I always get excited when I finally get to pull that wild and crazy lamb off of the fence and watch him walk after me on the halter! In a previous post, I talked about the first step in halter training. Once you have completed that, you can begin walking your lamb.
Let’s dive right into it! Go ahead and begin by taking the lamb off the fence and pulling on the halter until he takes a small step towards you. Then give him a good amount of slack. After a brief pause, tighten the halter again until he takes another step towards you, and then release. Sometimes you have to force him to move, but as soon as you get a step, stop pulling. By giving him a release, you are teaching him that he will get a reward for walking forward.
Do not work your lamb for very long each time, but work him often. (It doesn’t need to be more than ten minutes each time.) If you are really dedicated go out several times a day. As your lambs get better at walking, pull on the halter until the lamb takes 2-3 steps before giving that release.
When the lamb has really got it down, you can just walk him without giving any slack. He will create his own slack by catching up with you. This is one good reason to pay attention to your lamb, and make sure that you are not walking too fast for him.
This simple step is a great way to train your lambs. It is really cool because it goes fast. Most lambs catch on really fast and that helps you gain some momentum in your training as you teach your lamb to be a show sheep.
The lesson above is from my book Show Your Way To The Top on sheep showmanship. If you would like a copy or want to learn more, go to mastershowmanship.com/shop
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