Halter Training Young Alpacas

Show season is upon us!

Normally alpaca breeders will begin halter training quite some time before an upcoming show which they plan on attending. However as we all know, time slips away!

We've found that halter training can actually be lots of fun and doesn't have to be overly stressful on the young alpacas. It's really all about how you approach it. Make it fun! Some important factors in halter training are...

1. Reinforce good behaviour with a reward. We keep a handful of treats (orchard grass pellets or grain) in the pocket and give them a small nibble everytime they take a step in the right direction. It's really amazing how fast they learn.

2. Keep the training sessions short. We never work with any one alpaca more than 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Work in an aisleway not out in an open pasture. If you have a large enough barn, plan on walking them up and down the barns aisleway.

4. Make sure their halter is fitted correctly. This is very important! They won't behave if it isn't.

5. Be patient! Dont' get mad and when they misbehave, just give them plenty of lead and wait till they calm down, then begin again. You might even end up with one that takes off vertically like a bottle rocket the first time the halter is put on him. Dont' get discouraged, just be calm and let them bounce around until they calm down which they will. Remember, with some you might not see any real progress until after several sessions.
Also remember to keep them away from posts or other things which they can hurt themselves on while they're jumping about.

For the most part alpacas are very intelligent and will get it pretty quickly.

How about some halter training pix? I'll try to get some during upcoming sessions and add them to this post. Stay tuned!

cheers,

Newaukum Creek Alpacas