Dexters have retained their thinking, negotiating and instinctual characteristics- which makes an unhandled animal quite a handful.., but a handled and trained animal a pleasure to work around for young and old alike.
The ability of Dexters to retain training is amazing. What this means is that if you spend time, while they are young and train them to do things such as lead, tie, stand for grooming and washing, pick up each foot and let you hold the leg, allowing you to handle the udder as well as exposure to strange, new and somewhat scary situations.., and then turn them out with the herd.., it is very likely that you can bring them back in after a few months and they will remember all of their training - the good AND the bad parts!
Showing Dexters is just one of the large number of reasons to put the time into training your Dexters. Showing allows you to have a professional set of eyes look at your breeding stock and give you their opinion on the way your breeding program is headed. Sometimes when you breed cattle you end up with some favorite animals that are not necessarily superior examples of the breed and it is important to realize this IF you are breeding for that "superior" animals.
For more information on training look for our instructional booklets coming soon. If you want more hands on training - attend one of our clinics here at Freedom Farms. We also take animals in for training. Contact us for details.