Aren’t goats awesome? They are cute, funny, and typically calm little animals that roam around and eat grass. They can be mischievous and are the petting zoo’s most visited animal. But did you know they also can make great family pets?
Don’t believe me? Well, goats are actually pretty trainable. But first, you must teach them not to ram you with those pointy horns! With what? Pool noodles!
Start training when they are young. Goats can become aggressive as they age, and pool noodles and tennis balls are a great temporary solution to avoid being injured! Sure, these methods may come off from “play” or if another goat decides to chew them off, but they’re not only adorable but cheap to replace. So, why not?
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A goat’s sharp little horns are their survival gear.
Aggressive behavior can come in many forms, such as kicking, biting, and head-butting. And we all know goats are notoriously stubborn, so that foam headgear helps with training. Also, if you have little children around, pool noodles and other forms of “horn protection” will keep them safe.
Photo Credit: Reddit, u/LittelDank
Photo Credit: Twitter, @NellieMade
On to training! Just like dogs, goats are extremely trainable, making them part of the family.
Dummies provides a whole page dedicated to training your goat!
“You need a clicker, which is a mechanical device that makes a click sound, and treats such as peanuts or flakes of cereal. By combining the click with a treat, you reinforce that the goat is doing the right thing. You need to start by getting the goat to make a connection between the clicker and a treat. To do this, click the clicker and then give the goat a treat about 20 to 30 times. Your goat begins to associate the clicker with food and eventually responds to just the clicker so you don’t have to supply a treat every time.”
Photo Credit: Reddit, u/joshg_yz250
“After you’ve shown the goat that treats are tied to clicks, you can start training. You train by issuing a command (“Come,” for example), and then clicking as the goat does what you want it to do and giving the goat a treat after he completes his task.”
Photo Credit: Imgur
“Of course, the goat won’t follow your command without practice. If the goat doesn’t respond to the command or does the wrong thing, you can just say “wrong” or another word, and then try again.
Always click as the goat does the behavior and then give the treat. If you give the treat first, you risk the goat being caught up in eating and not noticing the clicker.”
Who knew goats were this easy to train? So when you decide on a goat instead of a puppy, remember to get some cute protective headgear.
