Use a wand and a light connection through a lightweight lead to teach your alpaca to really learn to listen to cues from the handler. Teach your alpaca to take one step at a time in response to a very light cue on the lead. Use the wand to help him understand that you want one step no more. This will help your animal when it comes to showing!

try this to show the bite: fold your lead in the right hand and put the right hand on the midline of the neck or just on the other side of the neck step forward with your right leg in front of the chest to steady the animal. Use your left hand to part the lips and show the teeth. Easier for the animal and much easier for a shorter person.

Use obstacles along with a longer lead to teach your animal to walk in balance and pay attention. Obstacles--- really a better word is opportunities for learning-- can teach teamwork and confidence!

Always adjust your catch rope so that it is high and snug. It will be much easier to use it to balance the animals head to work with the mouth and for balancing the head for haltering.

Use a holster for your toenail nippers and wear it where you need it... on your leg! You can use your spare hand to help the animal stay in balance and once the foot is up and the animal is in balance get your nippers and trim.

Use the bracelet when you need to balance an animal for any kind of examination. The bracelet uses the principles of balance and leverage to help an animal stand without using force. The hands are just behind the ears and behind the bottom lip. The webbing of the hands is making contact with the animal.

Take the halter off standing at the side of your animal with one hand on the crown piece and the other on the nose band. Lift the nose band up and off of the nose, and continue to hold both the nose band and the crown piece in each hand. Use the halter around the neck to balance the animal and when you are ready let go of the crown piece. Using this technique you can take a halter off so that the llama won't learn to back out of the halter and break away from the handler.