Chat
11-01-2014, 08:23 PM
Cuzco is such an inscrutable fellow--a study in contrasts. He has atrocious manners and spends a lot of his time growling and snarling at Phil and I, blocking my path to and from the goat pens, walking into me with his hackles raised, etc. I can fend him off, but he never really loses the bad attitude. Just this morning he got so bad with me that I had to flip him over and sit on him twice before he would leave me alone. It's been at least two years since I've had to do this!
On the other hand, you can't find a nicer, calmer, more obedient goat when you're actually working with him. I can trim his hooves without tying him, he stands perfectly for bathing and clipping without a stanchion, and if I have to give a goat shots, Cuzco is the one I want to give them to--he never flinches. Not even my horses stand as still as Cuzco when I'm saddling or harnessing, and they're pretty darned good. Cuzco stands without being tied though.
Today when we were dressing up goats in costumes, Cuzco was the calmest and most cooperative of the bunch. He patiently complied as I squeezed one tight gold necklace after another over his head and horn, and he stood perfectly still while I affixed a black cardboard van on either side. He let me attach a hairpiece to his horn, and then he stood still for the camera when I told him "woah!" He really wanted to follow me--I had cookies--but I'd said "woah" and to Cuzco "woah" means "woah"! He stood like a rock while that ridiculous costume blew up around his head and started flapping like a giant bird. Sometimes this old goat makes me so mad I'm ready for him to keel over any time he's ready, and other times he awes me with his impeccable obedience and good manners. He's a hard one to figure out!
On the other hand, you can't find a nicer, calmer, more obedient goat when you're actually working with him. I can trim his hooves without tying him, he stands perfectly for bathing and clipping without a stanchion, and if I have to give a goat shots, Cuzco is the one I want to give them to--he never flinches. Not even my horses stand as still as Cuzco when I'm saddling or harnessing, and they're pretty darned good. Cuzco stands without being tied though.
Today when we were dressing up goats in costumes, Cuzco was the calmest and most cooperative of the bunch. He patiently complied as I squeezed one tight gold necklace after another over his head and horn, and he stood perfectly still while I affixed a black cardboard van on either side. He let me attach a hairpiece to his horn, and then he stood still for the camera when I told him "woah!" He really wanted to follow me--I had cookies--but I'd said "woah" and to Cuzco "woah" means "woah"! He stood like a rock while that ridiculous costume blew up around his head and started flapping like a giant bird. Sometimes this old goat makes me so mad I'm ready for him to keel over any time he's ready, and other times he awes me with his impeccable obedience and good manners. He's a hard one to figure out!