Clicker Training Goats

Clicker Training is a marvelous positive training method for all species, including goats! Whenever people ask me how they can gain their new goats’ trust I always suggest Clicker Training. Animals respond more to kindness, food and positive reinforcement than to being chased, forced and punished into submission. You can’t force a shy goat to willingly come to you, nor can you rush it, but you CAN win it over if you’re patient and creative. Goats are by nature prey animals so it’s their instinct to flee from perceived danger, including new people. YOU CANNOT CHANGE A GOAT’S NATURAL INSTINCT! But by using clicker training and other positive training methods you can win your goat’s trust, love and loyalty and have fun doing it. You can also train things such as walking calmly on a leash, being milked, having hooves trimmed and a lot more, including fun tricks. I encourage you to check out the links below for more info, then get yourself a simple clicker and your goats’ favorite treats and let the fun begin!

This is me (Kim) learning to train goats at the KPA Ranch in Washington, during the 2022 Across All Species clicker training course. My goat for the week was Corgi, a Nigerian Dwarf wether. Corgi is a very smart and fun boy and taught me a lot. Now I’m ready to teach my own goats!

Goat Training Demo by Ken Ramirez

Resources for Clicker Training Goats

Clickers can be found at Karen Pryor Clicker Training.They are very inexpensive.

Dog Training Platforms are fantastic training aids for goats, who naturally love to climb. I had seen these in photos but never understood the value of them until I attended the Across All Species clicker training course at the KPA Ranch. The very first day I trained a goat with the platform I came home and ordered 6 of them for my goats and dogs.

Good treats for training are hay pellets, horse treats, animal crackers, raisins, sunflower seeds, fruit or any food your goat loves!