Infatuation is a wonderful thing although it oft gets us in over our head. But I suppose if we weren't infatuated we wouldn't venture out. We wouldn't try things. Yet often when we get into the new adventure it is not what it seemed.

In a new venture we often don't appreciate quality. All fishing poles look the same to a non fisherman. All golf clubs look the same to me. But when we actually get into the sport we find out our success revolves around equipment that works and often we have to pay a little more for what does work.

I'm always looking for a new and better way to emphasize the secrets to successful llama packing. I suppose we often know the answer to things but prefer to live in our delusion until we find out the hard way. Sometimes it is fun to be deluded. How many girls have dreamed of being with Burt Reynolds or Rhett Butler and longed for the fulfillment of their dream. Yet if their dream
were fulfilled they would likely find it nothing like they dreamed. How many men dream of being pioneers or cowboys in the west, but if they were put in the real situation they would want to be back home. Yet if they never get the chance - their infatuation lives on. On the other hand we become infatuated with ideas that we can try and some times afterjumping in and hitting that initial shock of realism we find it is actually where we want to be - like my llama packing career and business for instance. No it is not exactly what I envisioned - there were hard bumps to cross - but after being here ten years it is still where I want to be. Folks who never llama pack often remain deluded about what will work for llama packing. Some of those folks got me into llama packing; They sold me llamas and said "there are no problems - anybody can do it."

We have heard love is better the second time around. This can mean many things but the meaning I want to focus on here is that sometimes we have to get hurt once before we focus on a new and similar adventure with hard realism. Our infatuation left us blind the first time and we broke our nose banging it on a closed door. After training a whole bunch of llamas to pack I have had my infatuation shattered many times. After purchasing llamas for reasons I think are good ones at the time, there comes the day of hard realism when the llama and I are in the rugged Rocky Mountains and we have an elevation gain of 1000 feet with a heavy load to pack. Or a mile of bushwhacking to get down and out of a deep canyon. This is hard realism. Can the llama do it or not?

After having some terribly frustrating trips I have decided to get to the hard realism as soon as possible in the llama packing business to try to avoid those headaches and frustrations for every- one. So we take our llamas up and down steep hills while we are training them to pack. I take the hard realism approach when training new folks in llama packing. Sometimes they don't like me because I put the realism up front. Sometimes I wonder if I come across like the "Soup Nazi" in Seinfeld. Often it is not the llama's fault a packing partnership is not working; it is the llama handler - and if I think that is true I tell them up front for their own benefit. And then we talk about how we can solve that problem too.

Getting back to "can the llama do it or not?" One of the first things you learn in a dog training book is "choose the right dog". Because how they arrive in the pecking order of the litter it will make them behave differently in their training and performance. Some dogs are physically disadvantaged. Some dogs just won't be good prospects to train. All the training in the world won't fix a llama that doesn't have what it takes in the first place.

I'm speaking primarily of body symmetry and movement. Many llamas are exhausted after walking a mile on a level trail. I'm not talking about heart because that is an elusive thing that most folks new to packing can't determine in a llama. There are a few llamas that are good from the get go but there are also those that are slugs at the start and become the very best packers. I have had many of those types and I have learned to train them to like to work. So a llama can be taught to like to work if they function properly physically and can be conditioned into a state of strength and endurance which makes packing easy for them. If they are not symmetrically constructed and are not an easy mover in the first place don't waste your time.

Some llamas are not suitable packing prospects. Also many llama folks are not suitable llama trainers (there's the llama Nazi thing). Some folks are good at training from the git go because of their nature like some llamas are good from the start. There are some personality traits needed for training llamas that some people just don't have and going to a TTeam or Malon clinic won't change that. I've trained a couple hundred llamas and I'm still leaming. Most people won't train more than five in a lifetime and it's not worth taking time to learn. Others just want to try so at some point will have to decide if they can finish the job. It takes practice and repetition to sharpen your skills. We've corrective trained llamas where TTeam or Malon methods didn't do the job. Some training techniques don't transfer from one person to another. Marty or John might be able to corrective train a llama I can't. Because of our nature something might work for me that won't work for you and visa versa.

The neat thing about packing with llamas is that it takes very little training for most of them. Folks that are new to llamas and want to train their own can do it with a simple hike several days a week. This does three things - It teaches the llama he/she has to follow you, it conditions them and gets them ready for the real thing, and it sorts them out if they don't have what it takes in the first place. You learn it here instead of on a real pack trip. We'll cover those three things.

1 - IT TEACHES THE LLAMA THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW.
Llamas are not human and they don't think like a human. Their whole existence revolves around the pecking order and who is over them and who is under them. To be successful with a llama you have to fit into the pecking order and be over them in at least the important areas. I am amused by the statement of trainers which say if you force a llama to do something they won't trust you the next time you want them to do something. In fact it is just the opposite. Llamas don't do things for you because you are sweet to them. This thinking appeals to humans because we want to think that a llama thinks in human terms and everything is fair in the world (which is not true anyway). If you want to be successful with llamas you have to think in llama terms - not human. Llamas fight for their spot in the pecking order. It doesn't seem fair but that's how it is!

Training is forcing a llama to do something except we often do it with subtle force that the llama doesn't recognize or understand. We do it with give and take but never enter into a contest - matching strength with the llama. If you match strength they learn they are stronger and are boss - not what you want. Llamas can't analyze many things we can. For instance if you have a tug of war with a llama trying to get him into a trailer he/she understands it is a contest. If you wait until the llama is relaxed and give a quick tug - kind of making them fall forward into the trailer - they don't understand what happened and think you have a magical power that will put you over them in the pecking order in that single situation. If you chase them around to get them into a pen - they understand how to avoid the catch pen. If you feed them in the catch pen and then walk over and quietly shut the gate - they can't analyze that. They just think you've magically caught them in the catch pen.

It only takes three times for a llama to learn something. When they're little we physically pick them up and put them in the trailer while another person gently holds the rope and keeps the slack out. After you do it three times they've got it and won't mistrust you. They will in fact then trust you and know they can and have to. They are pleased with their new skill sometimes as much as a child is at learning something new. I look at it as helping the llama in more than using force. It's like helping a child on a horse or holding them up on a bike.

What breeds distrust in a llama is trying to do something with them and in being unsuccessful you make an issue of it - attempt it repeatedly and still fail. This teaches a llama to distrust you. What you are doing doesn't make sense to the llama. And they think you are a stupid idiot (the same thing you are thinking about them). As soon as you see a method is not working you should stop immediately (don't worry about not winning that battle) and come back with a method that will work immediately. Then you haven't lost face with the llama.

The best thing a new llama packer can do is take their llama for a lot of hikes and focus on the work part of it as the main training tool. Forget the hocus pocus training. Just slowly introduce the llama to new things and see how they respond. If there is a problem don't make an issue out of it. Get some professional help either in advice as to a better approach, attend a training seminar, or have your llama finished by a professional.

2- IT CONDITIONS THEM AND GETS THEM READY FOR THE REAL THING
Many problems with llamas are not real problems - they are just the llama being young and foolish. Like a young person a young llama has a lot of extra energy to expend and may like to jump around when you are saddling them or fight the rope or whatever. Many times the best thing is to ignore the problem and work around it. At some point in time the llama will realize it is
wasted energy and quit. The old wet saddle blanket theory works with llamas as well as horses. Lots of walks makes a good pack llama. All of the training in the world will never make him a good pack llama if he doesn't get the walks and conditioning. Now if there are problems - they might need some training or the owner might need some - or perhaps you don't have the disposition to be a trainer and you are better to let a trainer train them. You can decide at that
point. Many llamas don't really need training - per say. Good hikes will take care of everything - the packing comes natural.

3- AND IT SORTS THEM OUT IF THEY DON'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES IN
THE FIRST PLACE!!!!
Hard realism comes in two forms.
1- The llama doesn't have what it takes physically to begin with or
2 - The handler doesn't have what it takes. The second problem might be solvable.

Unfortunately most folks don't face up to this until they are on a real pack trip and end up in terrible frustration. You won't believe the stories I've heard from folks that are over their infatuation. One of the stories includes some new packers that packed their poorly conditioned llamas down into the Grand Canyon and had to hire horse packers to haul the gear out. They in fact had trouble getting their llamas out empty. Another one packed into Hells Canyon. One man actually drug his llama up the mountain while refusing to believe it was tired until it died.

Many folks have brought me what they thought were impossible llamas to see what I could do. Of course the llama thought they were an impossible handler and many of those llamas were straightened out with a positive and very effective approach that teaches them that a human must be followed and can make sense to them. Once a llama understands very clearly what is expected and thinks you are their herd leader - they will do it and be happy to be in herd harmony with you. One such llama spit on me and kicked me and tried to chest butt me and knock me down the first day. I hog tied him and threw a tarp over his head. When I came back in thirty minutes he knew I was the herd leader. I don't recommend this method for amateurs but I learned it from an experienced mule packer and have used it successfully on a few occasions. The llama learned I was herd boss without any retaliation or violence on my part - just a simple restraint. We got him right into the work routine. On the third day while climbing the mountain with him, he wanted to stick his nose in my face. I thought he wanted to spit at first but saw something new in his demeanor. Sometimes we have to let a llama spit on us and not retaliate to teach them we mean them no harm. So I thought "I will take that risk". I held still and acted unafraid as spitfire stuck his nose to mine. Instead of spitting he slowly blew into my nostrils telling me all is well now. I blew back softly and we both then relaxed and were good friends. We understood each other now.

I have had my dreams of a llama being a packer shattered many times and that is why I now approach it with hard realism and do the hikes up a mountain. I have written books and guidelines in selection of llamas which are very helpful. I have published many tips for beginners on my web site at www.packllama2OOO.com.

I am now pretty effective at selecting only llamas that will work but still the only way to tell for sure is to take them up the hill and see if they have got what it takes. Then if they won't go - decide if it is a physical disadvantage or if more conditioning is needed.

We take our experienced packers up the hill each spring to condition them and check them out. It saves us a lot of frustration. Each year we have to leave one or two llamas home out of the thirty packers because they can't cut the mustard this year. After having them lay down when they didn't do it before we will almost always find a physical problem they didn't have before. An inherited waddly gait might evolve in a five or six year old llama that got along fine at three and four. You might see that this llama has weak pastems now for some reason or in a closer inspection find that the llama is suffering from foot rot. With proper treatment the foot rot can be healed and the llama will pack next year but for inherited weaknesses there often is no solution.

My first pack trip was an ordeal and I blame it on llama folks that told me there were "no problems with llama packing and anyone could do it." That is why I approach new llama folks with "Here are the problems" and "This is how you avoid them." I wanted to hold on to my llama packing dream so I found solutions to the problems I encountered and I am still here after training nearly 300 llamas and packing with llamas for over ten years. I don't really believe any mistake or setback is wasted if we learn from it. At some point we just have to do it to really learn and never really learn until we do. The important thing is that we try it and make it through a few setbacks. Then we can be a better llama packer and remain - in "our infatuation".

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