Haltering a Suri cria

[kmdombeck]

Hi Marty,
Help! Using the Camelidynamics approach to teaching a cria to wear a halter for the 1st time is working well for me - and then enters the suri :confused: Do you modify your approach when working with a suri?

[Marty McGee Bennett]

I find that I have to be even lighter (meaning less weight and quicker reflexes) with suris. They are much more reactive to any threat of being held and so require faster reflexes. Remember "Be happier with less until you can get more." I wish I could remember the name of the student that said this... I think it might have been Colleen Doherty at the first training here at the Camelidynamics Training Center but it is a really good thought. There are of course huacayas that behave like suris and vice versa. In new Zealand I just worked with some suris that were so calm they seemed like golden retrievers. Thankfully they are all little individuals aren't they.

[Julie Taylor-Browne]

Hi Karen, I'm a big fan of body wrapping a cria, particularly suris.....

Good luck

JTB

[kmdombeck]

HI JULIE!!!!!
I hope I get to see you again this summer:) . I never thought of using the body wrap, thanks I will try it. I am following Marty's advice and lightening my touch along with slowing way down on what I hope to do each time I work with a suri. This is working but I have a very jumping girl that is scheduled to go to a show in two weeks. If I cannot get her calm she will be pulled from the show list.

[Julie Taylor-Browne]

Let us know how you get on Karen. I did a demo a few months ago for a local group on Camelidynamics. They gave me a group of weanlings to demo on and someone asked about work with babies. I suggested how you might start them off and mentioned the body wrap. I put the body wrap on one of the weanlings and he just stopped moving there and then and remained motionless for the rest of the demo! It was so amusing but everyone was very impressed and nearly everyone bought a body wrap!

Everyone who saw the demo always remembers that baby and comes up and reminds me about it....

Good luck with yours,

JTB

[Liz McDannold]

Hi Karen!
Remembering a weanling we had at one of the Advanced Trainings, a suri (if memory serves correctly...) we began to refer to as having ADHD. He was nervous, jumpy, twitty, all over the place. We put a body wrap on him and he stood stock still, then fell over, 'laugh-in' style. I think he was so so absolutely shocked and suprised to find out that he had a body back there that it short-circuited his hyperactivity! He got right up, of course, unhurt, and was much calmer and able to think about what he was doing. As I recall, he accepted leading with his buddies, settled down, and was able to focus.

The body wrap is an amazing tool, I'm not sure I understand <why> it works, but I know that it <does> work, with sometimes remarkable results.

Looking forward to seeing you this summer!
Liz

[kmdombeck]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the great input. I tried a body wrap on a cria over 3 years ago and did not see any change in her behavior so I removed the wrap and placed it into my toolbox pretty much forgetting about it. My skills have improved in 3 years, I believe now it was me, with too little understanding, and not the wrap that was not working.
Yesterday I worked with two 8 month old suri crias who have already been shown the halter and lead (they went to a show in January). I felt it wise to try the wrap on two crias I had a relationship with and who were still alittle jumpy. What I saw were two relaxed animals enjoying their walk, this is a worthily tool! I have 15 suri crias who are just now being introduced to haltering and leading, I am going to use the bodywrap on each one and document my results. I will keep you posted!

[Marty McGee Bennett]

I did the same thing with a body wrap when Linda Tellington Jones first showed it to me. I tried it once and it didn't work like I hoped and years later tried it again and voila! one of the most useful tools in the box. I am sometimes concerned with a volatile animal that I am going to get an over-reaction so I sometimes hesitate and I am always surprised how little they react and in fact the more volatile the more they need it.

[kmdombeck]

I have tried the body wrap in three training sessions now and like what I am seeing. The Sire to most of my suri crias is very high-strung and he seems to pass his personality off to his kids. Yesterday I tried the wrap on the girl I told you about that I am trying to get ready for a show. She was able to focus on me and the training sesson well enough to actually take a short walk with a buddy!!! Today I worked with two new boys, they both stayed calm and curious, both were accepting of Ttouch (I stopped there).

I decided to try the wrap on a little girl who's issue is not wanting to take that 1st step. I thought she was going to fall over when I placed it on her. I worked her head, then haltered her, she was more relaxed and accepting, then I tried to walk her with a buddy. I could tell she wanted to go walking with us but she could not move, the wrap seem to have pinned her to the ground. Once the wrap was removed she took a deep breath and walked along nicely.

[kmdombeck]

Hi everyone,
Just an update. We decided to remove my little suri girl from this weekends show so I would have more time to truly have her ready. I feel this was a very healthy move for Rosey! I have added something new to my toolbox and I am sooooo pleased that I have to tell EVERYONE :)

www.equilite.com is a website worth looking at. Stacy Small ownes the company of natural produce lines. I have been watching the Flower Essences for over a year and heard enough good stuff to finally try them.

On Sunday I started using the 'in training blend' in the water of my training sheds. Today I worked with my young girls (7 to 9 months old, both H&S). I found the whole group (of 11 girls) to be calmer and more focused on me and what I was introducing them to. Rosey was placed in a bodywrap and went for a short walk with her friend, she really started catching on to the signals and paying attention to her surroundings. It was my best day yet with all by newbies!

I also tried the 'safe journey' in the water of my show animals starting 3 days before they were to leave and everyone loaded nicely, even the ones going to a show for the 1st time.

[Marty McGee Bennett]

great news Karen. Certainly can't hurt. I tend to think it is more about your talent and less about the flowers but that is just me.

[kmdombeck]

Hi Marty,
Do you find that the weather plays a role in training? Yesterday I had a sunny 70 degree day; worked with 12 boys and had one of my best training days ever. Today it was overcast, cool with a storm coming in for the late afternoon. I tried to work with my girls and finally gave up when out of 5 attempts I could not get one girl to stand still and focus on me.:confused:

[Marty McGee Bennett]

Absolutely! Also my state of mind and the magnetic field of the galaxy! In other words a whole bunch of stuff! : )

[kmdombeck]

I am in love with the body wrap! My little girl Rosey is walking like a queen on the lead and is teaching others!!!! Who would have thought. She will be going to a show this coming weekend and this time I cannot wait to see her shine:) I actually have a boy who was worse than Rosey and he went for his first walk with a buddy today, boy did he have fun.

[Marty McGee Bennett]

it is a wonderful tool. I just wrote about it in a new article in Llama banner and reflected back on all the times it has saved my bacon. I am really glad you are finding it useful. Thanks to Linda Tellington-Jones for that bit of brilliance. It is a great tool for dogs with thunderstorm issues and I have used it on Halsey to get him to settle down too. He will probably be wearing it on the first day of all the advanced trainings he gets so excited by any company these days.