OT: Christmas with llamas

Re: OT: Christmas with llamas

Barry Irby

They appear very attentive, Waiting for instruction from Big Boss Big Boss Llama.

Re: OT: Christmas with llamas

Mike Hunter

What a great picture. All three are looking for something. Are they treat motivated and hoping that you have one for each of them?

lucky shot

John K Jordan

>>>What a great picture. All three are looking for something. Are they treat motivated and hoping that you have one for each of them?

It would be fun (but dishonest!) to pretend they were attentive and waiting for instruction. Llamas and alpacas generally just ignore you and move away if you even look at them too hard!

I did have a pocket full of feed pellets for a snack and to distract them if they get antsy, but llamas generally don't anticipate treats or get "mouthy" like horses or donkeys if they think you might have something in a pocket. (Training equines with treats is a terrible method.) But when I hold out a few pellets of feed they gladly take what I give them then go back to being aloof!

I actually had to work to get them all in a picture at the same time, let alone have even one look at me - all they wanted to do was get back in the trailer and go home! It took four shots but we got lucky on that picture.

Unlike dogs, llamas don't care one bit if you are pleased or not. Twice I've taken llamas for studio shoots for TV commercials and they are always frustrating - the last one needed a shot of a runner on the starting line who was supposed to look to his right at a llama, also at the starting line for the race. After about 10 takes with the llama refusing to even stand still a miracle occurred - as the athlete looked to his right the camera zoomed out to show the llama who not only was standing still but just at that moment turned and looked right at the runner!

The Christmas parades are fun, mostly because of how excited the kids get. The biggest problem is the dogs people bring, their archenemies. The llamas will let usually me know there is a dog long before I see it.

Hey, for any single guys out there wanting to meet girls, a llama is a guaranteed chick magnet.

JKJ

Re: lucky shot

John Jordan

Is that wood shavings stuffed in your neck?

John

Re: lucky shot

John K Jordan

>>>Is that wood shavings stuffed in your neck?

It wouldn't be unusual. However, I think it's a parking place for tinsel for the alpaca's neck.

JKJ