As you might guess from these images, the legaliities of this DVD are that you use what you learn at your own risk!

You can avoid getting in this situation if it is more than you want to tackle, by training llamas when they are young — around 6 months is a great age — or by only acquiring trained adult llamas. We did that; I never found myself in this position!

I’m sorry the photo is rather fuzzy — it’s just a snap taken from the DVD and the llama was moving pretty fast! There is a lead rope going up to the halter of the llama.

No longer airborne, the llama is coming back to a more normal position. After just a little more prancing around, the llama was quite willing to work with Bobra.

This llama had already been haltered once by someone else, and that did make it easier. Here, Bobra isn’t having much trouble getting her hands on him.

Once she has her arms around the llama’s neck, she gives him a nice firm massage with her fingers, while talking steadily to him in a reassuring manner.

She’s got the halter in her left hand below, and the llama is leaning into her, seemingly enjoying the continuing neck massage.

She’s moved the halter to below his head. Bobra calls this the slow motion haltering technique, as she doesn’t rush any of the steps.

Now the halter is approaching his face. He knows what she has in mind, since he has been haltered before.

And here she is sliding it up over his nose, but not making contact with his face yet.

Now that she finally has it where she wants it, she lets it touch his face. She is still massaging his neck a bit and also talking to him.

In the last shot in this sequence,  she is continuing to massage as she moves the halter around the back of his neck. She will clasp it in a moment.

To see a similar sequence with another young llama — a more reluctant one — watch the 2+ minute llama training video on the homepage of this site.  It’s a short snippet from the two-hour program we made with Bobra.

It’s been over twenty years since we made the program, and a good long time we’ve lived with llamas. Working on the makeover of this website over the past weeks has brought back that very special era in my life. Working on the video brought tears to my eys, as I watched our llama Lil Bit interact with Bobra, our nephew Reb (then a child) seriously lead a llama, and more. The tears were of gratitude, with maybe a tiny tinge of regret that we have left that part of our lives behind. But we have done a bunch of wonderful things since, so the sadness was fleeting. But  how beautiful our ranch was! How alive and interested the llamas are!

When we made the program with Bobra, I was really fascinated with learning as much about llama training as I could. I worked with our llamas — okay, more in good weather than in bad! I thought about the principles.  I never became truly great at it like Bobra was, but I did have a lot of joyous moments, some of them training successes and some of them just good because of the pleasure of doing something with a llama.

Well, life has taken us in quite a few directions since then, and one thing that followed directly from llama training was my increased skill over time at training dogs — that link takes you to my large website on the topic.  I’ve always trained my dogs and in the past few years I’ve immersed myself a lot more in the topic. I’ve learned a lot about clicker training dogs — there is even a free ebook I wrote, Seven Steps to Clicker Training Success, on that site.

Clicker training llamas has developed since we had llamas, and that makes perfect sense to me. Llama, dog, human, dolphin — we all learn in such similar ways! People have sometimes asked me which is better,  the methods that Bobra taught or  clicker training.  I always say that the best method is the one that you get out in the pasture and do. And really, it isn’t a matter of either/or.  It’s both/and… learn about llama training from everywhere that you can!

The reason that you will probably be moving too fast is that you are intent on your purpose. But the llama has noticed you and is also intent on his own purposes. Often, he would rather not be caught, though sometimes llamas like to be caught and haltered if they know that something enjoyable is probably in the works — like going for a walk with you.

Llamas can run very fast, and this is perhaps the most important part of their natural protection. So if you head out quickly into the pasture, the llama may become wary. Thundercloud always did.

On the other hand, if you meander as if you don’t have a care in the world, any llama nearby will certainly notice you — they don’t miss much — but you will not alarm them. Just wander into the barn and pick up a halter and lead rope. If you are going to use a little snack to entice the llama, get some cob (a sweetened corn, oats, and barley mix) or whatever you want to use.

For some llamas, the snack will be enough that they will come right up to you. But not Thundercloud. Now you go into his pasture, without staring intently at him. If it is shaped so there is a narrow area that one person can catch him in, great. If he will go into his barn or shed, then you can get him there. But sometimes you’ll need to lure the llama toward a corner of the field.

Wherever you are, you can continue to slowly walk toward the llama, slowly raising your arms out to the sides so you create a larger silhouette. If you see that Thundercloud is thinking of bolting, slow down or back off and look away. Then gradually walk closer. You could offer the grain with one hand and if the llama nibbles, your other arm could encircle the back of his neck and come around so that you have the halter in position to put on.

Once you have the halter below his head, raise it up slowly and easily until you can slide it onto his face. Then attach it and you’ve got a llama ready to go somewhere with you.

Things may not happen so easily with some llamas. The first year we had llamas, Tumbleweed didn’t like us to catch him. Luckily our eight-year-old nephew came to stay for a few days. He caught Tumbleweed over and over, dozens of times, with far more patience than we adults had. After that, Tumbleweed was generally easy to catch.

Learning how to train a llama involves more than just moving slowly. My husband and I were very lucky to have a mentor in Bobra Goldsmith, a well-known llama trainer. I always loved watching Bobra demonstrate how to work with a totally untrained llama or with one who had developed suspicion of people. So many people easily learned llama training with her slow-motion haltering and other methods that she devised based on her close observation of these intelligent, graceful animals.

My husband Kelly and I  honed our skills a lot when we produced a video program with her, now a DVD only, called Llama Training with Bobra Goldsmith. The link takes you to more information about it here on this website, along with a $10 discount code if you decide to order it directly from us.

Or you can get it directly from Amazon, though without that discount. Just click on the image to go there:

1. To allow you to halter him quickly and easily.

2. To walk along with you when on a leash, keeping the leash loose.

3. To jump into a van, pickup, or trailer for transporting.

4. To let you handle their body, so you can do grooming or check injuries.

Beyond that, what a llama will be doing will determine what you train it to do. If a llama is destined to be a pack animal going into the mountains with you, then a series of lessons in carrying a pack will be called for. Llamas can be trained to drive to cart, to sit down and get up on command, and much more.

“Llamas are very fast learners,” says Bobra Goldsmith, a well-known llama trainer. “When you are teaching a llama something, don’t be surprised if he gets it after just a few trials.”

After I heard Bobra say that once, I thought I would test out her assertion by counting how many repetitions it did take before my llama Whiskers would willingly enter my VW van through the side door. I didn’t have to count very far, just to five! Afterwards, he would always jump right in the van when we wanted to take him somewhere. Sometimes it was many months between outings, but he never forgot. In contrast, I have never succeeded in teaching any of my dogs something in only five trials.

Comparing llamas and dogs in another way is interesting. Llamas will learn more rapidly than dogs that walking with the leash loose is really the way to do it! This makes it a lot of fun to take a llama out hiking along backcountry trails. However, if horses come along, do be quick to yield the right of way. Move your llama a ways away from the trail so the horses will be less likely to spook. If they haven’t encountered llamas before, they may be a bit afraid.

Bobra has had many llamas herself and out of her experience she has developed many ways to train them. For instance, she teaches llamas to allow themselves to be haltered by using a slow movement in approaching their faces with the halter. The animals seem to appreciate the calmness, and it’s really quite easy for anyone to learn to halter llamas this way. Her methods are also widely used with alpacas.

She trains llamas of all ages, and you can learn to do it too. While you might wish that all your llamas would be already trained when you get them, you are likely to find some that need more work. This is because people often don’t know how to train or they just don’t bother. But you can get a DVD online which shows Bobra Goldsmith’s methods. It’s useful for learning to train llamas, naturally — that’s what it was made for — but it also turns out that quite a few people get the DVD before they get llamas, to get a sense of what is involved in llama training.

For more about expert llama trainer Bobra Goldsmith and her methods, visit this llama training page.

Rosana Hart is the author of “Living with Llamas” and worked with Bobra to produce the DVD.

Click on the image to see it at Amazon.

[1] An old friend is Marty McGee Bennett. She and I happened to be roommates in 1987 at the International Llama Association conference where Linda Tellington-Jones demonstrated her groundbreaking TTEAM methods to the llama community. Marty became deeply involved in this work, and Kelly and I made a video with her and Linda — long out of print now, as Marty has refined the methods tremendously since those early days. We went on to make videos with Linda about the Tellington Touch with dogs and the TTouch with cats.

After Marty studied intensively with Linda Tellington-Jones, she developed Camelidynamics, which is derived from Linda’s work but adds Marty’s own profound understanding of camelids (that is, llamas, alpacas, and their wild relatives guancos and vicunas) to the process. Her website is http://www.camelidynamics.com and it too is well worth exploring. Her workshop schedule and the training information products she has created are there too.

[2] Our friend Cathy Spalding teaches a lot of workshops with llamas and alpacas, and she and her husband Craig have a herd themselves — it was all llamas when we lived near them in Olympia, WA, and used to go out to their place sometimes. Her site http://www.gentlespiritllamas.com is well worth browsing around — and here is a page that lists many of the useful articles on the site:  http://www.gentlespiritllamas.com/html/articles/articles_index.htm Cathy also studied with Linda Tellington-Jones.

When I was at the site recently, the workshop schedule ended with a workshop that was already over.  You will find a lot of llama websites that tend to be a bit behind, because the people tend to be out with the animals; I suspect that’s the case here. It’s easy to contact the Spaldings from the site. Oh, and the “Questions from Readers” section has some interesting things too.

[3] Terry Crowfoot and her husband live in the south of England and have seven llamas. Her website is  http://www.llama-training.co.uk/ and it’s a lot of fun.  I mean, really a lot! Kelly and I have just been howling with laughter as llama Dillon takes Terry’s hat off over and over again and as other llamas play soccer. (She thinks they can’t see the ball, but Kelly commented that he thinks they can, as llamas’ eyes stick out way more than you might imagine.)

There is text commentary too.  This site is a work in progress, with short videos and comments going up regularly.  Terry explains how her training approaches descend from the pioneering work of dolphin trainer Karen Pryor, who is now famous in the dog world (and other places)  for clicker training. That figured, I thought, as I use methods of Pryor’s in dog training and know how effective they are.

Of course, Google and the other search engines will take you to more good llama training sites. Whatever you do, if you have llamas, do get into the joys of training these highly intelligent and curious animals!

Llama Training Is Easy to Learn

It’s easy in two ways:

1. It is quite simple for people to learn how to train llamas, even if they haven’t trained any animal before.
2. Llamas learn quickly and generally are interested in doing new things with you.

The second point is actually the reason for the first one! Because llamas tend to learn quickly, you can learn to train them relatively easily.

For example, if you have ever trained a dog or watched someone else do so, you know that it can take quite a number of repetitions before the dog really understands what you want and does it reliably upon request.  Even with newer methods like clicker training dogs, they are generally slower to grasp what you want than llamas are.

I’ve had llamas be reliable about loading into a vehicle after doing it with them five or six times. The first few times, it can take some patience as the llamas are often reluctant to enter the unfamiliar confined space.  But once they decide (with your gentle coaxing) to give it a try, each repetition increases their confidence.  Nothing surprising about that — but it’s certainly rare for a dog to learn something with just five or six practices!

It’s also easy for us humans because it doesn’t usually require much strength.  You aren’t pulling with all the force you can muster on the lead rope; you are encouraging the llama by showing it what you want. My mentor in llama training, Bobra Goldsmith, talks a lot about developing trust and willingness, and this is evident in her DVD.

Of course, llamas vary in their willingness to trust humans — just as we humans do ourselves.  A llama who has been mishandled may be much less willing to trust people than one who has only know kindness.  Llama personalities vary too — some are more placid and easy-going, some are more skittish.

It’s Important to Train Your Llamas

If you have llamas, or the responsibility for some, you want to be able to move them from one pasture to another. You want to be able to groom them, to transport them to a veterinarian if necessary or to a new home. You may want to take them on hikes. These are just a few of the countless occasions which could make you much happier to have trained llamas than untrained. Believe me,  I’ve had both kinds.

In a perfect world, every llama would be trained to do at least a few basic things: to accept a halter, to walk easily on a loose lead rope,  to go into a vehicle or trailer. Every llama would develop a basic trust in the humans that handle it.

Well, between too much to do and not knowing quite how to train a llama, over the years, a lot of llama owners have not come very close to that perfect world. But you can.

There Are a Variety of Ways to Train Llamas

Because llamas learn so easily, and because working with them is so enjoyable, a lot of creativity and effort has gone into llama training in recent decades.  As I see it, there is no one right method to train.  There are some basic guidelines that all the best trainers would agree on: You don’t need a heavy hand. Patience is a virtue. Llamas can learn by watching another llama being taught something.

My husband Kelly and I were fortunate that when we were just starting out with a small llama herd, we became good friends with Bobra Goldsmith, a well-known llama trainer even then. We have used her methods primarily, and we produced a two-hour program with her. It came out on video originally  but is now only available on DVD. To find out more, see Llama Training with Bobra Goldsmith: What Every Llama Should Know.

Rosana Hart

Here you can watch a couple of minutes from the program we made with llama trainer Bobra Goldsmith:

Also, we offer you on this website:

1. Llama Training with Bobra Goldsmith: What Every Llama Should Know, a comprehensive two-hour DVD with a noted llama trainer.
2. An article on llama training.
3. Living with Llamas: Tales from Juniper Ridge is the story of our experiences, with a lot of information on llamas woven into the story. It has introduced thousands of people to llamas and is our all-time best-seller of all the books and videos that we have ever published. It’s available to read online here on this site. but better yet, it’s also now available as a free ebook that you can download.
4. Training Llamas to Drive, with Bobra Goldsmith, also a DVD.
5. Reviews of more books on llamas
6. Llama t-shirts
7. Tips on how to create your own t-shirts, with llamas or whatever on them
8. Resource page of a few of the other top llama websites and llama training websites

A friend feeds our llama Lil Bit while Posey looks on

]]> http://www.llamas-information.com/home/feed/ 0 http://www.llamas-information.com/llama-training/llama-training-dvd/ http://www.llamas-information.com/llama-training/llama-training-dvd/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:26:48 +0000 Rosana http://llamas-information.com/llama-training/llama-training-2/

Can you handle your  llamas? It’s a great feeling to know that in an emergency, or anytime, you can work with your llamas.  Llama training gives you this confidence.

Or–if you don’t have llamas but are thinking of it–would you like to know how to do these things?

You can learn a tremendous amount about llama training from this DVD, Llama Training with Bobra Goldsmith: What Every Llama Should Know. (A lot of people considering llamas have bought copies.)

Noted llama trainer Bobra Goldsmith has been training llamas for over 25 years. Her close attention to their behavior led her to develop training methods which are easy to use and respectful of the animals.

Now you can watch a couple of minutes of this video, right on the homepage of this site: Llama Training Video

Often llamas understand what you are asking of them after you have shown them only a few times. Once they understand, they tend to remember, much more quickly than dogs, for example.

Llamas are smart! Llama training can be tremendously enjoyable because of this. Bobra calls her workshops “Training Llamas for Willing Cooperation.”  Bobra and many alpaca owners have also used these techniques for training alpacas.

Would you like to try her techniques?

In just a few days, using Bobra Goldsmith’s llama training techniques, many people have trained llamas to:

• accept a halter
• walk easily with a lead rope
• load into a vehicle
• and perform other tasks.

We offer you the acclaimed two-hour program, Llama Training with Bobra Goldsmith: What Every Llama Should Know.

We — well, mostly my husband Kelly Hart — produced this program, and we’ve sold hundreds of copies to llama owners all over the world at $65. Now we sell it as a DVD. Do note that since it was shot before digital video, the visual quality is not as good as it would be now. But the information is excellent.

This DVD retails for $39.95 but if you type in (or cut and paste) 82R2625S in the box for Discount Code, you get our internet price of $29.95.

“The program with Bobra Goldsmith has made an enormous impact on our training abilities. I am now able to halter and lead my llamas. I can’t say enough about this. It is incredible…

“I recommend it to everyone with llamas. It is a godsend to me. I tried so many things to get close to my llamas, but nothing worked till now. I am in heaven!!!”

–Linda Hann, USA, 2002

Proven Tips, Tools and Tactics for Training Llamas

On this DVD, Bobra provides information about llama training:

• specific methods for initial contact
• her “slow motion” technique of haltering
• leading with a light hand
• loading into vehicles
• kushing
• developing trust and willingness.

She works with both juvenile and adult llamas, including an untrained adult.

Bobra Goldsmith’s methods have been highly respected in the llama community for many years. She has been a mentor to many of us.

“Pioneer llama trainer Bobra Goldsmith… inspires with her words, sensitivity, and common sense wisdom.”

–Llama Life

“We don’t let anyone in the pens without viewing at least half the tape, so they can understand about how their own movements affect the llamas, the need to talk to them quietly, etc.”

– Llama owners, USA

Now available — only in DVD! This DVD retails for $39.95 but if you type in (or cut and paste) 82R2625S in the box for Discount Code, you get our internet special price of $29.95.

It’s also available through Amazon.com but not with our $10 off deal. Still, they give free shipping and it’s handy : Llama Training with Bobra Goldsmith

Click to see the  table of contents for Llama Training with Bobra Goldsmith.

The legal stuff: handle and train llamas at your own risk.

You can benefit from Bobra’s years of llama driving experience. Topics include preparing the llama for driving, fitting the harness, the first driving lesson, the touch of the reins, ground driving, introducing the llama to the llama cart, riding in the llama cart, and safety. This program is rich in details.

We had no idea what the market would be when we made it, but it has sold very well. Bobra’s enthusiasm for llama driving is infectious!  It was originally made as a video but is not available in that format any more.

This DVD retails for $39.95 but if you type in (or cut and paste) 82R2625S in the box for Discount Code, you get our internet price of $29.95.

“As a training video, it is unparalleled. As a teacher, Ms Goldsmith is supreme.”-Llamas Magazine

Contents of the DVD

Times are in hours and minutes.

0:01 Introduction: goals in training and factors in choosing a llama.

0:08 PREPARING THE LLAMA FOR DRIVING
Catching routine and leading along the expected route.

0:11 FITTING THE HARNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME
Function and nomenclature, while showing the proper fit on a llama.
0:28 Removing the harness.
0:29 Proper fit of girth in relation to the llama’s legs.

0:31 THE FIRST DRIVING LESSON: LEARNING “WALK” AND “WHOA”
The helper’s role, and that of the driver, in ground driving.
0:32 Choosing a route.

0:35 A TECHNIQUE FOR LEARNING THE “TOUCH” OF THE REINS
0:37 Signals for control: reins, voice, and whip.
0:39 Example of initial ground driving to teach commands.
0:42 Length of lesson, and initial turning lesson

0:43 GROUND DRIVING ALONE: DEVELOPING FLEXIBILITY & OBEDIENCE
0:44 Training the llama to jog.
0:46 Developing the light touch on the reins.
0:48 How to hold the reins and whip.
0:51 Use of tugs or rings to keep reins low on a naughty llama.
0:54 Use of safety line. Practicing diagonals and circles.
0:55 Jester gets naughty and needs discipline.
0:58 Three commands: Stand, Easy, No.

1:01 INTRODUCING THE LLAMA TO THE CART FOR THE FIRST TIME
Attributes of various carts.
1:05 Hitching a cart to the llama: order of events.
1:10 Procedure for unhitching.
1:13 Example of initial introduction of llama to cart.
1:21 Using pole with a llama who is afraid of, or naughty about, the cart.
1:24 Using “fifth wheel” device for llamas who want to avoid the cart.

1:27 RIDING IN THE CART THE FIRST TIME
1:29 Walking behind the cart, with an assistant.
1:30 Getting into the cart the first time, with assistance.
1:32 Assistant joins driver in the cart.

DRIVING ALONE AND WITH OTHER LLAMAS
1:33 Where to drive: arena or parking lot.
1:35 Using a safety line and ground driving behind the cart.
1:36 Getting into the cart, still with the safety line.
1:37 Practicing the commands, speeds of travel, and praising the llama.
1:40 Practicing backing by standing in front of the llama.
1:42 Working around other llamas. Attributes of 4-wheel carts.
1:46 Balance of discipline and fun for the llama.

INTRODUCING THE LLAMA TO A NEW CART
1:48 Proper angle of the shafts; meeting horses.

1:49 DRIVING COMPETITION AT THE DENVER STOCK SHOW

1:56 FINAL COMMENTS
1:57 Credits

This DVD retails for $39.95 but if you type in (or cut and paste) 82R2625S in the box for Discount Code, you get our internet price of $29.95.

Bobra’s profound understanding of llamas is evident throughout this program. She and other people have also used these methods for alpaca training.

Here is a list of what you get. There’s atw0-minute  llama training video excerpt from this DVD  on the homepage of our site.

INTRODUCTION
1 min: What every llama should know
INITIAL CONTACT AND HALTERING
5 min: Initial contact with a young llama
7 min: Slow-motion haltering technique
9 min: Contact with and haltering a second young llama
12 min: How to hold the halter before putting it on
17 min: Contact with and haltering a third young llama
22 min: Desensitizing
LEADING
23 min: First leading lessons
AN UNTRAINED ADULT
36 min: Haltering and leading an adult for the first time
MORE ON HALTERING AND LEADING
43 min: How to adjust a halter
44 min: Second leading lesson, the three young llamas
50 min: Short-tying a llama for the first time
CATCHING RITUAL
52 min: The catching ritual with an adult male llama
LOADING IN VEHICLES
54 min: Preparing the vehicle
57 min: An adult male learns to load in a trailer and in a van.
KUSH TRAINING
1 hr, 2 min: Kushing (lying down) and getting up
GROOMING
1 hr, 5 min: Blowing with a leaf blower
1 hr, 6 min: Brushing
1 hr, 8 mins: Patting for desensitization
SOME ADULT LLAMAS DIFFICULT TO HALTER
1 hr 8 mins: A female puts her head down.
1 hr 10 mins: A tall male stretches up.
LEADING TIPS
1 hr, 13 mins: Getting a llama to run with you
1 hr, 14 mins: Lead rope under your elbow for pokey llamas
SOME USEFUL KNOTS
1 hr, 14 mins: Neck rope, clove hitch on post, Bobra’s bowline, quick-release knot
A COMPLETE TRAINING SEQUENCE WITH A YOUNG LLAMA
1 hr 18 mins: Catching, handling, haltering, first leading lesson
1 hr, 24 mins: A young male resists quite vigorously.
1 hr, 31 mins: Second lesson in leading
1 hr, 38 mins: Walking around obstacles
1 hr, 49 mins: Loading in a vehicle
CONCLUDING REMARKS

This DVD retails for $39.95 but if you type in (or cut and paste) 82R2625S in the box for Discount Code, you get our internet price of $29.95. (The discount box code is in the shopping cart, after you click on “buy now.”)

On the way back, Kelly took Tumbleweed’s lead rope. At the second stream crossing, Kelly had given Tumbleweed plenty of rope, and he was well ahead of the llama but not watching. I was behind them both, and I saw Tumbleweed leap across the creek, high and wide. I saw him knock Kelly sprawling. Kelly held onto the rope as the llama sailed over him. Then they were both further down the trail, the rope twisting around the llama’s legs. He was struggling, and stepped off the path onto the steep hillside. There was confused motion as the man and the llama rolled eight or ten yards down the hillside, intertwined, until they finally came to a stop.

I ran closer. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” Both Kelly and Tumbleweed were breathing heavily. They untangled themselves and climbed back up the steep slope. Kelly was hardly even dirty. Tumbleweed had a wild look in his eye. “Let’s start walking,” I suggested. “I think he will feel better than if we just stand around. ”

As we continued down the trail, Kelly said, “When he knocked me down, I half expected a foot to land on me. But I guess he was watching out to that extent. It’s funny, though–I trusted him not to jump into me like that.”

“He seemed pretty distracted about the creeks,” I said. “I would have let go of the rope myself.”

“I didn’t want to. Then we would have had to catch him, and we’re not that close to home. I never really felt in any danger. It’s hard to describe, but I felt like Tumbleweed and I were flowing in an unfamiliar dimension. There was a kind of unity between us, as though we were suspended in time and space together.”

The llama was soon back to his steady rhythm of hiking. He took each of the remaining stream crossings with increasing confidence and smaller leaps.

We planned to use Tumbleweed, Levi, and Whiskers on the hikes. We also bought three more llamas. Poco was another small male, exceptionally friendly. He’d already had a season of hiking on a packstring in Colorado. And we’d bought Romeo, a large male, because he came with Juliet, a bred female we’d managed to find. She wasn’t small herself, but at that time it was a real coup to find any females for sale. Besides, as we became more accustomed to working with the llamas, we cared more about temperament than about size.

Romeo was less sure of himself on the trail than the others, so we began walking around the land with him. One day we took him down our new trail to Boulder Hollow. Just before the picnic area, there was a place where you had to step between some boulders and down some rock steps. The llamas didn’t mind it going homeward, when it was uphill, but none of them were comfortable with the downhill direction until they had done it several times. Mindful that our guests would usually be unfamiliar with the ways of llamas, and remembering Kelly’s tumble with Tumbleweed, we were giving all the llamas plenty of opportunities to get used to the trail.

Kelly walked down the trail with Romeo. Levi and I led the way, and we negotiated the steps easily. Kelly came next, giving Romeo lots of rope and watching him. Romeo balked. Kelly tugged on the rope and coaxed with soft words. Romeo sat down. I took Levi back up and down again so Romeo could learn from him. Romeo’s fear was too great, so after a while we made a broad detour around the rock steps and came out on the trail below them. Romeo went up the steps toward home, taking quick small steps and looking around nervously. But when we turned around to take him down the steps, once again he balked. We coaxed for a while, but he refused to budge.

We went on back home, thinking that we’d try another time. But there was always lots to do, and Romeo ended up being prepared just for our other, easier, trail.

The Boulder Hollow trail dropped some three hundred feet in its half-mile length, which made it too strenuous for people with very small children as well as for people who weren’t in good condition. We also cleared brush and created a picnic area in a favorite spot out near the end of Llama Lane. This hike was also about half a mile from one end to the other, but far easier. Romeo was happy enough with it.

Bobra Goldsmith, who had been training llamas for years, had taught us some training techniques, and we were preparing for a videotape we would soon be making about her methods, based on attentive observations of llamas. She had a lot of respect for what the llama was experiencing.

“Let him think about this before asking more of him,” Bobra would say as a llama was, for example, putting his front legs tentatively into a trailer. She used a lot of encouraging words, and was quick to praise the animals. Much of this made sense to me from having trained Cider and our young Australian Shepherd, Teddy Bear.

I hadn’t done a great deal with Dancing Cloud the year before. We sold him soon after weaning. The snow had been several feet deep that winter; we’d simply taught him to accept the halter, to lead a little, and to load into a van.

I had bigger plans for Shadow. I wanted to train him to be comfortable around people, so we could use him in the hikes. I had visions of taking him to schools, nursing homes, parades. Because of the early bottle-feeding, I was a little nervous about any potential problems he might develop. That became a good excuse to keep–rather than sell–him. Since he turned out to be a little too knock-kneed to be a good stud, we had the vet geld him. That further reduced our concerns about the bottle-feeding.

When he was about five months old, we began training him. He didn’t seem to mind being haltered, but he objected to being confined in the barn with us and away from Posey. Once we began taking him for walks, he enjoyed himself a lot. Shadow trusted us more than Dancing Cloud had the year before; perhaps those early days in the barn were working for us.

When I compared these training sessions with dog training, the difference was striking. He learned so much more quickly than they. I was still working on “come,” “sit,” and “stay” with Teddy Bear, over and over again, as I’d been doing off and on for months.

Kelly had some deadlines on the film animation he was doing, so I took over most the training. While Kelly sat drawing, Shadow and I went for walks. As we went past the house one day, he discovered the llama who lives in windows. Shadow stood perfectly still, about four feet away from the bank of windows in our living room, and gazed at his reflection for half a minute. I had noticed that he responded to new situations with stillness.

“Maybe it’s time to take you in, little guy,” I said. I opened the front door of the house and walked in. Shadow balked. I pulled on my end, and his feet came up on the outside stoop. Shadow resisted until I had pulled his head through the door, and then he just walked in. He didn’t inspect things; it seemed as though he was feeling out the space. “It’s just like a barn,” I told him, “only you don’t go to the bathroom in it.” I knew he wouldn’t go in the house, since there wasn’t a dung pile already started.

I led him out the front door–he cleared the sill and front stoop in a graceful leap. Going in again, he balked but by the fourth time in, he was relaxed about it. Bobra was right; llamas learned things with just a handful of repetitions.

“There’s an old poem by Robert Louis Stevenson that fits you,” I said. ” ‘I had a little shadow that went in and out with me.’ ”

For our next outing, “Car time,” I thought, and walked him down our driveway toward the paved road. A small car came by, and Shadow watched it but showed no fear. The next car was louder, and Shadow tried to run away, jerking the lead rope hard.

“That’s a perfectly logical reaction,” I told him, “but you don’t have to do that.” For three more cars, he still fought the rope. When the next car came, he stood still, looking at me. “Very good, let’s go do something else.” We wandered around our front meadow, where he could still hear the cars approaching, and see them through the trees. He was alert to their presence, but not upset by them.