Hi everyone. I have a question about interacting with alpacas. We bought a male and female in June. They are now 11 months old (not siblings). We had an unusually busy summer, and when they arrived, we got them settled, but pretty much just had time to feed them and watch from a distance. We are new to this animal, and I have been reading and watching videos to learn more about them. I kept seeing videos with people hugging them, putting babies on their backs, walking in the woods with them, stroking their heads and necks, and I thought "Oh no, we should be trying to make them more tame." So now that things have settled down at home, I have put a chair outside in their "pasture" (backyard) so I can watch them, and I have been having my children feed them from their hands. I have been talking to them more, and trying to lightly touch them when I feed them. Both animals seem to have a sweet nature, but keep their distance. They never ran from us, but were not running up to us either. We have 10 children and we raise english setters, and the alpacas do not seem to be the least bit nervous around any of them. In fact, they really are intrigued by the puppies, and my youngest child who is 3. So, here is the problem. I have been reading on this forum about animals that are too friendly leading to serious problems, and teaching them to keep a respectful distance. Are they supposed to be friendly and touchable, or do we enjoy them from a distance? Because now my male is trotting up to me when I come into the yard, and I am afraid I have been teaching him the wrong habit. They are really beautiful, and I don't want to end up having to put them down. But now I am afraid to interact with them for fear of making them aggressive! I ordered Marty's Camelid Companion book, and I am taking a one day workshop she is teaching in North Carolina, but in the mean time, I am confused about how to handle them. I don't want to end up with Novice Handler Syndrome!! I really wasn't this confused about training these animals before I started watching You Tube!! Thanks in advance for your help. Gia
