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Goat Dos and Don'ts
This is a page of Goat Dos and Goat Don'ts. While we have tried to keep this page light hearted and humorous we take goat health, care and safety very seriously. As someone that owns goats and or is looking into buying and or training them, you should too.
When buying the vehicle for your goat, wagon, cart, travois or other, make sure you get the correct size for your animals. A wagon that is too big will be overwhelming for your goat, especially on hills or rough terrain. You might also be tempted to over load a large wagon that is too large, making the weight too heavy for the animal to handle well.
By the same token, you do not want to use a wagon that is too small. Can the goat pull it? Yes, but the too small vehicle will tend to flip and slide on turns. The shafts might also be too tight for the goats comfort.
Milking goats is a daily, everyday job/chore, it is not something you do when you want a glass of milk. It is not like walking over to the refrigerator and getting the amount of milk you want and walking away, forgetting about it until you need or want a bit more.
When teaching your goat to pull or pack or to do agility and or tricks, be sure to be consistent. It is not fair to start a goat training and not continue with consistency but expecting it to learn well.
Do spend time with your baby goats. Handle them often and teach them to follow you. Teaching them to follow you and to be around you is especially important for goats you plan to pack with when they are adults.
NEVER! when driving an animal use the reins as your "getty up". In other words do not use your reins, one in each of your hands, to slap the body of the animal to make it go. When a person does this, not only are you pulling on, floppy and rattling the bit and or halter/face of the animal, you are teaching the animal that when the reins move on it's back, it should too. This is bad behavior to teach...think what happens with the reins of driving animals as you get in and out of the cart/wagon/sleigh or sled. Carry a driving whip, IF you know how to use one. They are not for hitting the animal, they are for cuing.
DO NOT USE STRAP ONLY YOKE PACKS, NOT FOR YOUR GOATS, NOT FOR YOUR DOGS!
I thought these were a thing of the past, but then, recently, on a goat site I saw them for sale. I do not have a photo because we use our own photos on our sites and I would never own a Strap Only Yoke Pack for dog or goat. They are unsafe and can cause serious health problems.
What is a Strap Only Yoke Pack? It is two panniers held on the animal by two sometime three straps across the back.
Why are they so bad? These type packs put all of the weight of the pack on just a couple of vertebra. These packs can actually push the vertebra of the animal out of alignment. They are hard on the spine, they are not safe on the trail. The straps can also and have been caught by branches as the animal walked down a "tight" trail. I know. I was there when a friend had these types of packs on her dogs.
Please, do not use this type of pack on your dog or your goat or any other species of animal.
The contents of this page for Goat Dos and Don'ts is still under construction. We will be adding to this page often.
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In the high plains of South Dakota, USA