Advice on harnessing?
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Advice on harnessing?
I am desperate to get my Llamas harnessed, they are a year old, and having none of it, bot males. Anyadvice, or does anyone know of any were i could ask to help ie break them in ???
David. Aberdeenshire peekitiboo@yahoo.co.uk
David. Aberdeenshire peekitiboo@yahoo.co.uk
Harnessi- Guest
Re: Advice on harnessing?
Has someone responded to you on this question? I can put you in touch with several people who can tell you how they train their llamas to accept halters, if you need.
Caroline- Admin
- Number of posts : 42
Registration date : 2009-01-06
Re: advice on harnessing?
Late last year and early this year there were a few posts in this forum. Terry started one called 'Haltering problems' and this may be worth reading through.
By the way, do you mean you want to fit a halter to the faces of your llamas or a full harness to the body of the animals?
We've no experience of harnesses, but with haltering I'd advise a 'little and often' approach.
We have a pen where we halter our llamas and before haltering they are offered a small amount of cereal mix. Take days over this and try it just once a day, moving to do a little more each day. Early on just stand with the llamas, then touch them, and try resting a rope on their backs as they feed. We would put a rope round their necks and loosely hold them. After time - could be two or three days, or maybe a fortnight, I would show the llama the halter (already attached to a rope).
Lots of talk, reassurance, gentle movements, and always stop if it's not going well that day.
We've seen people feed a llama from a dipper through the halter, but haven't had to try this. Let the llama see the halter and sniff it.
I'd take it as far as I felt comfortable and would try to slide the wide-open halter onto the nose. If rejected, the next day I'd reassure and get to the same point and try again. Hold it on, unfastened, and take it off. Next time, fasten it if allowed. I do feel sure that quiet, calm, relaxed behaviour over time will produce the correct result. At the end of training, we feed a small handful again.
Open-ended I know, but no two animals are identical.
Best wishes, Robert Dewar
By the way, do you mean you want to fit a halter to the faces of your llamas or a full harness to the body of the animals?
We've no experience of harnesses, but with haltering I'd advise a 'little and often' approach.
We have a pen where we halter our llamas and before haltering they are offered a small amount of cereal mix. Take days over this and try it just once a day, moving to do a little more each day. Early on just stand with the llamas, then touch them, and try resting a rope on their backs as they feed. We would put a rope round their necks and loosely hold them. After time - could be two or three days, or maybe a fortnight, I would show the llama the halter (already attached to a rope).
Lots of talk, reassurance, gentle movements, and always stop if it's not going well that day.
We've seen people feed a llama from a dipper through the halter, but haven't had to try this. Let the llama see the halter and sniff it.
I'd take it as far as I felt comfortable and would try to slide the wide-open halter onto the nose. If rejected, the next day I'd reassure and get to the same point and try again. Hold it on, unfastened, and take it off. Next time, fasten it if allowed. I do feel sure that quiet, calm, relaxed behaviour over time will produce the correct result. At the end of training, we feed a small handful again.
Open-ended I know, but no two animals are identical.
Best wishes, Robert Dewar
Robert Dewar- Number of posts : 19
Registration date : 2009-01-03
Harnessing advice
I know its ages since the original post but I thought i'd add some points to consider that I would try for un haltered animals.
I would follow the last posters advice and take it very slowly but I wouldn't try the halter until later. Firstly I would bucket feed and get them used to being handled and touched all around their necks, heads, faces, ears etc until they didn't pull back and accepted it. Then I would try the halter rope resting on their necks, slowly over time moving up to their ears, resting on their nose etc, try a little pressure until that step is accepted. Gradually introduce the halter.
Anyway, thats my two pennoth.
I would follow the last posters advice and take it very slowly but I wouldn't try the halter until later. Firstly I would bucket feed and get them used to being handled and touched all around their necks, heads, faces, ears etc until they didn't pull back and accepted it. Then I would try the halter rope resting on their necks, slowly over time moving up to their ears, resting on their nose etc, try a little pressure until that step is accepted. Gradually introduce the halter.
Anyway, thats my two pennoth.

Linda T- Guest

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