| Who’s
the Boss? with
John Mallon Welcome
back and thanks for tuning in…
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“We
cannot expect to get any kind of satisfactory response
from our llamas or alpacas unless we understand the psychology
of the prey animal…”
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Over
our past two visits we’ve talked about some of the differences,
both physical and psychological, between prey animal and predators.
I hope that these conversations have helped you to understand
some of he seemingly “unusual” behavior shown by
our llamas or alpacas, and helped you to realize that we cannot expect
to get any kind of satisfactory responses from them unless
we do a little homework first. Without a pretty good understanding
of the psychology of the prey animal, his instincts and motivations,
we’ll be stuck in the rut of dissatisfaction, frustration
and disappointment, a rut we will share with our llamas or alpacas.
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“Equality
is a concept which is unfathomable to a llama…”
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Last
month, I touched briefly upon the concept of equality, a concept
which is unfathomable to a llama, and we’ll go into this
a bit more in a moment, but first, I’d like to say something
about us, the humans. We all love these animals and, in our
hearts, want to do the very best for them. I truly believe
this, and it is one of the main reasons I travel so much,
trying to help people and llamas or alpacas with their relationships
with each other. Loving these wonderful animals is a great
place to start, but it is only a start. Love is not enough
to make them safe and enjoyable, or even understandable. We
have to learn the rules of this “alien” culture
if we’re to have success in training (I prefer “teaching”)
them.
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“Dominance
is simply a matter of responsible leadership…”
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One
of the most misunderstood words among aspiring trainers is
“dominance.” In our society, it has many negative
connotations, and rightfully so. For herd and pack animals,
though, it is the glue that holds them together. Dominance
has absolutely nothing to do with “beating an animal
into submission” or being heavy-handed in any way, rather,
it is simply a matter of responsible leadership. The “subdominant”
animals look to the dominant one for leadership and security.
There are many terms used to convey this simple concept —
“social order”, “dominance hierarchy”,
“pecking order”, but they all mean the same thing.
I try to stay away from technical or academic terms as much
as possible (do you really care if we’re using ”classic
conditioning”, “shaping”, “applied operant
conditioning”, etc. or would you rather concentrate on
helping your llama or alpaca learn to stand still for brushing?), so
use whatever feels best to you. Most people are very comfortable
with “social order,” but balk at “dominance
hierarchy” due to the aforementioned cultural bias against
“dominance.” I say all this to drive home a point
— that we cannot work our llamas or alpacas on an “equals”
basis and hope to have any success. The concept of equality
does not exist for a llama.
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“Within
the social order of a herd, every animal is either above
or below every other animal…”
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Within
the social order of a herd, every animal is either above or
below every other animal. It is a mistake on our part to think
that our llamas or alpacas are trying to “be the boss”, or,
as I often hear, “he’s wants to be #1 in our relationship.”
The truth is that he only wants to know what his number is,
so that he will know how to conduct himself. The llama or alpaca does
not need an equal or a playmate — he needs a boss. Not
a tyrant, not a dictator, but a benevolent leader who is willing
to assume the responsibilities of leadership and look after
the whole society (herd). This is what gives the herd animal
a feeling of security and safety. Understanding this basic
need of llamas or alpacas, their knowing where they fit in to the general
scheme of things is of utmost importance to anyone hoping
to successfully work with them safely and peacefully.
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“Leadership
is understood and respected…”
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Think
about the last time you saw your dominant female (or male)
kick one of its subordinates into “submission.”
Still thinking….? All it takes is a twitch of the ears
or way of the tail to get the attention of the others —
actual physical altercation is the exception, not the rule.
Leadership is understood and respected. Those animals that
are lower on the rung are not miserable, unhappy “punching
bags,” but content and well-adjusted members of their
society — because they have a leader. Okay, have you
had enough of that? Are you ready to take on the job of leader?
Will knowing that the llama or alpaca needs you in this role help you
overcome your natural reluctance to be “dominant”?
Good, I was hoping you’d say that!
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“What
does it take? Simplicity and consistency…”
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Now,
what does it take? Simplicity and consistency — repeat
after me…simplicity and consistency. These are the two
most important words in training (teaching). Let’s talk
about consistency, and why it is so important. Within the
herd, there are certain rules which must be obeyed (“don’t
steal my food”, don’t nurse me, I’m not your
mother”, “don’t breed me, I’m spoken for”,
etc.). These rules must be obeyed, unquestioningly, 100% of
the time; llamas and alpacas understand this concept and willingly
comply with the rules. We have to expect and demand the same.
“You will never spit at me or even threaten to spit at
me” is very easily understood and accepted by a llama.
“You may spit at, or threaten to spit at me, once in
a while, if I’m doing something you don’t like,
or if you’re pregnant, or if…” will only leave
the inconsistency. Imagine the following conversation:
“Okay, Mr./Ms. llama, here’s how it is from now
on, you are never to spit at me, or threaten to spit at me,
under any circumstances, understood?”
“What if I’m having a bad day — may I spit
at you then?”
“Nope.”
“What if I’m feeling my progesterone one day —
I can let you have one then, can’t I?”
“Nope.”
“How about if my testosterone levels are up and I’ve
just been fighting with another male; certainly that would
be an exception, wouldn’t it?”
“Nope.”
“But if you were fooling with my tail and I didn’t
like it, surely you’d understand my needing to spit then,
right?”
“Nope.”
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight — you’re
saying that I may NEVER spit at, or even threaten to spit
at you, under ANY circumstances, no matter WHAT?”
“Yep.”
“WOW, THANKS! That’s EASY! No problem! I sure appreciate
your clearing that up for me — I just never knew what
to do before, Thanks, Boss!
“You’re welcome.” More
about this next time. ’Til then… Happy
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