What’s the trick to keeping them following along, tether them? My luck as a first time Shepherd, I would have these suckers scattered all over a mountain side to the point I’d be so frustrated, I just start shooting them hoping some would get the message that Noah ain’t playing around with loading the Ark. 😎
and so far at least, wouldn’t think of getting out of sight. Only time I’ve ever leashes them was for training creek crossing. I’ve yet to tie them up at night for camping but that is coming. They come when called too.
Here's an interesting contrast between goats and llamas. The WORST thing you can do with a baby male llama is get it bonded to you. Males that bond later get what's called Berserk Llama Syndrome. Males constantly fight for dominance and they play rough. At about 18 months, they start hitting sexual maturity and they start the dominance fighting. If they've bonded, they can't differentiate between people and other llamas and they will fight the people, too. It's a pain at best and they can get dangerous. Castrating doesn't help and they never get over it.
I have one of them like that. I took him off the hands of a young couple with kids before someone got hurt. He was 2 at the time. I told them that I'd try to make a packer out of him but if I failed, we'd eat him. They were glad to see him go. He's big and has turned into a pretty decent packer but I never take my eyes off of him in the pasture. He could chest bump me and knock me flat. He's twice my weight. I treat him rough and he respects me. He'll try to get in my way when I'm doing something and I knee him in the belly. I've whacked him with a stick many times. Llamas constantly push, bite, and spit at each other so I'm not doing anything they don't do themselves. I put up with his nonsense because he's a good packer but I always keep him in the lead where I can control him. You don't put your best llama in the lead. You put the worst one there where you have him in hand if he pulls any stunts. You put the best one in back somewhere where he can help keep the others in line.
This might turn off some people to llamas but it's just a matter of learning the animals before you get into it. A llama raised normally will never get this. It's bottle fed ones or ones that are handled a lot as babies that are the problem. You can halter train a baby without a problem. It's the petting and cuddling that brings it on. Let Mama raise him normally and you'll never see it.
