How to House Train a Goat

Keeping a goat inside requires patience and training.

You might want to house train a goat for many reasons. Often, kids (baby goats) that must be bottle-fed are kept in the house to simplify feedings. Sometimes, a favorite goat might be injured and need to be separated from the herd until she has recovered. People choose to keep a goat indoors much like others would keep a cat or dog. No matter the reason, you probably will want to house train your goat if you keep it inside. The good news: you can train a goat to hold its urine. The bad news: because of the way a goat's digestive tract works, she probably will not ever be able to control her bowel movements.

Instructions

1. Start training your goat when she is a young kid. Feed and water her on a schedule because, like any baby, goat kids tend to urinate and defecate shortly after eating.

2. Take your goat outside to a designated spot after she drinks and eat and every two hours thereafter. Tell her to "Go potty," or choose an easy command that you prefer. When she successfully urinates or defecates, praise her, scratch her ears and give her a treat.

3. Watch the goat for signs that your goat may wish to return outside, such as pawing or staring at the door or at you. Open the door and accompany the kid to her potty spot once she starts to understand what you wish for her to do. Continue to praise and reward the goat when she goes potty outside. Ignore it when she makes indoor mistakes, but clean them up quickly.

4. Train your goat to ring a bell when she wants to go out. Hang a bell near the door where the goat can reach and ring it each time before you open the door. React immediately when the goat begins to ring the bell on her own, this way she will understand that her ringing will cause you to open the door.

Tips & Warnings

• Goats sometimes are hesitant to indicate that they wish to go outside, so have patience.

• Goats do not have the same kind of bowel control that dogs or humans have and so cannot be completely trained to defecate on command. However, their poop is pelleted, very easy to clean up, and does not make a mess or have a very strong odor.