Shearing Alpacas Standing

[Marty McGee Bennett]

Marty-
Hi! I have had the opportunity to hear you speak at one of our
Conferences and appreciate the time that you take to share your
knowledge with camelid lovers. I am inquiring about alpaca shearing
and the current technique of stretching them out. I am wondering if
you are willing to comment on your feelings of this approach. My
reasonings are this.....
I have been a small llama breeder since 1997 and a professional shearer for the past three years
with a growing clientele. I utilize a chute. I have
found there to be a very positive response from my alpaca
clients since I am willing to do their pets standing up and feel that
I take time and care in this process. I have also picked up new
clients specifically because of my shearing method.
I feel that people are motivated by how something makes them feel with
regards to their pets, but I am interested in your opinion as to
whether or not you feel that shearing them standing up with minimal
restraint is in fact less stressful than having them stretched.
Perhaps shearing is shearing and it is stressful anyway you look at
it, which I am sure is true as well, but then is there anything that
"we" can be doing to help that? I would like to increase my clientele
this year and would like to advertise that I do not stretch out
alpacas. At the same time I am interested in knowing if you feel this
really makes a difference to the animal or if it is all the same any
way you slice it?


thanks for your email and thanks for wanting my opinion.
I have seen shearing done standing badly and have seen it done well
same for stretching out the animal. I think there is just as much
angst for some animals if they are trussed up in a chute as if they are
stretched out so I guess I think it is more technique than anything
else. I have a real problem with restraining animals by the head so I
would be interested to know exactly how you shear in the chute. How do
you keep a difficult animal still enough to do your job. What keeps
them in the chute? what happens if they lay down? That sort of thing.

I wouldn't say one method is better than the other just that some
shearers are better than others. My observation is that getting the
animals on the ground is the worst part of stretching them out and I
have been working on ways to make it easier.
I agree totally that many new folks in particular are very put off by
the way many shearers ply their trade. It is all about as many as can
be done in a day and the heck with the consequences. The one thing that I
really object to is covering the mouths of alpacas that spit. I am
also an advocate of sedation when an alpaca has a really hard time or
if the shearer is a novice.

[Julie Taylor-Browne]

All my alpacas are sheared stretched out and they don't seem to find it too stressful at all. One of the big differences I believe is the way they are taken to the mat. Don't let the shearer grab the alpaca and drag him to the mat, I have found that if the person who normally handles them herds the awaiting animal out of the pen and walks him to the mat in the bracelet and then lets the shearer turn them this makes a huge difference to the whole experience for them. This places the handler at the head straightaway where they can do ttouchs on the face and ears. I also use rescue remedy in a spray bottle onto the gums and I believe this also helps.

JTB

[Marty McGee Bennett]

This is such great advice. The way the process begins really sets the tone don't you think? I think the animals are also aware of being treated respectfully during the process and will cooperate more fully when they are moved quietly to the shearer. I can't help but think the general attitude will also rub off on the rest of the shearing team. We so often think that hurrying makes things go faster and that might be true sometimes but not with animals. When people rush and hurry in the shearing it reminds of the drivers who weave in and out of traffic they take chances, get all wound up and still arrive at pretty much same time as the driver who just drives along and doesn't get his knickers in a twist!

[Pritanio]

Sometimes the clients/owners seem to find shearing more stressful than the animals do.

This past weekend my partner and I went to a farm to shear their four boys. Knowing that the owner was concerned about having them stretched on the ground, I invited him to help my partner lay the animals down then stay by the head as the animal was sheared (shorn?).

It was pretty amazing. The owner was much more relaxed than I could ever have hoped for. I feel that helping people overcome their anxiety around shearing can be accomplished by inviting them to participate and showing them how to participate safely.

BTW, don't forget to breathe, if you hold your breath, the other humans will wonder what's wrong and become anxious. ;) I learned that from reading the words of a very wise camelid woman. :D

Susan
BC, Canada

[Marty McGee Bennett]

Too true... all of it. Well done. I like to think of it this way... if you are the ER nurse you have to be calm and confident and make the patient feel as though everything will be okay...if you are involved in shearing day same thing. Don't buy into the drama that the animals feel help them get past it by playing the experience down NOT up.