training with Ace

Lately, Ace and I are having more one-on-one opportunities to do training sessions.

Usually, Rocky is right beside him, and any attempt to interact with Ace is disrupted by - you guessed it - his little buddy, Rocky!

Rocky always wants what Ace or Baxter has, so he inserts himself with a “me too! me too!” look on his face and breaks any encounter I’m trying to have.

I don’t fault him.  Rocky is the sweetest and most enthusiastic boy, but sometimes Ace and Baxter appreciate a break. 😉
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​So, I have to be crafty about it and distract Rocky with some food and sneak Ace out of the paddock so we can train.  

This video begins with our early days of training, and my gosh Ace was so little!!

It was Spring 2024.  Baxter and Ace had spent the winter in the main paddock, and I could tell that Ace was bored.  

It was at least six weeks before we could open the pastures up for grazing, so I thought I would engage with Ace with some enrichment games, knowing it would stimulate him if he was interested.

Ace took to the challenge and liked the one-on-one focus as well as the reward: alpaca “cookies”  — his favorite!

Jump ahead to now, and we’re still at it with our enrichment training.

Ace can perform five actions:

• take a bow,
• walks around me,
• walks around a single object,
• walks around two objects,
• turns around in a circle (his personal favorite).

During our farm visits, when Ace finds out we have alpaca “cookies,” he’ll start turning around or will take a bow to solicit being rewarded - talk about a smart alpaca!  
(Let me know if Ace did that for you when you visited our farm!)

With winter looming on the horizon and pasture grass becoming dormant, the alpacas will spend more time in their paddocks.

Despite the onset of winter, Ace will still enjoy opportunities to get out of his paddock (and away from Rocky) to spend time practicing with me.