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2008
Next session starts March 3
If you are not sure camp is for your cria,
read these
comments from prior classes!
Praise from owner of recent graduate of Camp Cria:
"I just wanted to let
you know that Tahoe did very well at the show in Albany the
previous weekend. He got in and out of the trailer without much
coaxing and he did very well on the lead. In the ring, he was
fairly calm and showed well. Tahoe has a great personality to
start with, but I'm sure the training had very much to do with
his confidence and comfort level in doing all the things we ask
these alpacas to do when we take them to shows. It sure makes
the whole show less stressful for me too." ~ John-Alpacas at
Paradise Pointe
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Hello!
If you were to visit White Oak Alpacas any Monday, Wednesday or
Friday you would see first-hand just how much fun a group of campers
at the new 'Camp Cria' can have while learning!
Currently in their last
week of a 6-week long class several newly weaned crias, ranging in
ages from 6-8 months old, have been haltered, trained to understand
a signal and are now leading over, under and around obstacles
outside of a catch pen.
These series of
lessons will provide a foundation meant to be built upon as
preparation for upcoming Shows and the necessities of herd
management. They will culminate in a final class we are calling
Graduation Day!
Building trust
between the handler and alpaca can be a very fun, rewarding process.
Newly added to Camp
Cria for the Fall is a half-day Handler's Class . In this
class the owners will learn about safe halter fit, how to use their
body positioning to their advantage to get close to their animals
without a fight and the uses of the new
Halter Helper
in conjunction with the mid-line catch.
Graduation Day
is the final class where the cria's owners will be present to learn
more about leading and be able to participate in either a mock show
or have fun in The Alpaca Confidence Course.
Our goal is to build
trust between the handler and the animal by eliminating some of the
layers of fear associated with the unknown, such as, being in a show
ring, trailering, getting their photo taken (after all we know all
of them will be winning ribbons!), walking over new surfaces and
showing teeth and fleece.
Of course, an
important precursor to training is weaning your cria and that is the
initial service being offered.
Karin Finch, owner of
White Oak Alpacas, is aware that small alpaca breeders often
do not have the land and extra animals available to wean their crias
separately from their mother.
As a service to the
local alpaca community Karin is offering her beautiful, 30-acre
ranch in Woodland, Washington as a location to send your cria for
weaning! The first week at White Oak Alpacas is orientation week.
The cria is being weaned while he/she gets to know his/her new
classmates. There is little hands-on work and the focus is
familiarizing the cria with daily routines.
Below is more
information regarding the benefits of this new weaning and training
service.
To find out more
about weaning:
Why Do We Wean?
As Head Trainer at
White Oak Alpacas and
Camelidynamics Practitioner
for our region, I will be on
hand to provide your cria with handling and training classes in
conjunction with the weaning service.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Miller
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"Don Avante walked confidently beside
my wheelchair while Magic took in the sights...Wow! I couldn't
believe this was happening...We are amazed at the difference in
their attitudes and character! Thank You!" ~ Don-Lewis River
Alpacas |
6-weeks of
handling and training lessons by a certified
Camelidynamics
Practitioner,
Tiffany Miller!
All alpacas
will be treated as individuals and trained according to the
Camelidynamics Philosophy: Kind, Respectful, Efficient and
Fun
The first week
on the ranch for the cria will be low-key. Being away from mom
will be scary and the focus at White Oak Alpacas will be calmly
reassuring them of the new routine, meeting new friends and
playing.
Benefits include:
- Calming influence
- Weaning and Training done
for YOU!
- Cria learns to accept human
touch
- Cria worked with as an
individual
- Training is done in a group
to reduce fear
- Free black Zephyr halter
for the show ring
Preparation for Show Season and Herd
Management tasks:
- Introduction to catch pen
- Introduction to haltering
- Introduction to leading
- Introduction to obstacle
courses and other training aids
- Handler's Class.
This half-day class will introduce owner's to the importance
of safe halter fit, how to use body positioning to get close
to the animals without a fight and the uses of the new Halter
Helper in conjunction with the mid-line catch.
- Graduation Day: Mock
Show or The Alpaca Confidence Course. The last day of class is
hands-on learning for owners to practice 'showing' their cria
or learning to use obstacles to further educate the animals!
See White Oak Alpacas
Mock Show from 2005 and The
Alpaca
Confidence Course at the AROW's
Alpaca Affaire 2006.
Lessons are:
- Taught 3 times a week (M,W,F)
- Begin slowly with an
introduction to handling and learning the new routine
- Always approached with the
safety and well-being of the cria in mind, as well as the goal
of building trust in humans and preparing for Show
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The Alpaca and Llama Handler
Email Tiffany
Tiffany Miller 360-254-2163
Email Karin
Karin Finch 360-263-7214
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Next Camp
Cria to be annouced
Cost is $375
per cria ($25 non-refundable deposit)
This price includes all regular
maintenance and care for 6-weeks as well as the 6-week training
lessons, a free Zephyr halter, Handler's Class where you will
learn more about Camelidynamics methods and Graduation Day class
where you will participate in a Mock Show or The Alpaca
Confidence Course.
Class is open to male or female
crias. Crias must be:
- Between 6-8 month of age
- At least 60 lbs.
- Up to date on worming and shots (for
more details speak with Karin)
- Eating hay and grain
We look forward to providing you, the
small alpaca breeder, with a helpful service and look forward to
speaking with you!
Please call or email today as space is
very limited!
Sincerely,
Tiffany Miller, Karin Finch |
