Reducing Animal Stress: Thinking the Way Animals Do

By Judith M. Powell, Farming, August 2006

The end of the growing season means that the time has arrived to move livestock from pasture to marketing. Animals that have enjoyed the freedom of self-sufficient grazing over a long, pleasant season are inclined to not respond easily to producers who face the task of moving them. Since they haven't been bothered by people much, livestock are not hep on the idea of getting pushed along into a corral or truck. Wanting as little stress as possible and a safe delivery to market destination, producers approach handling calmly and gently, yet the moving and loading often turns out to be not so fun for either party.

Dr. Temple Grandin, Colorado State Associate professor of animal science, specializes in animal thinking and in visualizing the way that animals do. Grandin suggests that there are simple things producers should do that will make a tremendous difference in the handling experience. Her insight comes from spending decades watching animal behavior and in dissecting the situations that humans put animals though. Her focus study over 30 years provides valuable payoff to producers interested in minimizing animal and human stress. She has achieved a true specialty in understanding how loading beef, pigs, sheep, goats, and horses respond to situations humans create.

Grandin urges producers to look for signals that their animals see by "taking an animal's view of the world." Take your blinders off, she challenges, and start to think sensory - based, like you're an animal. Start by paying careful attention to the little details that seem unimportant to the handler, but are so important to the animals.

"Vision is a dominant trait of all grazing animals," Grandin explains, and an important key to self-protection. Handlers should be watchful and be aware.

She advises producers to be thoughtful about when to work animals. Pick a day that is overcast and avoid the shadows caused by a sunny day, she says, and look for sharp differences in contrasting light and shadows. "Scan your setups. Don't expect animals to move into chutes or buildings with blasts of sunlight pouring into their eyes from gaps in sidewalls. If you have separations where sunlight gets in, cover them and get rid of them. Don't expect animals to walk from shadows into a doorway filled with bright sun. Don't load at sunset or early morning, and don't ask animals to look directly into the sun. Rather, work in the middle of the day. Position chutes so that cattle are headed toward a neutral light at the end - a door opened with quiet natural light the animals will head toward," she says. Working at night is also a good idea, Grandin suggests. When the lights are on, animals are attracted to the building when they see light at an end point, and they'll move in toward the light.

Grandin suggests that chutes be designed so that there is never a dead end. "An animal must be able to see a place ahead to go toward, and the handler needs to move them quietly through. Watch their eyes and ears. Calm animals point their eyes and ears at something that concerns them. You want ears pointed forward and not back and down. Flat-backed ears signal scared or aggressive animals," she warns. In explaining what she terms "the startle response," Grandin is clear in saying not to threaten or challenge. “Keep a safe distance and don't try to dominate by staring directly into their gaze. Turn your head away and give them a break."

"Horses and cattle have poor depth perception," Grandin explains. Give the leaders time to put their head down to examine what's in their path, like a puddle. "A reflection on the ground looks like a shadow, and a shadow looks like a hole in the ground, so let them take the time to look, especially the leader," she says.

Because cattle, pigs and sheep are herd animals, isolation of a single individual should be avoided, she suggests. "Allow the livestock to follow the leader and do not rush them. If they bunch up, handlers should concentrate on moving the leaders instead of pushing from the rear. Use animals’ natural behavior to exert influence over the group," she explains.

Pay attention to what is around your chutes and buildings when you work the animals, and don't load them on gusty days. "Stuff blowing around is the worst distraction. Look around for things that move in the wind," she advises, like flags and flapping coats, and remove them. Don't move cattle near a highway where cars and trucks are going by, and keep the area quiet. "No dogs. And no bikes," she points out. "No bikes when you're loading. Did you ever wonder why your animals seem calm and trained at home, and then you take them to the fair and you can't do anything with them? Get them used to things they'll be faced with beforehand. Decorate the pasture with the stuff they'll see at the fair - balloons, loud music, people passing by, kids on bikes. Let them sniff and walk past this stuff when they're not confined and can flee, and have the kids ride by them on bikes," she says.

Grandin has designed livestock handling facilities across the nation and in Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. Her work appears in over 300 scientific journals and livestock periodicals. Her published research examines cattle temperament, environmental enrichment for pigs, reducing dark cutters and bruises in cattle, bull fertility, animal training procedures and effective stunning methods for cattle and pigs in meat plants. Her books include "Livestock Handling and Transport," "Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals," and "Animals in Translation," a New York Times best seller. Grandin describes how she processes information and learns visually as a person with autism, in her book "Thinking in Pictures." "When I put myself in a cow's place, I really have to be that cow and not a person in a cow costume," she writes. "A great deal of my success in working with animals comes from the simple fact that I see all kinds of connections between their behaviors and certain autistic behaviors. Being autistic has helped me to understand how they feel."

Excerpts from her research, as well as handling tips and chute and facility designs, are available at her web site, http://www.grandin.com/.

Camelid Handling Tricks of the Trade, Or Don't Cut Off A Piece of Perfectly Good Ham!

By Marty McGee Bennett, Cool Camelids

You would think that human beings would just naturally do things the easy way. As it turns out, we don't. Instead we often do things the way we were shown how to do them the first time. This is not necessarily the easiest or best way. I am reminded of a story… A woman is getting ready for Easter dinner and is busy cutting off the ends of the ham before putting it in the huge roasting pan. Her daughter is watching and asks, "Why are you cutting off the ends? There isn't anything wrong with the ham you are cutting off." The woman says to her daughter, "You know, now that you are asking...I don't know why. This is the way Grandma showed me how to prepare the ham for roasting and I have always done it that way." They both decided to find out why when Grandma arrived that afternoon. When asked about the mystery technique, she said, "My roasting pan was never big enough to hold the ham."

In my experience, I see an awful lot of people using training and handling techniques that are just as nonsensical, and for the same reason. The person who sold them their first alpaca or llama did it that way--so they do too.

You need not begin reading this article at the beginning or keep reading until the end. You don't have to understand or agree with any particular training or handling philosophy. The following list is a compilation of tricks of the trade that will help you work magic with your animals immediately. Newcomers to the camelid business will want to laminate this article and put it in the barn. If you have been at the camelid game for a while, you may already have figured out some of this, but read carefully. You may find one or two nuggets of wisdom to add to your "toolbox."

Herding

• Using a special word, noise or whistle to call your animals into the barn at mealtime is a great way of getting them in the barn--but be aware of the dangers of creating a "calling" pattern. Periodically call the camelids in at two in the afternoon or ten at night and give them food when you do. You won't be faced with a group of cute, clever camelids looking at their watches and shaking their little heads when you holler the magic word at the wrong time of day.
• When threatened, an animal's first choice is to get away--the flight response. All mental circuits are focused on finding an escape route. Herding a group of animals is actually the same as creating an escape route for the animals that suits you. Camelids will instinctively orient themselves so that they have a forward escape route relative to any perceived threat. Before you begin herding, look at the process from this perspective and block all exits, except the one leading to the desired location.
• When moving animals into or through small spaces, and particularly when moving around frightened or shy animals, be aware that you are larger than you think. Remember… to a camelid, you are as big as the physical space that you occupy and your reach (reach=your body and the length of your arms). You will make major points with your animals, especially nervous ones, if you keep yourself at a safe distance as you work around them.
• When sorting animals, it is helpful to have two or more levels of confinement. Small catch pens that join a slightly larger area are much more useful than a single, tiny catch pen in the corner of a huge pasture. It will be much easier to herd the animals into the secondary container. There will always be those animals that sneak by when you are working them into the smaller catch pen; with an intermediate container you will not have to start over in the big field.
• If your pasture is too big to manage alone, you can build a temporary fence in the middle of the pasture to create an area you can work with. Fiberglass fence posts and nylon tape make a visible barrier and can be taken down easily for pasture maintenance. You may be able to manage smaller pastures with a length of rope or flat nylon tape (40 feet works well). Simply tie the rope or tape to the corner of the pen, walk out with it, and round up the animals.
• When herding with more than one human, both herders must remember the effect of their reach. Gate tenders should stay as far out of the way as possible. You would be amazed at the difference one giant step backwards will make. At clinics I have helped someone move an animal that was absolutely stuck simply by asking a bystander to move back a bit and open a gate slightly. Your camelids are acutely aware of human anatomy and will pass easily if the human is more than an arm's length away from the path the animals must take. It also is better if your gate tender is standing behind the gate instead of on the animals' side of the gate. It feels safer for the animals to pass through a gate if the gate is located between the human and the critters.

Catching

• Use a catch pen! Build or buy panels to create a sturdy, safe, confined area approximately 10' x 10' in a convenient spot accessible from your pastures. Herd your animals to this pen each time you halter or work with them. If you have any trouble with any particular technique or task while working in the pen, try making it smaller by stacking bales of hay inside the pen.
• Try catching difficult animals (wild or spitty animals in particular) in the pen by tying a rope to the end of a stick (a four-foot dowel will work). Use the stick to guide the rope over the head. Once the rope is around the neck you can control the head, but still allow your animal to move within the catch pen. Use the rope to steady your animal as you walk up to him with the halter.

Haltering

• If your animal is having difficulty with initial halter training, try this: Buckle the crown piece of your halter in its largest hole and offer this large opening as if it were the noseband of the halter. Sometimes a few practice attempts with this much larger opening can pave the way for actually putting the noseband over the nose.
• Check your halter fit! Halters that don't fit are dangerous, create behavioral problems, and don't work well for their intended purpose. Your halter is probably lacking if the noseband cannot be adjusted. A properly fitting halter rides up high on the nose bone close to the eye and stays there regardless of what the animal does or doesn't do. A properly fitting halter is safe and comfortable. The noseband rests firmly on bone and stays there, NO MATTER WHAT. There is enough room in the noseband for the animal to chew without interference.
• Before you put any halter on, always open the noseband so that it is larger than you think you need. Snug up the crown piece--tighter for animals with smaller heads. Take the slack out of the noseband. Larger animals need more room. Always physically examine the nose bone before you put a halter on an animal you don't know. Some animals have shorter than average nose bones. Recheck halter fit after about ten minutes—especially when haltering alpacas in full fleece.

Leading/Loading

• If you pull steadily on your llama or alpaca, he will pull steadily back. You and your animal will be counterbalanced. No productive movement will result from this counterbalance. Camelids learn very quickly to widen their stance, drop their head and grow roots. Llamas and alpacas commonly learn to cush as a reaction to the steady pull. Use intermittent signals with a mini release in between each signal and continue giving them until the animal loses his balance and moves.
• Use a longer lead for initial lead training. I like a lead that is about 17 feet long. Getting further away makes your camelid feel safer and more likely to try walking with you. If he does bolt, you have more lead time to react with a longer lead.
• If you have a long narrow aisle way, use it for your first few leading lessons. You can keep control of your animal more easily, and leading in a long narrow pen encourages your camelid to walk in a straight line behind you rather than all over the place.
• When showing a llama or alpaca, help him stand still by watching for weight shifts in the front half of the body. Pay very close attention to the front feet and use your lead to keep the weight evenly distributed on both front legs. If the animal's weight is more over the right leg, move the head and neck to the left and release--weight over the left leg, move the head and neck over the right leg and release. You must correct and release or your animal will begin to lead on the lead rope and you will end up fighting with him. Your camelid will be much more likely to stand still using this technique than if you try to hold him still using force.
• Do you have an alpaca or llama that has trouble paying attention on the lead? Try walking him over 5-6 parallel poles on the ground spaced about 3 feet apart. This will often help a scattered animal learn to slow down and focus.
• Loading a difficult camelid: Most llamas or alpacas would rather not get into a confined space with a human and will load in a trailer or other conveyance much better if they can get into the trailer themselves without being led in. Spot the trailer by the entrance to a barn and use panels to block any exit other than the trailer door. Herd the animals into the trailer. It will be much easier to herd a group of animals into the trailer releasing the ones you don't need rather than trying to load a single frightened animal intent on getting back to the group.

Management

• Try giving subcutaneous injections using the group method. Put as many camelids as you can into your catch pen. The animals will feel safer in a group, making the job easier from a pure-y psychological point of view. But the advantages don't stop there. With enough animals in the pen, you don't have to restrain the animals as you give the injection. The shot recipient can't move very much because of the crowd of other camelids. Stand behind the animal's eye on the side of the animal closest to the center of the pen, and use an injection site in the front half of the body—the crease of the neck works well. This is not only easier for the animals, but also a real time saver for the manager.
• Add a butt board to your chute! Tie a frightened camelid in a chute by the head and he will more than likely throw himself around, flip over, end up forward of the shoulder restraints, or lie down. A camelid's long neck makes it difficult and dangerous to restrain him by the head. Add a rear barrier to your chute, tie your animal loosely, and your chute becomes a very tiny catch pen instead of a restraint device. Camelids will remain calmer when contained than when restrained. Always double check halter fit when using a chute!
• Don't have a chute? If you have a trailer, use it for the chores that you would normally do in a chute.
• Are you nervous about giving an injection for the first time? Forget the orange; practice on a chicken! Get a whole chicken at the grocery store with the SKIN ON. Practice both sub-Q and IM injections with a variety of substances. Soy sauce is just about like Tetanus C/D; honey is very similar to Ivermectin. Try a variety of needle sizes. You will get a much more accurate idea of what to expect on a real animal. You can even bake and eat your chicken after you practice.
• Difficulties picking up feet to trim toenails? Don't bother picking up the feet at all! Stand your camelid on a rubber mat or concrete pad and trim the long parts of the toenail while the animal stands on his feet. It may not be the perfect answer, but it is possible to do a fair job of trimming toenails this way and this technique can keep you out of a fight with your camelid. A helper can steady the animal as you squat down and work. If your animal kicks, you may want to use a panel as a boundary reaching under the bottom rail to trim. Another alternative for quieter alpacas... steady the animal by putting your hand on the shoulders or hips while reaching down with the other hand to trim. When using this technique, it is best to nibble away at the nails rather than taking off big hunks. Pruning style toenail trimmers work best for this technique. I have even used long handled limb pruners on very long toenails. With these long handled pruners, I don't even have to bend over!

Husbandry

• If you ever have to milk a female camelid, this trick comes in very handy. Cut off the needle end of a 20cc syringe and insert the plunger in the wrong end-- the end you just cut off. You now have a breast pump. You can put the smooth end with the rim up against the teat, draw back with the plunger and you are milking away.
• Work with your babies early (three to four days old) and often (once a week) in the first three months. Five minutes per session is enough. Work in a catch pen with mother present; handle the mouth, tail and legs while the baby stands in balance unrestrained. Allow the baby to move freely in the catch pen and move with him as you work.
• Correct young camelids that don't respect proper boundaries. Male or female camelids that pull on your clothes, make physical contact with you, or stand in your way without yielding the right of way are heading down a dangerous path. Don't encourage this behavior and learn more about how to respond appropriately. 

And finally… Whatever you are doing, remember to breathe!

More information and details on these and other training and handling techniques are available in the past columns of Camelid Quarterly and Marty's book, "The Camelid Companion." For more information about Camelidynamics, Marty and TTEAM visit www.camelidynamics.com.

Training Llamas to Back: An Easy Method

By Bobra Goldsmith - Rocky Mountain Llamas, Longmont, Colorado
Photos by Vicky Foster

During my years as an ALSA judge, I generally enjoyed watching performance classes, as long as the llamas were well trained. But I have to confess, most of the time, I dreaded seeing what happened when the contestants came to the required backing obstacle; for too much of the time, it looked like a wrestling match. So often the handler would pull the lead rope back along the llama's neck with the rest of the rope pressed against the front of the neck, push, push, push--with the llamas just pushing back in resistance.

Years ago I devised a very simple method for teaching llamas to back easily, by relying on the fact that llamas naturally back out of tight, or enclosed places. Chutes are a common example. It was notable that my large pack gelding, Julio, who worked for the Forest Service, without hesitation backed out of the very high, narrow trailer they transported him in, because it was impossible for him to turn around.

The sequence of pictures and the steps describing the procedures below will help illustrate this easy method.

Fig. 1 – First, using two poles about 10 feet long, set them up about 30 inches apart and at about 18 inches off the ground. I use two cinder blocks, which have slight dips in the ends, which prevent the poles from rolling off, should they be touched lightly. Lead the llama into the narrow space till you and he can go no further.

Fig. 2 – Give a very light signal with the lead rope and at the same time, point with your finger at the llama's lower neck or chest. IF your llama is not yet very desensitized in that area, just pointing at him there will cause him to take a step backwards. If he is not sensitive to the pointing, then touch him or lightly pluck a little pinch of wool, just enough to cause a bit of annoyance to make him move a foot. Step towards him as he does so, repeating the intermittent, very light signals with the lead rope and pointing still, as he continues to move backwards.

Fig. 3 – Continue with the intermittent, light signals with the lead rope and move forward as the llama moves backward. If you want to use the verbal command of "Back," along with the light signals from the rope, say it as he moves. Be sure to praise your trainee as he responds properly. I use verbal praise and stroking on the neck.

Fig. 4 – When the llama has backed out of the narrow space between the poles, praise him and lead him back in to repeat the exercise. As with most llama lessons, it usually only takes four repetitions till he understands and obeys the commands. If he has learned this quickly, move on to the next step, below.

Fig. 5 – Once your trainee is moving smoothly out from between the poles, back him in open space, using the same signals. Again, praise him well for responding. If he backs easily now, stop the lesson and turn him loose in his usual living place, which is the best reward he can have after his lesson. When the llama is backing in free space, you can easily govern the direction he backs by controlling his head, moving it to your right to back him left, or to your left to back him to your right.

Try this method and enjoy hassle-free backing!

Alpacas and Llamas: On Becoming Bi-spec-ial

By Marty McGee Bennett, Reprinted from The Llama Letter, Winter 2003

As much as we may try, one size really does not fit all. One kind of vehicle can't do everything. There are hundreds of breeds of dogs. And I don't think one kind of camelid can do it all either. Alpacas and llamas each have something different and unique to offer and conveniently, they are quite easy to manage together. Llamas are absolutely the best pack animals, have unique fiber, and are funny and smart. But for quantity and quality you'd be hard pressed to find a wool producer with a more engaging personality than an alpaca. Get some of each species and you have the best of both worlds - you become bi-special.

For those of you that may be considering branching out, this article is my attempt to contrast and compare the two species from a training and handling point of view. For those of you just starting out and thinking about one or the other, you may have a llama and an alpaca in your future! My intention is to compare llamas and alpacas to each other, and I will, but along the way I think it will be useful to compare camelids to other species with which many people are more familiar.

Llamas and alpacas are smaller than horses, and for that reason it is easier, safer, and more tempting to use force with them than with a horse. Owners of both species use methods on llamas and alpacas they wouldn't think of trying with a larger animal. I have watched in amazement the "football team" method of toenail trimming with llamas and have often witnessed alpacas up-ended or picked up and moved when they are resistant to initial non-forceful attempts at training. A camelid's smaller size can be deceiving. It can be quite startling to find out that when you truly mix it up with a camelid, they are pound for pound much harder to wrestle with than one would think. A camelid's anatomy, specifically its long neck, makes it difficult and dangerous (for the animal) to control using the head. The body can be waving around wildly even with the head held firmly in place. Therefore, in order to really control the body, you have to hold on to the whole thing... a very tall order. All camelids are extremely supple and athletic and in the case of suri alpacas, almost "slippery."

Alpacas, being the smaller of the two species, almost invite a handler to resort to force when faced with resistance. When compared to llamas, I have heard alpaca enthusiasts use an alpaca's smaller size as a marketing point when contrasting them with llamas. If an alpaca won't go along with the program you simply pick them up or lay them down. While this is certainly true, and maybe physically possible, it may not be the most effective way to end up with an alpaca that enjoys his or her association with people. Picking up a resistant alpaca serves to reinforce its tendency to lay down when uncertain, and this can be a difficult habit to break. It’s much better not to teach an alpaca to resort to the kushing behavior in the first place. For reasons both ethical and practical, learning animal handling skills that work for camelids is key to enjoying both species.

Camelids are often characterized as aloof, eschewing human touch and preferring to remain at arm's length. I disagree. I do find both species to be more like a cat than a dog, but when approached properly they are every bit as interested in a relationship with humans as their feline soul mates. There are cats that will allow almost any indignity, but for the most part one must learn how to approach these animal aristocrats with respect. Imagine the behavior of a cat that was chased into a corner and grabbed, then held on its owner's lap against its will. I would wager a cat living under these conditions would learn to run from the room as the human entered, take refuge under the furniture and perhaps resort to scratching and biting to make an escape. Under these circumstances would it be fair to comment "Oh that is just the way cats are..." when in fact that is not the way cats are? We create much of the undesirable behavior we see in camelids by our actions and then, with an arrogance uniquely human, we characterize their reaction to us as natural camelid behavior. I couldn't agree more. Camelids are naturally shy, but they can learn to trust and enjoy humans that behave in a trustworthy manner.

It is critical to organize your barn and pastures so that you can herd animals anywhere you desire efficiently. On the other hand, offering grain to encourage your camelids to come when called and to enter the catch pen willingly is smart management. Once in the catch pen, catching your camelid with a wand and a rope rather than cornering and holding them around the neck will result in alpacas and llamas that will be more comfortable in your presence. Using the corner-grab-hold method teaches the animal, be it a llama or alpaca, to maintain an “arm's length" attitude.

I use a wand with a clip on the end, along with a rope to catch alpacas and llamas that are resistant to being caught (almost all of them). There is no way to evade the wand and rope method; the handler can stay safely away from the hindquarters and the animal feels much safer. I do my best to stay behind the animal's eye as I bring the rope over the head. I bring the rope over the head both from rear-to-front and front-to-rear, although I usually opt for the rear to front method for really nervous animals. Large llamas that have learned they can escape from a human by throwing the full weight of the body into the arm will be amazed at the new power of their handler and begin to look at humans with more respect.

Lightening fast alpacas are flummoxed by the wand-rope method and quickly learn to settle down and allow human approach. This method allows a handler to easily work with more than one animal in the catch pen at a time.

One of the basic differences between llamas and alpacas is their reaction to being isolated. I find that alpacas are much more dependent on the presence of the herd. An isolated alpaca will have a very hard time thinking and will concentrate solely on escape. It is very difficult to teach an animal when it is unable to think. Working alpacas in groups will help keep the whole group calm, especially the more nervous ones. This generalization about isolation is just that — a generalization. When faced with a nervous llama that is consumed with escape, my first choice is always to provide another llama for company before continuing with my training and handling efforts.

Controlling an animal's movement is part of what makes it possible for them to live in our world. Typically we use the head for control, as it provides the greatest leverage and power over the animal's movement. This is another aspect of camelid handling and training that has, in my opinion, suffered from an inattention to a camelid's unique anatomy. A camelid skull is very different, both in size and configuration, than that of a horse, mule, or donkey. Both llamas and alpacas are semi-obligate nasal breathers and cannot sustain themselves by breathing out of their mouth alone. Far too many halters are manufactured with nosebands that are too small and do not allow the handler to properly place the noseband of the halter well up on the nose bone. Often, those halters that do have a noseband that is large enough do not have a properly proportioned crown piece that will keep the noseband in place when the halter is used for leading. Nosebands that can slip down and off a camelid's very short nose bone restrict airflow and will almost routinely create panic. Once panicked, the animal is even more at risk from the ill-fitting halter. An alpaca's smaller size makes him even more vulnerable to a poorly fitting halter. Delicately built and young alpacas are even more at risk. Not all skulls are the same and it is crucial to palpate the nose to see exactly how much bone is available to support the noseband prior to attaching a lead rope to the halter. Because halter fit is so tricky with alpacas in particular, I find it best to do herd management chores without even putting one on. Organize your property so that animals can be herded to handling areas. Work the animals in small spaces in groups using balancing techniques rather than restraint, and a halter shouldn't be necessary.

When a halter is needed, I fit it correctly using a three-step procedure. I adjust the noseband so that it is much larger than I think I need (because alpacas perform better and stay calmer when wearing a halter that fits). An alpaca that is asked to wear a halter that is uncomfortable will often begin to exhibit problem behaviors that may not seem to be related to halter fit, such as spitting, laying down, or resistance to catching. Much of the misbehavior evident in the show ring is directly related to improper halter fit, and can be greatly improved by paying close attention to this issue.

When it comes to teaching a camelid to lead, I find alpacas and llamas differ pretty significantly. Llamas are more independent and are quicker to venture away from the herd and so, are more likely to follow the handler. Alpacas, on the other hand, are more emotionally tied to their herd and so are more easily moved around on a lead if they can follow another alpaca. Unfortunately, there are times and circumstances when the alpaca must follow a human handler alone. Halter fit, how signals are given on the lead, along with lead rope placement, directly contributes to the tendency of many alpacas to lay down when learning to follow a human on a lead rope. Since alpacas are smaller in stature than llamas, there is a higher probability and tendency for the handler to inadvertently include an upward component to the signal to move forward. When the handler pulls forward and up on the lead, the alpaca will normally raise the head and also drop the back. This body stance will tend to lock the pelvis and inhibit forward movement. You can get a feel for what this is like by trying this exercise. Bend at the waist and raise your head and hollow your back (the two tend to go together). Now raise your knee. You will probably notice that your balance is affected negatively and you cannot raise your knee very high. Conversely, if you lower your head, round your back, and raise your knee, you will notice that you have better balance as well as more freedom of movement in your pelvis. While this is certainly not directly applicable to what happens when you lead an animal, I have seen greatly improved performance in both llamas and alpacas when handlers have taken leading pressure off of the head, allowing the animal to incline the head slightly forward as he walks. You will have a higher degree of success, particularly with rookies, if you hook your lead rope to the side ring on the noseband of a halter, instead of underneath. This technique tends to inhibit the natural tendency of an untrained alpaca to resist forward signals on the lead, with hindquarters seemingly growing roots at the same time. It will also give you more ability to steer and more control.

Heightened awareness of the type and quality of the signal you give your alpaca will also make a difference to his comfort, as well as his performance. Striving for slight contact (connection) with the lead rope and using a squeezing signal as if you were squeezing a sponge will work much better than either an abrupt tug and release signal, or steady pressure.

Given the smaller size of alpacas, and the sensitivity of both llamas and alpacas, more subtle signals are probably appreciated, as well as more effective. Another easy thing to do that will make leading much easier for both of you is simply lighten up on the rope, get as far away as your lead rope will allow, and give your camelid more space!

While alpacas and llamas differ in many ways both physically and behaviorally, using logical handling methods rather than force, and encouraging an animal to think rather than react instinctively, will work for both. I haven't personally raised alpacas, and for the past little over a year, our family of two and four-leggeds (a pooch and two cats) has lived in a motor home. After touring the United States and searching for a new place to settle, we decided on Bend, Oregon, arguably the “camelid capitol" of the United States. Our house is in town and we haven't brought any camelids into our lives as yet, but you can be sure that when we do we will be bi-spec-i-al!

For more information about the Camelidynamics Guild, Camelidynamics and Marty McGee Bennett, visit www.cameliddynamics.com.