# Training for Showing...



## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

My little Nigerian doeling(Bambi) is definitely going to be shown. I'm fairly sure she won't show this year(I've officially missed all the deadlines for show entries due to her papers not coming in fast enough) but next year I want her to look and do her best.

Now, Bambi is a bit troublesome when it comes to collars. And I have no idea how to train her otherwise. Last year, with my first show goat, the most advice I got on how to lead a goat is "Choke it until it walks", which of coarse made my doe hate the collar. The only thing that got her to walk is a pinch collar, which I rarely got to use at shows. And when it came to setting up and standing still: we had a stanchion which we would put them on for 10 mins every day, constantly fixing their feet. This worked wonderfully, but this time around, I don't have a stanchion, and even if I did it wouldn't be small enough for Bambi.

I'll explain how my current training method is going  Mind you, Bambi is a spoiled little bottle baby who hates to stand still. I can get her to walk on a collar just fine usually if it can't slip over her head(I've found that lightly jerking the collar instead of constantly pulling it works wonders). However she will still fight the collar and won't stand set up. She is the most difficult to work with when the collar is a chain(which is what I have to use in the ring), she _loves_ chewing it. It completely distracts her and she won't stand still until she has it. And I can't let her chew on it during the show(can I?)! Now, she leads very well with a pinch, but will not, for anything, set up with it :GAAH:

Now, she is still a baby, and that completely excuses her energy and stubbornness, and I know these issues will most likely go away with time and age. I do however, want some kind of method to teach her to behave when I show her next summer. She looks truly gorgeous and nearly faultless when she lifts her head up high, however she likes to keep it low so I rarely I get to see her like that. So, imagine how hard it is trying to _make_ her keep it high with a collar! :wallbang:

So, I was wondering how all of you do it? I cannot believe how well behaved some goats are at shows, and how they lead fantastically with such a thin collar, and keep their heads high! Is it just the personality, luck, or special training? I mean, I know most times it's just a random event that your goat behaved, or they really aren't that behaved and I'm exaggerating, but there has to be some kind of way of teaching that has worked for breeders and goat owners. She is still quite young so I'm sure she can still be trained quite well. Should I build a mini-stanchion for her? I'm willing to try anything and everything at this point to try and turn her into a great show goat, I do not want a repeat of last year where I was stressed out before every show hoping my goat would behave and not lay down in the middle of the ring again....

So please, any and all advice would be very much appreciated!


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## enchantedgoats (Jun 2, 2013)

If you are using a chain collar; thread a colorful shoelace through each link. This will soften the chain. She can chew on it in the ring if it helps. I know alot of show people who have yummy snacks in their pockets that will keep their attention AND THEIR HEADS HIGH. Practice with her everyday even it is awalk around the barn. Use the show chain when you do this. We have a doe that is fine on a choke chain as long as you dont use it like a show cain. As far as a stanchion goes we bought a portable one from birch ridge farm a nigerian breeder who makes them. We have a wooden one for our milking parlor but a portable one is a must for shows. I have seen ones on ebay but they are probably too big. This one is completely adjustable for all breeds. well worth the money.


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## Frosty (Feb 13, 2010)

Lots of time and patients and practice and letting her know kindly that your the boss. I have three I am working with and two are very easy to work with and the third is a nightmare but I think in time I will win. haha.. positive thinking.


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

Some are just very strong willed lol! I had one, that at two years old.. Still pitched a fit and screamed her head off when I tried to lead her.. She was never shown lol! But like said above, practice and patients  
When I have one that one stand still and set up.. I I work with that a lot, I will work on then just standing still, I touch their legs and such, but I don't worry about setting then up, just standing still. Once I get them standing nicely and they stand while I play with their legs I work on setting them up. I all depends on the goat still.. I have some that once you set them up they don't move until I tell them to... Others.. Don't stay set up and squirm while am showing them so I am constantly setting them up in the ring.. (Frosty got to see that with Puffy at our last show lol!) so, just lots of hard work  they don't have to be an angle to win a breed class  I have seen goats that have to be dragged across the ring win their class  Good luck!

Frosty, what one is giving you trouble?


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

Really enchantedgoats? If she can chew on something she is the perfect angel! Are you sure people are allowed to do that? I don't want to get kicked out of the ring...but at this moment, her chewing on the chain is really the only way she stays still lol. And it's amazing my last show doe never had a problem with setting up and standing still, I loved it! The only problem with her was walking....it was a nightmare! Now I think I may have an opposite lol


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

I came up with a _great_ idea! It's the same method of training as the stanchion, but since I don't have one, I had to make due with the many leashes and collars I have  I clipped a lead to the top of my chainlink fence, then clipped a pinch collar to that. After putting the pinch collar on, Bambi decided to flip out and jump around. This was fixed by hooking another lead to her soft nylon collar, and tying it to the bottom of the fence. So virtually, she can't move her head drastically either up or down, just like a stanchion! She managed to stand completely still for at least 2 minutes(on the first try!), and now, even when she's on a regular collar off of the fence, she stands somewhat still and doesn't hate it  She does so well with the pinch collar, but I'm going to have to slowly transition her to the regular chain.


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

I have a doeling that even a seasoned breeder told me she'd never lead well let me tell you she leads now. Patience is the first key and showing is for the faint of heart. I put a leash on her and drag her around the yard, this went on for weeks. Finally one day I took her off my property up to my aunts and started the process of dragging her and all of a sudden she quit and started walking, I praised her. You just have to keep at it. Same with setting up, keep doing it over and over..when she jerks her leg you don't let go of her leg until she stops jerking it and lets you place it. I know this sounds mean and I swear to you I am far from mean and spoil my goats. Practice every single day til she gets it right.


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

Lol I agree! And it doesn't sound mean, it gets the job done  That's actually how I trained my first doe, however she was the most spoiled stubborn goat _ever_ so absolutely nothing worked. She also hated her rear anything touched, I got her to the point(using the same method you suggested) where I could set her up, but if you touched anywhere above her lower leg, she flipped out. That's why I made sure to get this doeling used to being touched _everywhere._ And thankfully, she's perfectly fine with me touching her legs, belly, even udder! It helps that she's a bottle baby and loves attention  And I actually just today used a leash on her again after awhile of trying to just use the collar(with some success not much though), and she was perfect! Walked right along with me...I'm going to try a shorter lead on her soon and see if I can work around that. Thanks everybody for the advice and support!


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I am also training three goats for a show. One is a 4 m/o spoiled wether, one is a 5 year old (never was leash trained) SPOILED BRAT pygmy, and a shy buck who isn't the best at walking, and doesn't like being touched. For leash training, I just drag them around till the walk good, then treat them, and keep doing that. For touching, just keep working with them. I feel bad draging them around, while they are making gagging sounds, but I can't carry them around the ring!!


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

Lol! I mentioned in my first post that my first doe actually _layed down_ in the middle of the ring...during showmanship too! I was so embarrassed...it was terrible. The only thing that made up for it is the fact that my doe had won 2nd place in the regular show an hour before that  I tried dragging her till she walked, but she obviously found ways out of that by laying down, stopping completely and not moving(I am a small girl and she is a big doe, I didn't really have the strength to move her lol!), and just throwing fits. Eventually I just whipped the pinch out and she did great on that. Fortunately I don't show her anymore and she has retired into pet-hood  I'm really trying hard to get this new doe ready to show so I don't have to worry about her like I did the last


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

My pygmy doe is doing that too! She just lays down and rolls over. Soooo stubborn. LOL


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