Low Stress Livestock Handling - In Practice
By Denice Rackley
We discussed the Low Stress Livestock Handling method, first brought to light by Bud Williams, is centered on mutual communication. By understanding the interactions and movement of stock with each other, we can build trust and respect allowing us to manage our stock without stress. We can have our idea, become their idea.
Stock use movement to communicate with each other and us. Understanding what their actions are saying enables us to interact in a way they understand. Accurate communicate lowers stress leading to healthier stock.
By exploring the principles of why LSLH works, and what role our positioning plays in communication we can learn to open channels of communication, improving our management skills and our bottom line.
PRINCIPLES OF LSLH
These principles about livestock explain ‘WHY’ LSLH works
1. Animals need to be in a Normal mindset
2. Force alters mindset
3. Our idea becomes their idea
4. Animals want to avoid pressure so we must learn when to release pressure
5. Stock want to be in a Herd
6. Livestock want to move in the direction they are headed
7. Stock prefer to follow other animals
8. Good Movement attracts Good Movement
9. Animals want to see what’s pressuring them
10. Livestock want to see where you want them to go
11. Animals want to go by you or around you
12. Under extreme pressure, livestock want to go back where they came from
Understanding these principles will allow you to understand and practice the techniques rather than copying someone else’s directions or movements.
MOVEMENT IS COMMUNICATION
Williams believed, “The Way we move, How we move, and Where we move to are important when communicating with animals. If you move properly, animals will respond properly. Your position is everything.”
When we are out of position, we confuse the animals. Proper position is all the pressure that is needed. Communicate involves applying and releasing pressure. Releasing pressure rewards animals for moving in the correct direction.
For animals to work in low stress manner, they must be calm and thinking, not simply reacting. We forget this. As soon as we become frustrated, we push harder, the exact opposite of what should happen.
When animals react rather than think, their survival instinct kicks in. They become defensive, anxious, fearful, panicked, and unpredictable. Why do they get this way? We handle them incorrectly, attempting to force them. LSLH teaches us to communicate and prepare our animals, setting up every situation, so our idea becomes their idea.
Knowing prey animals feel more relaxed in a herd, we need to make being in a herd a pleasant, safe place to be. Unfortunately, our mishandling causes animals to become anxious while in a herd. We teach them it’s being in a herd is unpleasant by pushing them into crowded alleys or applying continual pressure to make them move somewhere.
Keep in mind the principles of LSLH; most stock wants to be in a herd, they move in the direction they are headed and follow other animals. These behaviors enable us to properly approach them, at the correct angle, and get them headed in the direction we want.
If we start movement in the correct direction calmly, we are likely to get the entire group up and moving quietly. However, if we are off in our position, making the first few animals get up anxiously or split, we might have tough time getting them lined out again.
Using the knowledge that animals want to go by you or around you allows us to place ourselves in a crowded pen, knowing that animals will speed up if you are walking toward them – front to back/ heads to rear. Animals slow down if you are moving with them, going in the same direction - moving from their rear to the heads.
MOVEMENT AND POSITION SPECIFICS
Effective communication results in animals willingly responding.
How do we get to that point? Good technique.
The purpose of the techniques of LSLH is to put us in the proper position so livestock move easily. Learning communication techniques begins with understanding animals’ flight zone, pressure zone, and point of balance.
Flight Zone, Pressure Zone and Point of Balance
Understanding how animals move and why they move is crucial to understanding and applying LSLH. We must learn where their flight zones, pressure zones, and point of balance are located. These critical areas are not static. To complicate matters, these three areas change with individuals and circumstances.
An animals’ flight zone is similar to its personal space. A flight zones indicates how close you can be before the animal start to move away. This flight zone varies within breeds and with individuals. Tamer animals generally do not have much of a flight zone, so they remain clam as you approach. Animals that have had fewer pleasant experience with humans will have a larger flight zone. They react quicker to our presence and generally are less trusting.
A pressure zone is the area between the distance from the stock where we have no effect and the edge of their flight zone. In other words, if we work within their pressure zone, our movement will affect their movement. If we work outside this zone, our movement will have no impact.
*****The direction an animal takes depends on where and how pressure is applied. Pressure toward the animals’ shoulders, and any spot forward of the animal’s shoulder, will encourage the animal to turn away from pressure. Pressure toward their hip and rear end will encourage them to speed up. Walking off to the side and the same direction with animals encourages them to slow down. Walking against the flow, encourages them to speed up going past us. Taking pressure off can encourage them to slow down and may have them looking at us. (These points are Key to Understand)
Another location to understand is point of balance. Point of balance is pressure at certain location that stops movement. Point of balance is also by applying the correct amount of pressure in the proper location keeps consistent movement.
If you have worked a horse off lead in a round pen all these pressure points are at work. Border Collies with natural instinct that work livestock understand these pressure points, how to read stock applying and releasing pressure, as they move the herd. How else could one dog keep a herd of flock of animals moving in the direction you asked for? Working dogs with great stock sense can teach us an immense amount about pressure points, and applying and release of pressure. Working dogs that fly in and bite can teach us what not to do.
Once we understand pressure, balance, and flight zones, we can begin to move animals employing these instinctual responses.
“The way we move, how we move, and where we move to are important to communicate with animals. If you move properly the animal will respond properly. Your position is everything!”
Bud Williams
STRAIGHT LINES
When we move in straight lines our intentions are easily read helping to keep animals in a normal mindset and build trust. Williams would say, “Positively commit to a direction and maintain a straight line; livestock then understand what you want.”
Our moving toward an animals’ side at an angle, in effect applying pressure, while zigzagging behind the herd will drive the herd forward in a relatively straight line. The actual sharpness of the angle and how far across to the widest spread animals in the herd we walk depends on the animals’ response. Their response is dictated by their sensitivity and past experiences.
Animals that are used to people will be less sensitive. They will require a sharper angle, ie more pressure, and us not going as far to the outside of the herd as we zigzag, thus maintaining pressure. Essentially, we need to apply more pressure with a shaper angle when animals are used to our presence.
More sensitive animals have a larger flight zone, they are more worried about our presence. These animals require a flatter angle which applies less pressure. Flatter angles allowing us to go father across the herd when moving a large group.
The zigzag enables us to generate movement from the rear. To propel animals in a particular direction we need to position ourselves behind them at a 90 degree angle to our target. Zigzagging behind the herd in a ‘T’ toward our target it will help us keep straight lines. This approach clearly shows the animals where we want them to go.
Driving cattle forward using the zigzag pattern will result in them moving away in a straight line, if our angles and positioning are correct. Every animal must move ahead as you pass behind it. If one doesn’t move, you need to apply pressure directly to that individual until it does move thus teaching it to be responsive.
Focus on driving by working back and forth on the middle third or half the herd, stay in the center area as you zigzag. If you start good animal movement up the center of the group it draws animals from the sides into the center. Widen out going father to the sides if animals are not moving toward the center or not walking forward. You will know if you are going out to far to the side if you are cutting animals off or animals in the lead begin to turn.
TURNING
We have discussed that when driving cattle from the rear with straight zigzag lines they move away straight at a 90 degree angle to the baseline of zigzag. To change their direction all we need to do is change the position of our baseline.
If we want the cattle to turn left, we shift to the right side, walking behind the herd at 90 degrees to where we want them to go. This releases pressure to those cattle on the left which slows then down and increases pressure for those on the right speeding them up. The cattle on the right move faster away from us and bend around the slower animals. This method works great when moving cattle by yourself.
If there are two people, then the one of the left side would slow down releasing pressure to the left side of the herd. The person the right applies more pressure, adjusting his speed and angle depending on how sharp of a turn is needed, which will bend the cattle on the right around those cattle on the left.
REGULATE SPEED
To slow animals down we walk with them, the same direction, in their pressure zone. This may sound incorrect, but it works because as we are walking with them they slow down to look at us as we pass their balance point. They may also stop allowing us to pass them.
Decreasing the angle of our zigzag and backing up can slow or stop animals since we are taking off pressure. Backing up, relieving pressure, can stop animals that want to break back. Most people go forward toward animals to attempt to block, but that makes livestock more determined to go around us.
Walking against their direction of movement speeds animals up. Why? Because animals want to continue in the same direction, following other animals, and they want to get around us as we enter their pressure zone. Moving against their direction works well to drive from the side.
We can speed animals up by sharpening the angle of our zigzag. Increasing our speed and/or increasing our presence, working closer to the animals, speeds them up. Another way to speed animals up is pressure applied to their sides behind the balance point. Stepping in toward them applies pressure. but we have to step out, releasing pressure, after they have done as asked.
Stepping out releasing pressure is critical to them understanding what it is we are asking. We are ‘teaching’ them how to respond and to understand what we are asking as we apply and release pressure. Stepping out is crucial, release of pressure rewards the animals for the correct movement.
Stepping away also draws the next animals forward. This is very effective at loading chutes or going through gates. Stepping aside draws animals past you which is useful when sorting.
ROCKING
Rocking back and forth from foot to foot can affect the movement of stock also. Rocking can stop animals coming at you, turn animals that are looking at you, and drive animals ahead. This works well in confined spaces like alleyways. To turn and drive animals while rocking you may need to come forward. Rocking while backing up may help to slow animals that are coming toward you quickly.
CORRECT ANGLE
Williams’ experience showed him that animals respond well to pressure at 45 degree angle. This is especially important getting animals out of corners.
Learning how our position and movement affects animals is essential to working them calmly. When we are in their pressure zone, we affect their movement. Applying these methods of working in straight lines, zigzag behind the middle of the herd to drive them forward, applying pressure at the correct angle, and releasing pressure when stock are moving correctly, we build our steering wheel.
The accelerator and brake are regulated with our angle and speed, as well as moving with, or against the animals’ flow, and stepping back or to the side. Everything hinges on being observant and learning how to work within the animals’ pressure zone and understanding their balance point.
While the diagrams will help you picture the needed positioning, learning where the pressure and balance points are requires practice. Keep the principles in mind and spend time watching the animals interact with each other. Movement by a stock dog or while on a horse has similar impacts. It all takes practice to perfect.
LSLH teaches us to work through animals’ minds, not their body. Learning to communicate with livestock, making your idea become their idea, will revolutionize your operation.
