[basilbunny]

Hello everyone! To protect my id, you can call me Basil. I'm a sophomore in high school and this is my first year showing a sheep in FFA.
I've had my wether for 3 1/2 days, and it's time for halter breaking and antifungal bathing. Which would be fine, except he refuses to be touched.
He had his tail docked before I got him and had to be aggressively handled after a choking incident yesterday (neither of which I did), so his experience with handling isn't exactly positive.
He's warming up with sniffing/biting my jeans and boots, and knows I bring him food. My concern is, I have to get started with my showmanship duties with him, but he's still so nervous. I fear I need more time than I have, since we're making progress he just isn't quite there yet.
Any tips on how to handle him?

(P.S: This is him! His name is Bandit.)

 

[muleskinner2]

Put a halter on him and start leading him. Waiting isn't going to make it any easier. He won't like it at first, but he will learn fast. I use ginger snap cookies as treats, when I am teaching a goat or sheep anything.

 

[Pony]

Put a halter on him and start leading him. Waiting isn't going to make it any easier. He won't like it at first, but he will learn fast. I use ginger snap cookies as treats, when I am teaching a goat or sheep anything.

Heck, if they're good gingersnaps, I'd be more willing to learn, too. Especially if you include some good mascarpone.

@basilbunny, how old is your wether?

@muleskinner2 is right. You may as well just bite the bullet and get that lead on him. Be absolutely as calm as you can, do not treat him harshly - but be firm. Make your sessions with him short to start out. No more than 10 minutes at a time.

If he doesn't care for gingersnaps, you can try animal crackers or peanut butter crackers. A bit of sweet feed can be helpful.

Once he figures out that cooperation = treats, don't reinforce every time he does the right thing. Intermittent reinforcement is far more powerful than consistent reinforcement.

ETA:: Best of luck with your new wether!