her leg a bit 0r she will move her leg back a bit for you -- makes it easier to find her udder. 

I wonder if playing a radio in the barn or playing sound effect records can help an animal be more relaxed in a strange place, like a Fair Grounds? I know that parade horses are trained to tolerate sounds and sites before going out in public. Probably wouldn't hurt to play the radio in the barn and introduce your goats to different things -- a tarp blowing in the breeze, scarf, tools, cars, balloons, dogs, etc.

I do know some one who didn't have a clue how to show goats, but used to walk around her barn and fields with her goats following her. She practiced leading a nice little doe around with a collar and went to a show and did well. The doe knew to follow her and trusted her -- so they did OK. This was a class for the breed of goat -- not a showmanship class.


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## The Goat Lover 21 (Apr 18, 2011)

:wahoo: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Finally some good information on this subject! ???? Very imformative!


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