Ok.
The thoughts that I have in mind.
Separation: This has to be equally trained. Taking one away doesnt mean the other individual accepts and vice versa. Slow process and small approximations in a controlled setting will help you. For example:
One trainer has goat 1 and the other goat 2. You get out of the exhibit and directly go back into the exhibit. When you go out the goat that stays is reinforced heavily for staying and accepting. The other goat is reinforced heavily for leaving. You go back right away. You can build this up in time. But importantly you always reinforce both animals for accepting the situation. A common trainers problem is pushing this to hard and therefore it get’s worse.
The other challenge:
What you want to focus on is the behaviour you reinforce. They jump on you, ignore, ask a target and reinforce again. This will help to refocus. The food problem, is another one to crack. You need to teach them patience. When you wait you get more when you don’t there is nothing. Eye focus is what you need here. Catch them doing it right is something I say often. This means that they can do the right thing in a split second. You have to recognise quickly and reinforce accordingly.
What will help is the following:
– dont train with a bucket.
– keep your hands out of your pocket if you dont intend to reinforce.
– have reinforcement at different places instead of your pockets so you can walk there to reinforce. Use different positioning which makes it variable for you and the goat and predictable patterns aren’t there.
– use the same food source as they get in their “free” time.
Another thing it to think about what you want from the goats and do the goats understand this? Do you go too fast?
If you work in a team setting do all trainers understand the same criteria you ask? Do they respond the same way when situations become more challenging? Those are the first questions I try to answer to become more clear to the individuals.
From here I like to start to plan the program. Let me know if that helps?
Send me a video if you can so I can help in more detail.
