Mr. Moon Explores the World

[MellonFriend]

The more outings Moon has, and the more experiences, the better companion and packgoat he'll be. He'll learn from a young age that he can safely be near people and dogs and bicycles and traffic and noises without panicking. He'll learn to be curious instead of timid. He'll learn that people are friendly and fun to be with. They're usually nervous the first few times out, but they soon get more confident. I like getting this kind of socialization done when they are very small and I can more easily hang onto them. It's hard to control a panicked goat that has already reached "giant beast" status! I encountered a little of that with Sonic and Scout, my current 3-year-olds. They were COVID babies so all the events I would normally have taken them to were canceled in 2020 and even in 2021. It was 2022 before I was able to get them to some public events, and by then they were very large and had huge horns! We got through it, but I don't know if they'll ever be as cool and confident in public as goats that were introduced to new settings as babies. Sonic might be, but he has an incredibly laid-back personality and a natural affection for humans. Scout is not as trusting and is somewhat high strung, so he will probably always be a bit suspicious in unfamiliar situations.

I really appreciate your advice!

I'm going to try and take him out at as much as I can to help build his confidence.  He's already doing so great that I think he's going to really excel at this given enough exposure.  I should also try and have him around our own dogs to get him used to them too; that would probably help.  I guess I don't have to worry quite as much about being able to control him as an adult since my wethers are probably half the size of yours.