Friday, August 20, 2010

Chy and Shiloh are becoming pets

Shiloh has become very affectionate and even runs to see me now.  He's a big teddy bear.  Please ignore my baby talk in the video.  Focus on the baby.



Chy has lived with us for a week and 4 days and I'm so pleased with how much she has warmed up to me.  I'm trying not to rush her but it's so hard not to hug her neck like I do the goats.  Yesterday I noticed she was limping on her right front foot.  I want to get a farrier out here to trim her hooves but we have a ways to go before she's going to let someone touch her feet.  Today a friend of mine came over to help put a halter on her and give me lots of advice.  Gerri is a horse expert and has years of experience.  After watching her with Chy I feel so much more confident in handling her.  Here's a video of Gerri working with Chy.  She has a rope on her neck to see how she'll react to pressure.  I was so impressed with both Chy and Gerri.  I held onto Shiloh so he wouldn't keep running to his mom and distract her. It was so hot and holding him was like wearing a fur coat.



We got the halter on Chy but it's too big so today I'm going to try another one on her.  It will be interesting to see how she reacts to me taking the one off and trying to get another one on.  Susan is coming over and we're going to begin "clicker training".   A lot of people use it in training dogs.  It's a way to give positive reinforcement at the moment of correct behavior.  The second they do what you want them to, like lift a foot or let you do something to them, you click and then give a treat or praise them.  Treats work best early on.  Maybe we'll video some of it. 

2 comments:

  1. Finally got to see your blog! I love seeing how much Chy has changed since you have had her. I am going to have to start calling you the Donkey Whisperer!! Can't wait to see more posts of her and Shiloh! Thanks for adopting them into your home!
    Emily~

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  2. Wow, she certainly has come a long way. I love how attentive she is to Shiloh. By the time I get to meet them they'll be use to people huggin' on them, 'cuz that's what I want to do. I think it has to do with the way they're treated by they're people, not the kind of animals they are! They're going to be like your dogs, they'll come when you call them!
    Kathy

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