Drinking Post Training Guide
There’s one question we sometimes get when it comes to the Drinking Post… “Is my animal smart enough to learn this thing?”. It’s a fair question since the Drinking Post requires the animal to activate the water flow. But, the answer is YES! Your animal is smart enough to learn the Drinking Post (and no, it doesn’t matter how old or stubborn they are). Most people think transitioning to the Drinking Post will take a long period of training – especially since most animals are accustomed to a stock tank or trough. However, it’s much, much easier than you might think… almost too easy, in fact – a most people who have issues with training are just doing too much! In this article I’m going to outline training for you and give you some helpful tips and tricks as well. Once you’ve read this, you’ll have all the info you need to get your animals trained on the Drinking Post.
Step 1: Take away all other water sources
Before you start your training you’ll remove all other water sources that your animals could access. If they have water available in another (easier) form, they’ll take the path of least resistance and won’t be motivated to learn the Drinking Post. I mean, who can blame them? Work smarter, not harder, am I right? If they want water, they’ll have to go to the Drinking Post to get it! Don’t worry, they’ll thank you in the long run.
Step 2: Install the correct paddle
Next, you want to make sure you have the correct paddle or paddle attachment on your Drinking Post.
- If you have horses, cattle, or other equines or bovines (donkeys, mules, mini horses, etc.), you’ll use a Training Attachment for the first few weeks. Then you’ll remove the attachment and they’ll use the standard flat paddle. This video shows how to remove the Training Attachment.
- If you have goats, sheep, or alpacas, you’ll use the Livestock Paddle (pictured below).
- If you have pigs or hogs, you’ll use the Pig Paddle (pictured below).
Now that you’ve identified the correct paddle style for your animal, you’ll need to put it on the Post. If you have our Ultimate Drinking Post, you’ll simply attach either the Training Attachment or the Specialty Paddle Attachment directly to the standard flat paddle.
Step 3: Make sure they're thirsty!
Before you show your animals the Drinking Post, you should make sure they’re thirsty. They’ll be much more motivated to learn the Drinking Post if they’re thirsty and interested in a clean, cool drink. Since you’ve already removed their other water sources, they’ll be so happy when they realize the big white post that showed up the other day is their ticket to a cool drink!
**Keep in mind that you want them to be thirsty, not dehydrated. Don’t let them go too long without a drink.**
You can help them work up a thirst by feeding them hay (they may not be thirsty enough to train after grazing, as fresh grass has water content). If they’re thirsty, they’ll be more interested in the Drinking Post and more motivated to learn.
If it’s summer time, you’ll need to balance training with hydration. If you’re worried about leaving them without a water source during the heat of the day during training, you can do your training session mid-morning after they’ve eaten their hay and worked up a bit of thirst. That way, you’re not leaving them without water during the heat of the day. You can give them buckets later in the day, as long as it’s after their training session (outlined in Step 4 below). If you give buckets, do it in an area away from the Drinking Post. You want them to know that when they’re with the Post, they have to use the Post.
Step 4: Daily training session
It’s showtime! Now that you’ve finished your setup steps it’s finally time to show your animals the Drinking Post! Walk your thirsty animal over to the Drinking Post (or you can fill the bowl and splash some water around – a thirsty animal will get curious and come over). You can also halter your animals and bring them up to the Post for more individualized training. Once you have a captive audience, push the paddle and fill the bowl to the top. Then, let them drink the water down. As they drink it down, we hope they’ll reactivate the Trainer and the bowl will refill. The lightbulb in their head should being going off at this point! Even if they don’t reactivate it, that’s okay! Now they know where the water is. Leave them with the Drinking Post for at least a couple hours after your training session to allow them time to re-approach the Drinking Post in case anything clicked.
Once you’ve shown them once, just walk away! This can be the hardest step. Most people want to sit with them and keep watch, but that’s a big no-no! You just have to trust they’ll figure it out (and they will!). Do one Training Session per day until they figure it out. Some animals learn after just one demonstration. Some need a few days to get the hang of it, but every animal will learn! Don’t worry!
Tips & Tricks
Treat Training
You can use molasses to motivate your animals to interact with the Drinking Post. Just put some molasses on the bowl underneath the paddle. They will have to work their tongue under the paddle to get to it, and as they do, they might activate the paddle. Anything you can do to encourage individualized interaction with the Drinking Post will be a big help! It’s recommended to do the molasses trick later in the day, after you’ve done your regular training session. When you do this, you will not activate the paddle, just put the molasses under the paddle and let them work on it.
Bonus Tips
- Don’t repeatedly push the paddle for your animal – only 1x per day!
- If you need to give your animals additional water for hydration, bring them to another area. When they’re in with the Post, they need to use the Post.
- Only give them additional water after your daily training session.
- If you have a group or herd, you don’t have to teach each animal individually. As soon as you have one animal going to the Drinking Post, everyone one else will follow.
- If you have a mama and baby pair, the mom will teach the baby. Focus on training Mom.
- Make sure your animals are safe and hydrated through out training. Use the Pinch Test – pinch their skin (usually on the neck) and then let go. If the skin snaps back immediately, they’re hydrated. If the skin moves back slowly, this is a sign of dehydration. Get them water right away! Also, take a look at their gums. If their gums become discolored (more white than usual), this is a sign of dehydration. Get them water right away!
- These training steps are the same for every type of animal.
- If you’ve followed all these steps and are still having trouble, you may have a special situation on your hands! Don’t fret, your animal will learn, just give us a call and we can help you figure it out!
Remember - training is easy! Don't overcomplicate it!
More Paddle info
- Don’t repeatedly push the paddle for your animal – only 1x per day!
- If you need to give your animals additional water for hydration, bring them to another area. When they’re in with the Post, they need to use the Post.
- Only give them additional water after your daily training session.
- If you have a group or herd, you don’t have to teach each animal individually. As soon as you have one animal going to the Drinking Post, everyone one else will follow.
- If you have a mama and baby pair, the mom will teach the baby. Focus on training Mom.
- Make sure your animals are safe and hydrated through out training. Use the Pinch Test – pinch their skin (usually on the neck) and then let go. If the skin snaps back immediately, they’re hydrated. If the skin moves back slowly, this is a sign of dehydration. Get them water right away! Also, take a look at their gums. If their gums become discolored (more white than usual), this is a sign of dehydration. Get them water right away!
- These training steps are the same for every type of animal.
- If you’ve followed all these steps and are still having trouble, you may have a special situation on your hands! Don’t fret, your animal will learn, just give us a call and we can help you figure it out!
Why does the training paddle work?
For horses and cattle, you’ll use a training paddle. We have both a Legacy and an Ultimate Training Paddle, make sure you get the correct one for your model. The standard paddle is flat, whereas the trainer has a rounded shape that sticks up. This rounded shape takes up more surface area in the bowl, so it’s much easier for the animal to activate. The trainer allows them to inadvertently activate the water while they’re nosing around in the bowl or just checking things out. Most animals will bite, lip, or lick the trainer when you install it – let them do this, it’s how they learn! In addition to inspecting it on their own, you’ll also do a daily training session (explained in Step 4). During this training session, your animal will drink water from the bowl. As they drink the water down, they’ll likely reactivate the paddle because of the size and shape of the trainer makes it easy to push. When this happens, the lightbulb turns on and they start to learn!
Why do the livestock and pig paddles work?
Sheep, goats, and alpacas will use the livestock paddle attachment. This helps them to use the Drinking Post because it plays on their natural behavior. These animals like to butt things with their head. The livestock paddle features a weighted block that sticks upward, providing a broad surface for them to head-butt, playing on their natural tendencies. This allows them to use the Post in a way that makes sense for them! Also, since the block is weighted, it makes it easier for smaller animals like goats and sheep to push the paddle. The Pig Paddle Attachment is very similar. It’s also a weighted block, it’s just a bit smaller. The pig will push it with their snout. Again, this is natural action for the pigs. You’ll keep these specialty paddles/attachments on all the time, even after training is complete.