THE METHOD I'M USING
With rising,
I use the clicker, though it is probably as simple to use my voice. From
the kushed position,
I simply hold a treat over the head of the seated llama so that it is just
out of reach no matter how high he stretches his neck. How cruel! To begin
with, the second he thinks about rising, I click and reward, lowering the
reward to within his reach. Thereafter, he gradually has to do a little
more about getting up to earn that click and peppermint. (I hope my vet
isn't reading this!). We thus progress to complete rising. Then I introduce
the word "Upper" to describe the activity and, even more gradually,
start to substitute the reward-in-hand for just the hand. Gradually, I develop
a hand movement just above the nose, a kind of upward sweep (see video).
I use the word "upper" rather than "up" as the former
is more distinctive.
