Games today

I went out to formally "play" with my boys this afternoon. With the frozen chestnuts I had gathered this fall they were very happy. I had been worried because, when I had tried to play a little bit at liberty a couple feeding times ago, things had not gone very well. However when I put the halter on Merry, he was willing to have it on and once the chestnuts came into play, very enthusiastic about figuring out what I wanted him to do. This consisted of jumping through a window, (it was only two feet off the ground... don't worry) some touch it, hindquarter yielding, and backing up a small (but relatively steep) hill.
Then I put the halter on Pippin and did some touch it, backing, sideways and jumping through the window.
Here are some things I noticed. Using treats, chestnuts, I felt that Merry, at least, got almost frantic trying to do everything he could possibly think of to figure out what I wanted him to do. I suppose you could think of this as good but it makes me rather uncomfortable. I feel that his brain isn't really there and he can't learn anything, and, if he was larger then his moving that fast without his brain in the right mode could be dangerous to me. Don't get me wrong. Treats can entirely change a goats attitude for the better, especially those of this goat-anality. The important distinction to make is between a reward and a bribe. A bribe is holding the treat on the side of the jump to want the goat to go to, a reward is when you ask them (or tell them) to do something first and then, 'oh wow! what a coincidence!' they get a cookie.

Also I think I have taught Pippin to assume that when he goes to a fence he is going to do sideways and it is hard for him to let go of that... I haven't yet figured out how to change that (possibly some backing) but if you are just starting out with your goat I would suggest you be careful not to teach those assumptions. It had to do, I think, with my desire to perfect sideways. If instead one day or minute we had gone to the fence and done sideways and the next just backed up alongside it things might have worked out better...

And one last thing... I think backing can be really good for a goat... not so much that that is all they do, and not always on the same piece of flat land in the pasture, but up hills, over rocks, through gates, across streams etc. As long as the environment is not one in which they might potentially injure themselves I can really get there brains in gear. Of course as with anything do it too much and you risk it becoming an automated reaction to stimulus which is useless but under certain circumstances there is nothing like it!

That is all for tonight.... I'm not sure I've done a post on the yo-yo game but if not then that comes next... it's only fair after that backing rant :)
M.