# Training to Lead?



## BareCreekFarm (Nov 20, 2011)

I am wanting to start showing goats this year. I have taught one goat to lead; I just put a collar on her and drug her around once a day until she caught on. I can't see myself doing this to all the goats! Is there an easier way to teach them to lead?


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Lead the one u have trained with you when u take new one. They are more willing to follow whem there is amother one there. I figured this out with my babies. I had a mom I had to walk to get to the milking parlor her baby went with us she walks on a beautifully. Next group of kids I had a heck of a time training til I realized how the other one was trained. Once u can get them to follow then take by themselves to finish them.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Usually I just pull them until they figure it out...but here's something else you can do...

Take a leash and leash two goats together. They should both have collars on. They will lead each other around. Make sure you are close by though and they aren't in a pen with things they could get caught on. I've done this with a few of my goats and they seemed to lead better. It took a few hours...I was monitering them closely though as it can be somewhat dangerous if they're left alone. Never had any issues though. At first they struggle, but they start figuring out to stay with each other and give to that pressure on the lead.

I haven't done this enough to find out how well it works for all goats, but you can try and see if it does anything. Otherwise, I have seen people take a handful of sweetfeed or treats and put that in front of the goat. While the goat walks you put a little pressure on the leash at first, then give when they start walking. Walk for a bit and give the treat. I don't like this method that well because when you get in the show ring they're looking for treats or out in their pen they're expecting treats from you, but it does help if you have a really stubborn goat.


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## BareCreekFarm (Nov 20, 2011)

Nubians2, do you like to use a collar or halter?
KW Farms, do you think this will work with older goats? At what age do you start working with them to lead?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Yes, I use this on my older goats. I don't try it on anything younger than a year. If I need to train a younger goat then I just do it by hand. But for larger goats this works good. :thumb:


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## BareCreekFarm (Nov 20, 2011)

Ok, Thanks, I will definitely be trying this!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

:thumb:


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## elaine (Feb 20, 2010)

With foals we walk at shoulder and push them along by their bum or use a long rope which is attached to halter and is long enough to go round their backend and back in to your hand then if they hesitate you can out pressure on bum to get them moving forward. They soon pick up what we want them to do and in no time they walk nicely along side. If you have someone with you they could go at the backend instead to give a little push if they wont walk forward instead of using the rope.

Another method which i am not sure would work with a goat is stand in front of foal and put a little pressure on halter until they take a step forward, release pressure and rub forehead, keep repeating this process until the slightest bit of pressure makes them come towards you, then then usually just follow you


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

When I was in ffa I had a steer that was 10 times my size and could not halter break for anything. On day when I walked in the house with road rash on my face, my dad said 'come with me' (I love my dad lol) and he tied him up to the pick up with me on the tail gate so he tought I was leading him. It worked. I would not do it with a collar, but maybe a halter and a quad??????


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

We have trained all of ours to lead with cookies :laugh: 

my goats will knock you over for those manna pro apple bite horse treats. I put a few in my hand and the goat w/the show collar in the other and off we go! This has worked very well for me and I have also found that if a goat gets out of a gate and decides to run off I can walk out there w/one treat in my hand & they will always follow me back into their pen!

I also read that you can place several feed pans feet apart and put a tiny bit of grain in each pan. They have to walk forward to get the grain and eventually they learn that behavior when on the show lead. I think this process would work great and be fun--but I have never used it since those cookies work so well for us.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Sorry just saw that you asked me a question specifically. I use a collar. The Mom I was referring to was already trained to lead and her doeling just followed right next to Mom but she had a lead on as well, she just didn't know it. When I started to train my buckling he was sooo stubborn and I didn't want to have to pull him so I walked another wether with him. I still need to work with him more but he is doing good. I do have a buck that was never taught to lead, because he was out to pasture all the time with the previous owner. I need to work with him but was waiting for a little better weather. So I am not sure how it will work with an older animal but I really think it would make it easier.


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## BareCreekFarm (Nov 20, 2011)

Thanks for all your input! :thumbup: I'm excited to start working with them!


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

With my kids, I usually just start with baby steps. I apply a little pressure to the collar and take a step and wait until they take a step, then release the pressure. I keep doing this until I eventually have them taking more and more steps and soon they are walking right along with you. For teaching them to set up, I will start by having them stop and just stand still. Once they are pretty good at standing still I work on moving each leg, sometimes just picking the foot up and waiting until they quit kicking to put it back down. Once they learn you are going to give their feet back, they are usually pretty good about letting you move their feet around. I've found it is best to just to really short sessions every day, maybe 5-10 minutes each time and they learn pretty quick.

I have used a donkey to break a stubborn foal to lead. Tied the foals lead around the donkey's neck by her shoulders and wherever the donkey went the foal had to follow. I know a lot of people who use donkeys to break steers to lead also. The donkey will keep pulling until they either drag the foal/steer along or they start walking on their own. Works really well.


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## Junebug1994 (Nov 6, 2011)

Although a tad bit controversial. I teach my kids to lead on the show chain by using the PRONGED show collar. When we buy our kids they are generally pretty wild, but it is rare that they cannot be broken with the pronged collar. I am very gentle with it, but they learn who's in charge. It has really worked for me. I taught my wethers last year this way and within a week all four of them moved when I stepped out and would stop and FREEZE when I went to set them up. If you're starting when they're really young keep the sessions short, and as soon as they hold still for 5 seconds, remove pressure and praise them! Just what works for me. I know a lot of people have issues with the pronged collars.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Junebug1994 said:


> Although a tad bit controversial. I teach my kids to lead on the show chain by using the PRONGED show collar. When we buy our kids they are generally pretty wild, but it is rare that they cannot be broken with the pronged collar. I am very gentle with it, but they learn who's in charge. It has really worked for me. I taught my wethers last year this way and within a week all four of them moved when I stepped out and would stop and FREEZE when I went to set them up. If you're starting when they're really young keep the sessions short, and as soon as they hold still for 5 seconds, remove pressure and praise them! Just what works for me. I know a lot of people have issues with the pronged collars.


I do the samething with mine. Its simpler for me and the goats, plus if you know how to use a prong collar correctly the animal inst injured. In fact, I think training a wild goat witha prong is safer than training one with a chain. Just my two cents


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