THE METHOD I'M USING

I use a clicker for this work. As with so much of clicker training, the very beginnings of a behaviour is a random movement, even an accident, on the llama's part. So it was with this. I wanted Oscar, with whom I was sharing a pen, to take a step back from me: I had no real means of telling him that. Yes, I could push him back and he would oblige, but this was a far cry from a voluntary step back, off-lead. I bided my time, keeping his interest with the grain he knew I had in my pocket. There was side-stepping, fidgetting etc but no definite step back. After a few minutes, with no luck I gave up and tried another day and then another, clicker in hand. This time my luck was in. After a few minutes, something disturbed him from behind me and he took a step back. I was ready! I clicked/rewarded the movement and we were on our way! It was awhile before he repeated the movement, but again I clicked it! I added the cue "Back Back" and the hand movement: a quiet clap-clap and worked on it. Gradually, over several sessions, Oscar associated the cue with the movement and the movement with the click.

HOW WE'RE DOING

The story so far: Oscar is backing well to cue, though I have given up trying to stop him putting his nose in the air as he does it! Toby has just begun to cotton on and will back two or three paces to verbal. Banksy the alpaca is taking one defenite step backwards, but we have yet to achieve the second.

I was re-reading notes I'd written here about the alpaca's backing this spring. Apparently then he was just taking one step back before kushing. I have to report that his backing often ends in a kush still, but I am getting at least four full paces first. This has to be progress. I have been working at even more paces, but after four, he seems to be gazing myopically all around as though desperately trying to see me . (Is he that short-sighted?) We are only talking about a distance of four yards and even if he cant see my hand-signal, he can hear the accompanying verbal command. It's a mystery, but he certainly seems uneasy at obeying signals with this degree of separation from me.

Oscar practising backing