(off-lead)STANDING STILL
..or "the statue game"

THE METHOD I'M USING

Of all the behaviours I've worked at with my boys, I find this the very hardest of all and yet the llama trainers out there seem to think it is easy... I wonder. Maybe it's because I am working off-lead. For a start, in trying to teach a llama to stand still you are asking him to DO NOTHING. Can YOU do nothing? I cant. It is a negative thing. And because it is a negative thing, how can you tell a llama when he's done it? This is an area of training where I have tried many methods including clicking and rewarding after different periods of time, one second, three seconds, five seconds etc. but the problem is, my boys dont wear watches, neither have I any concept of their concept of time.
Standing whilst I'm doing something to them, such as grooming, clipping etc. is perhaps more comprehensible to them. Here again, though, I'm asking them NOT to do something, viz moving.
 I must confess to resorting to some negative reinforcement, in training them to stand. I decided as I was training llamas that it was appropriate to spit! But my "spit" comes from a squirty bottle of clean, warm water aimed just below their ear. It doesn't hurt them one iota, but they dont like it.

If I have an arm free, I raise it and I have changed the command "Stand" to "Standing" to make it more distinctive and whilst I am saying that command .. and I repeat it every few seconds...any movement results in a squirt. On the positive side, any standing for a lengthened period results in a reward. I take great care to ensure that my request is reasonable in that particular situation and that there is no real excuse for movement such as fear or discomfort.
To make an approaching llama stand, which is, of-course, halting and remaining still, I use a raised hand-up signal, much the same as a traffic cop.

 

"Standing"

 

 

 

 

If you can add anything to my work or have any questions or comments, please e-mail me.

HOW WE'RE DOING

The story so far: All the boys are now standing to verbal command; at least, their feet are still. If I walk around them, still keeping the hand and vocal cue on, they tend to wind their necks to see where I am, but at least they aren't shuffling about. Toby is halting to stand as part of his combination exercise, and will stand for quite awhile so long as my hand is raised, but he'll move away if I lower it, even if I keep the verbal cue repeated. The girls are...well..they're just girls. But Banksy, the alpaca, is getting it!

 

RECENT NOTES ON PROGRESS

Oct 17th 2009

I know this isnt anything to do with progress with my boys, but I've got an alpaca in for training at present and today I was working at standing. I was using a clicker - or attempting to- and working on the old principle of "what you click is what you get". Unfortunately, I couldnt click a standing-still moment, because he simply didnt have one! Always on the go this young fellow. I resorted to clicking a slowing-down in the end, but I dont think he was paying sufficient attention to make the connection.

Nov 14th 2010

I have been working at this Standing exercise a lot over the last few days. I am becoming increasingly sure that the hand signal is more meaningful to the trainee than the verbal. But I do find it necessary to maintain the hand signal (raised hand) for the duration. I guess it's the same as having a red traffic light showing: wouldnt we be confused if the red light kept coming and going?!

I have been seeing how far I can walk away from Oscar with the "Stay Standing" cue in place. I'm managing about 20 yards, and then he gets worried. (Has she abandoned me?) I must repeat that it is odd to try to teach an animal to do nothing; far easier to do something, anything. When I am working close to Oscar, I have upped the criteria to earn the C/R-not only must his feet be stationary, but he must be facing the front with nose horizontal! Just like being on parade/inspected in the military. Banksy the alpaca is really cottoning on to this Standing lark. I cant get very far away from him, but I have some queries about his eyesight.