Most hand spinners to whom I have talked prefer brushed to sheared wool because it contains none of the guard hairs which help the animals shed rain, and thus yields a much softer and finer year. Furthermore, it is much less traumatic for an animal to be brushed than sheared. A shorn llama takes two years to grow back its coat. Approximately five to seven pounds of wool can be brushed out of a llama annually. In any case, a llama sheds naturally every second year.
Most llamas are extremely intelligent and gentle.
As far as training is concerned, it does not take long to teach them something. We have found that repetition and observation of the animal's behaviour are crucial components of the training process. When a llama learns something, it usually learns it for life. Llamas can easily be trained to lead, pull carts, carry loaded packs, lie down and get up on command, jump into a van or trailer, or even be mounted by children for short to medium distances. Marcel Monette, a dog trainer in Montreal, has even ridden a city bus with Fricot, a seven month old male bought two months before at our farm.