Re: [Alpacasite] Misbehaving Alpacas at Shows

Thanks for clarifying Laurel. My biggest concern was for the owner of
alpacas who has yet to have trained them or indeed knows how. I suspect
you might agree as might even Ms. Frank that one of the key issues in
avoiding injury when working with animals is to know how, when, and why
to move and be conscious of the same in reference to the animal.
Standing to an alpacas side while restraining them is a far better
position than standing directly in front of them.

Many alpacas that enter the show ring have been dragged to the trailer,
dragged to the stall, dragged to the ring, and then expected to stand
quietly in an open area with strangers walking all around them. This is
obviously not true of the majority, I hope, but it is true of a fair
many that I have personally witnessed. There is a tendency with
alpacas, I think, to lean towards overpowering them. I would
respectfully submit that this is the incorrect message to send to
someone who has had to drag their alpaca kicking, screaming, and
spitting into the ring. The level of this spectacle, I suspect,
coincides directly with the amount of skill in handling and training
one has had with alpacas. I would just not want to see someone who
believed they could restrain an untrained, terrified alpaca be trampled
in the process. Human nature instructs people to hold on, so does
decorum in the show ring (how embarrassing is it to have your animal
get loose there).
A nod here to those who blow in their alpacas noses. I talk quietly
into some of my animal's ears. It seems to quiet them dow, or is it me?
I guess I might want to know just what is actually happening there
between noses? Anyway, my original point was to caution the owner and
especially the new owner against believing that one can simply apply
more pressure until the animal gives up. I think this is fraught with
danger. I do not hesitate to say that it is not a substitute for
training, but that is another issue.
Lance
On Dec 1, 2005, at 4:26 PM, Shouvlins wrote:

> Hi Lance,
>
> I did not explain this well in my first post and so to clarify... As
> you stand and face the alpaca, you are hugging it with your left arm
> so that you are actually standing a bit to its left side. If the
> animal does decide to try to overcome the restraint, its path is
> through your arm and left hip which can pivot easily out of the way,
> not through your body, which I agree would be dangerous.
>
> While I agree that this is not a method of restraint for llamas, it
> works very effectively for alpacas due to their smaller stature. This
> technique prevents injury by controlling the animals in a safe way for
> animal and handler, and was never used unless the alpaca had already
> tried to go over everyone. A picture would be far better than my
> words, but alas that's not allowed here. Hopefully my description is
> making better sense now.
>
> Laurel
>
> Tim & Laurel Shouvlin
> Bluebird Hills Farm CSA & Alpacas
> 3617 Derr Rd. Springfield, Ohio 45503
> www.bluebirdhills.com
> bluebirdhills@voyager.net
> 937-390-6127 or 937-206-3936 (cell)
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Lance Hardcastle
> To: Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 9:22 AM
> Subject: Re: [Alpacasite] Misbehaving Alpacas at Shows
>
>
> I have to admit that this behavior on a human's part sounds to me
> like
> THE most dangerous way that you could attempt to calm an alpaca down.
> You are putting yourself in a very disadvantageous position holding
> on
> to the neck of an animal that wields it in battle. Facing any animal
> is
> an offensive position and then subsequently holding on such that they
> cannot move will likely get you hurt badly. I am glad that this works
> for you as I must assume that your animals are trained for it. For an
> owner of a less trained animal to attempt this might likely get them
> killed. The more you brace against their attempts will only encourage
> them to make a greater attempt. Any animal that finds itself so
> restrained as to not be able to move, will, when given the
> opportunity,
> to somewhat disastrous results
> There are far better ways to accomplish this, in my humble opinion
> that
> do not risk injury. They, of course, start long before the show ring
> but there are some less dangerous methods even after you are already
> there.
> Respectfully,
> Lance Hardcastle
> On Dec 1, 2005, at 8:46 AM, Shouvlins wrote:
>
>> If the alpaca starts to act up... face your alpaca with your left arm
>> firmly holding the bunched up lead and wrap your arm around the
>> alpacas neck. Position yourself so that your left thigh/knee is
>> against its chest and the animal's neck is firmly against your left
>> chest. Point its chin into the air with your shoulder. You are now
>> hugging that huggable investment, but thinking less than affectionate
>> thoughts! It is important that the alpaca does not feel as though it
>> has any room to move. Brace yourself against any of its attempts by
>> keeping your right leg back and firmly planted so that you can push
>> against the animal if necessary. If it senses it has space...it will
>> try to take advantage of it, so be gentle, but firm.
>>
> www.southeastllamarescue.org
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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