Training a Goat to Pull by Julia Biegel

We’ve posted a lot of articles about goats who provide milk for cheese, etc., but we haven’t said a lot about other working goats. There are goats who carry backpacks, goats who pull wagons, therapy goats, show goats and goats who grow long hair for spinning. All over the world, there are goats working hard for their living!

Any goat can be trained to pull. It just requires a bit of time to train them. In general, they can safely pull twice their body weight (including the weight of the harness).

Julia Biegel is one of 9 young members of the Biegel Family in Alberta, Canada, about whom we have posted several articles.* Recently, her sister, Amberlin made two delightful videos about Julia being pulled by goats she trained:

Amberlin also made a video showing a team of Julia’s trained goats pulling a sled and another of them tilling the potato field:

How did you get into this?

I’m sixteen years old. Goat training is kind of a side hobby of mine and I enjoy working with all kinds of animals. (In addition to training my goat Ivan, I’m also training two young donkeys we’ve called Bow and Joey.) There’s a unique little business that one could pursue in regards to training and selling pet goats – because goats are such fun and make awesome friends! This is something I would really like to pursue more.

When did you get started?

I’ve been working with goats since I was about eight years old and I’ve trained around 10 goats to do tricks such as paw, stand on their back legs, pull carts, and bow. I’ve worked primarily with wethers and young bucks that are Saanen, Alpine and Toggenburg crossed.

Currently my brother Charles and I are training five young bucks to pull. I’m also training a wether I’ve named Ivan to pull a cart. He’s extremely gently and friendly!

How did you learn?

I’ve worked with horses and this has influenced my goat training. I’ve trained my goats using the pressure and release method. When teaching them tricks such as Bow, Paw, or Rear, I like to add food rewards because goats learn a lot faster when they’re rewarded with a treat!

One website that has helped me with my training is called Working Goats. They’ve given me lots of ideas of tricks to teach my goats, and what goats are capable of. Goats are so smart (especially if there are oats involved!).

What advice do you have for others?

For those who are wanting to train their goat, my advise would be:

1) Establish a relationship of trust and respect with your goat.

2) Establish boundaries. They should not be allowed to push you around, jump up on you, pull you around, etc.. If they do something they’re not supposed to, discipline them within 3 seconds of them doing it. That way they don’t get confused. If they’re pushing in front of me, I usually give them a tap on the nose using a stick while saying a stern “No.” Never beat them. Likewise, when they do something that you want them to, give them a pet, maybe a treat, and an encouraging “Yes!” or “Good boy!” preferably within 3 seconds of them doing it.

3) Be very patient. Sometimes it may take a couple months until they can actually do what you want them to. Don’t get upset or angry with them if they’re not learning as fast as you would like. It will only make things more difficult for you.

4) Train them 4-5 times a week, teaching them in steps. They need time to process what you’ve taught them. But, spend a bit of time with them every day if you can.

5) Have fun!

*Articles about the Biegels:
“Milk to Cheese” A Fun Video
How to Host a Cheese Party