Mini donkey with small man complex... Help!

[Maybeapril]

So I'm wondering what I should do about my mini donkey that has threatened to kick me and has now oficially kicked the farrier. I've never owned anything that kicks. Should I carry a whip around with me and pop him when he turns his butt to me? I don't want him to be scared of me, I just want him to know that kicking is NOT okay. I have a 5 year old little boy that knows not to get close to his hind end, but it scares me to think what could happen. So, for now the donkey is off limits to him. What is the best way to stop this? I know donkey brains are different than horsie brains...but I can not have a dangerous animal. He doesn't seem to do it to be mean, it is almost like he is protecting his back end. Like he doesn't want his back feet messed with etc.

[CanterQueen]

Two questions that pop into my head:

How often do you handle his feet? I handle my mini's feet EVERY day. It might just be one foot or all four. I'll pull one up like the farrier and tap, tap, tap it with a hoof pick, or just pick it out. At first he hated it, now it's just "okay, Mom, just hurry up." I also take a farrier's rasp to his feet once a month or so. I just work a little off the feet, but it gives me time with him to address any issues.

Is he gelded? Mine calmed down a bit after we "did the deed".

I notice he's not like the horses. He thinks different and I have to address issues with him very slowly and carefully. He has to think about it a bit first. I'd be hesitant to just go after yours with a crop -- do some ground work first. Nice and slow, and be patient.

[chai]

I agree with Canter Queen about working with your donkey. But if he is kicking people, you absolutely should respond immediately. Donkeys are smart and he will get the message. They are also incredibly strong and even though they're small, they can pack a wallop with a kick. Your donkey has to learn that a kick at a person is unacceptable, especially if you have a small child that might be the victim.

Think of it this way: what would the mare do if her foal was giving her a bunch of grief, biting or kicking her? She would give the foal a sharp, instant reprimand and then move on without holding a grudge.

Your donkey has to learn that kicking is going to get him some pain...not a beating, but a sharp, 'No' and a swat. It's too dangerous to allow it to continue, especially if you have a small child.

I have two mini donks and I had a standard donkey for 18 years. They are tough little creatures, but very intelligent and a quick swat will give the message clearly in that situation.

[LMH]

NO I would NOT punish him with a crop! That can backfire beyond BELIEF with a donkey!

He needs to be handled and have attention so he gets used to all the nonsense of having people around.

I have 2 mini donks and I can assure you stubborn as a mule means a mule is only half a donkey!

[Maybeapril]

I've had him for about a month. He's only two and we had him gelded as soon as we got him. I've been working with his feet, which he doesn't like, but we get through it. He seems to go to the kicking if he feels threatened. Like being man handled by the farrier. I guess I will try to slowly work with him and keep my boy away from him for now. He really is sweet as long as his hind end isn't messed with.

[LMH]

Mine really are the same way-or they were. They simply don't understand being man-handled.

I actually got hurried the last time I was trimming Oscar (mine are Oscar and Felix:)) and he gave me a little warning reminder.

I slowed down, gave him assurance and he stood like a trooper.

I have had mine for YEARS and it took me awhile to really 'get' them.

Patience with boundaries will pay off.

[Maybeapril]

Great I thank you all and I know Woody does. I will be slow and gentle with him and hopefully we will click. I can't wait until the time changes and I have more daylight to work with.

[WaningMoon]

Man handling will get you in worse shape than you are now. You need to work with him on this. Find a way to make him think it is HIS idea. You'll have much better results. Any mini donk website Ive ever read says that a donkeys main defense is his feet which he is always right on the mark with. They naturally don't like their feet picked up as this limits their defense. I've had mine for 15 yrs now and he likes my farrier and is very good for him.

[CanterQueen]

He really is sweet as long as his hind end isn't messed with.

Then I'd start "messing" with his hind end. Slowly and with lots of love and some treats. Rub his hind end, scratch his tail, rub his hind legs and pick them up, tap his hooves. This helped me out a lot when I put a rain sheet on him. Getting those legs straps would've been impossible if I hadn't started working on his hind end months ago. :D Good luck!!

[deltawave]

I've never handled donkeys, but I'd think the first order of business is to just get him used to the idea that he WILL be handled and that he IS subordinate to the humans. Good ground manners and all that. A lot of times it is relatively "easy" to handle little equines and (I am as guilty of this as anyone) we tend to overlook a lack of manners because they're not really doing anything dangerous or scary because they're "little".

I did a lot of groundwork (respecting my space, sort of Parelli-type stuff) with my little Shetland this summer and WOW it was surprising how little of that she had installed, even though she's a very easy pony to ride and drive and actually very sweet. I just never had had reason to make her toe the line and demonstrate good manners, you know? She's a lot better now. :)

[jej]

One of my yearling mini donk geldings became very naughty with his feet this winter, despite being handled from a foal. He was really being very silly, and I didn't feel that my farrier deserved this behaviour!

My remedy for dealing with naughty young donks is to tie them. Every night, I tied the culprit in his stall for 15 minutes while I did water etc. Then I handled him, picked up his feet, brushed his quarters etc. If he danced and kicked, I just stepped back and waited til he stopped. Then I went back to work. When he stood politely, he got a treat.

It took about a week for him to figure it out, and two weeks later, he stood for the farrier like a pro. He has been very good ever since, but I still tie him once a week or so, and we do the routine. It's easy now.

Smacking donkeys doesn't really work - they get scared, and it can make kickers worse, as they start to defend themselves in anticipation. Passive correction works best. I'm a big believer in tieing donks (never unattended, never for extended periods). While young horses will panic and pull, if they are not used to being tied, a donk will usually pull once, maybe twice - then stand, even the youngsters. They're very smart.

Big caution: don't try this on horses!

[Maybeapril]

This thread has been a big help. It has taught me to deal with Woody differently. I am right now just being really sweet to him and giving him lots of scratches. He hasn't turned his butt to me lately and I'm going to continue being sweet to him and make sure he trusts me. In a couple of weeks I'm going to start slowly messing with his feet. I'm not going to move too fast with this. It seems like he just hasn't been handled very much. He is so small I think he hasn't been taught anything just kind of made to do things by force. I'm going to try and change his outlook. He really is sweet. I watched him the other day when my son was with me in the pasture. He had his arm around Woody's neck and Woody was loving the attention. He had his ears forward and kept walking over to me while I was brushing my horse. He would stand between us wanting to be brushed. I gave my son a brush and Woody loved the attention and was very pleasant. I like him and I think we will work through the foot problem.

[tazz001]

I have one mini donk who is (was) an absolute monster about being handled. She absolutely hates it with a passion. She is great when handles regularly but if not handles regularly then we go back to basics with her. When she is misbehaving she gets tied and let her fight it out and then we go back to handling. Belle has never kicked at a human out of fear but out of fight, that's different. She dislikes being tied and will fight herself to exhaustion...we let her fight as long as she is not hurting herself. she gets the hint and stops. Oh and she hates being brushed also, except in the spring whe she is itchy from shedding.

Belle is quite a character , a good girl when handled regularly and a royal witch when she's not. Donkeys are smart creatures and learn quickly...do NOT use a whip/crop on them as they turn that fear into fight.

When our babies started that deaded "mouthy" stage and we wanted to nip the nipping problem quickly....when they nipped they got nipped back...just a quick "hey that hurt" nip on the ear.....the mommas and lead jennet never had a problem biting a baby back, why can't humans...cures nipping quick. Just a gentle "hey you, I am the boss, now do I have your attention" nip. I have gotten some Gawd awful funny looks from a young donk by doing this.

And back to Belle, she loves getting her butt scratched, She will back up to people just to get scratched but heaven forbid you try to touch her head.

Donks can be weird creatures...just don't forget they are donkeys and all will be good.

[pricestory]

I think you answered your question when you said he was 2, you had him for a month and you had him gelded. My jack was mad at me for a long time after gelding. Spend time and love on him. When he does what you ask, give him a treat. Just a flake of alflafa cube or tiny piece of carrot. A way to a donkey's heart is through his tummy. And don't let your farrier man handle him. It will give you a lifetime of problems with trimming. My jack stands without even being tied for the farrier and the jennies are tied but are no problem. My farrier takes his time and is very gentle with them.
I have been know to wack a baby that wouldn't stop biting. They look very confused but it hasn't made them mean or crazy. Just then go back to loving them so they understand you love them, just not the biting or kicking.
Someone told me once that if a donkey kicks and misses, he meant to miss. Kicking is not ok.

[Paddys Mom]

Someone told me once that if a donkey kicks and misses, he meant to miss. Kicking is not ok.

I totally agree with this.
In response to fly spray, my donkey once kicked the spray bottle out of my hand without touching my hand. It was hard enough to break the top off the bottle!

Tieing is great for donkey behavior.

[susanne]

Another thing to consider is that not all farriers are used to working with minis and lift their feet too high for comfort. Unfortunately, what is comfortable for a mini donkey or horse is not all that comfortable for the human, so it can happen with an otherwise horse-savvy farrier.

Having a leg wrenched or being thrown off-balance can make for a strong aversion to hoof handling. It could be that your farrier is fine, but a previous farrier (or owner) did this and your mini donk still remembers.

[pricestory]

My farrier gets on his knees to do my mini donks. It is really cute because they all gather around the one being done and watch Buck to be sure he does it right. He is wonderful with them and they, therefore are very good for him.
My jack was angry for weeks at me after being gelded. I can believe that he isn't happy with anyone messing with his rear but he will come around. He is a great therapy donkey, going to disabled kid camps, nursing homes etc but he still doesn't like vets.

[smokygirl]

I've never handled donkeys, but I'd think the first order of business is to just get him used to the idea that he WILL be handled and that he IS subordinate to the humans. Good ground manners and all that. A lot of times it is relatively "easy" to handle little equines and (I am as guilty of this as anyone) we tend to overlook a lack of manners because they're not really doing anything dangerous or scary because they're "little".

I did a lot of groundwork (respecting my space, sort of Parelli-type stuff) with my little Shetland this summer and WOW it was surprising how little of that she had installed, even though she's a very easy pony to ride and drive and actually very sweet. I just never had had reason to make her toe the line and demonstrate good manners, you know? She's a lot better now. :)


You have obviously never had a donkey. Very obviously.

They are not horses, and do not learn/handle things in the same manner.


OP: First, Look for a farrier who has experience with donkeys/mules. Most are very hard to trim at first, because they resist it it a lot. Donkeys are much more protective of themselves than horses are. They also don't tolerate people bullying them or rushing them. They need to go at their pace, so if he feels the farrier is "evil", or even if the farrier is just rushing.. he won't get used to it. Donkeys live a long time, and they have the memory of an elephant.. you don't want him "messed" up now, because the issues could last 30-40+ years.