[Alpacasite] Re: Misbehaving Alpacas at Shows

Let me just say that when I walked into the show ring, I was SO
nervous! How can one keep calm when it's your first show, you're
thinking that the alpaca next to you is better, praying that your
alpaca doesn't act up too much in the ring, hoping that you don't
make a faux pas (like saying that alpaca's name in desperation to
get it to calm down), or a million other things that are going
through your mind. AND, try not to have your alpaca pick up on
that...HA! These are livestock! Not foo-foo dogs that can sit at a
simple glance. Yes, some get really scared, some can stand there all
nice until the judge lifts its tail, some kick when their legs are
touched. But, if you want to have livestock shows, you learn to
handle those types of situations with grace. I don't and can't do
most of the holding techniques. I'm under 5' tall and a yearling can
take me for a ride. When my girl was acting up, I'd walk her in a
small circle so she could see what was going on, and then have her
face me to have her attention centered on me again, and what I
wanted from her. Putting her in a "death grip" would certainly have
put her over the edge, and dragged me along for the ride. The
handlers at the show that I was at were great. They wedged the
alpaca between them, with one hand at the base of the neck, between
the shoulders so it couldn't jump up too much (or at least think
twice about doing so) while I held her head. I think once one starts
acting up, it's some kind of subliminal signal to the rest that
something ain't right in paca world. A nice domino effect. Plus, the
obstacle course was being run at the same time and everytime a pole
would fall or something would bang, the whole group would jump at
once and then not be able to settle down. But of all things things
I've learned....spit happens....no matter what you do, think or say.
So, when it does, I try to handle it with a little grace, dignity
and VERY soft swearing under my breath.

Jeanne
Chaffee NY

--- In Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com, "mpcpneilp" <mpcpneilp@a...>
wrote:
>
> Jeannie and Laurel,
>
> This is an interesting and important topic. Laurel has brought up
> many good tips. The thingy wacket issue is much like a right of
> passage for exhibitors. I think most of us make this mistake
sooner
> or later.
>
> That being said I have a different perspective. Contrary to what
Jude
> Anderson has said, you CAN'T TEACH AN ALPACA TO ACCEPT HANDLING AT
A
> SHOW. In fact, in handling alpacas the real teaching that is going
on
> is that the handler is learning what drives an alpaca crazy an
learns
> not to do those things.
>
> Alpacas do not have the same temperament as llamas. Some of them
will
> be spooked in the scary environment of the showring and there is
> little or nothing that can be done to calm them down. If this
> happens, often the best thing to do is scratch them from the show
> yourself.
>
> Also, containing an alpaca as Laurel has described will work some
of
> the time. If the alpaca is really spooked however 3 people will
not
> be able to hold them still, and the process of trying can make
said
> alpaca even more crazy (that flight response thing).
>
> There is no simple answer here. Just be aware that some alpacas
don't
> have the temperament for the showring.
>
> My 2 cent,
>
> Neil
> A Paca Fun Farm
> Mt. Airy, Maryland
> Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland
> www.apacafunfarm.com

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