Training a donkey 🤬

Margaretlumley01

Songster
Mar 16, 2018
179
162
136
Mn.
Hey all, I am trying to train my donkey. The goal is for him to stand for a farrier and flow me on a lead, plus not being scared of the gate/driveway. Lately I have been working on leading and I am using a lunge whip to tap the ground or swing around his back legs when he doesn’t respond to me pulling on the lead rope. He does ok for a little bit of this but doesn’t keep following once I release pressure. Then after about 10 minutes of work he stops responding all together or backs up, which is frustrating because as many of you know donkeys are very strong when they want to be. How do I fix this?
 
Donkeys react by either freezing in place, or even hunkering down. Occasionally they attempt to run. They aren't motivated in the same way as a horse. Donkeys stand their ground, or go after predators and horses generally run. Donkey behaviors are more like dogs in my opinion.

You have to convince your donkey that it's good to follow you. Maybe try treats like a dog. It's been quite a few years since I attempted to teach mine to lead. They come more willingly if there's a food reward, and balk for unpleasant things. Whipping will never move a donkey in most cases.

Donkeys are interesting creatures that can frustrate easily. Gentle consistent handling is needed. They never forget a bad experience, and they must be willing to participate in anything you are trying to do.
 
I trained my goat to walk on a lead not to long ago, and had the exact same experience as you. My advice is to start will very short sessions, and ditch the whip. Using a whip is teaching by force, you want them to think it's okay to follow, not that,"they have to or else". For the first few days will my goat, all I did was try to get him out of the pen. He didn't want to go any further then that, and would fight me if I tried. I used Timothy pellets to encourage him, and pressure and release. When he moved, immediately remove pressure. When he stopped, immediately pull and shake a bin of pellets.
I also started him on a DIY rope halter before his nylon one arrived. It was nice since it would get tighter, (much like a pop collar or check chain on a dog) and release when I applied and released pressure. That was key for me in getting him listening.
After finally getting Billy to walk sort of with me outside his pen, I then advanced the hitching post were I could tie him and brush him. This was key in teaching him that it was okay to follow. At this point I had his Nylon halter on him, I wouldn't tie in the style of rope halter I was using. Once your Donkey will let you take him far enough to be tied and brushed, do that first so that they know they get a good grooming if they work for you. They like it, and it's a great start to the session.
After a few days of brushing and short sessions, Billy surprised me by allowing me to easily take him into the back yard, run a few laps and back. As soon as he started getting sick of it, I end on a good note and take him back. You can't over work them, thats the last key.
The next day he allowed me to walk him pretty far away from the pen and up next to a chain saw, (at my side the whole time.) And the next day he gladly went on a 2 mile walk at my side the entire time. Then we continued for a 10 minuet walk around our perimeter trail. It just takes time and rewards.
The 3 most important things in training are-

Rope halter for the start. (I don't know if it would have the same affect on your Donkey or not, but it worked for me)
Tying and brushing once he allows it
Once they get sick of it and start fighting you, end on a good note and call it.

Of course, I'm talking about training a goat, not a Donkey, but I think they learn the same way. @oldhenlikesdogs, please correct me if any of this is wrong, or shouldn't be used on a Donkey. I hope you find this info helpful.
 
How to make the rope halter I used-
1622091776457.png

You have to use about the same size rope as the one pictured. I used much thicker rope for my first attempt, and it didn't work at all. When I got the right width of rope it worked perfectly.
I think the photo is pretty self explanatory, but if you need additional instruction I can explain the process as well.
As you can see, the lead rope and freely pass through the loop making it get tighter behind the ears, and under the chin when you apply pressure. It seemed to work much better for my goat, also making it so he couldn't, and tried less to wiggle out of the halter.
 
I have not trained a donkey but here are some suggestions from training other animals you might find useful. When you pull on the halter/ lesd rope, do not think you are "pulling" him where you want him to go. He is stronger than you and can resist. Think of it as suggesting, or inviting him forward. The moment you feel forward motion in him, even if he just LEANS toward you, relax the pressure on the lead rope by moving your hand toward him. This release of pressure is a reward, giving him comfort. Wait a second and repeat. After a few repeats he should take a step forward, toward you. Reward with slack and a pat and maybe a comforting word. Repeat. Often, in just a few minutes' time, an animal will realize it is rewarded with release of pressure when it moves forward. If you keep pulling on the animal, you are essentially punishing it for doing the right thing - the rope or halter remains tight and uncomfortable even as it moves forward and it will balk, or resist. By releasing the pressure with each step and using a light touch, the animal will soon go forward on a slack line. I have used this method on horse colts as young as a few days old with good success. I have used it on very young puppies as well.
 
How old is this donkey and for how long do you own him by now?
Is he the only donkey or are there other donkeys at your place for him to interact, or maybe horses?

Dealing with all kinds of animals, the thing I found the most important, is to build trust and show consistency. And keeping in mind: the more intelligent they are, the easier they get bored and if you have built a trusting relationship, they will be eager to explore some new and intriguing "games" with you.
 
I trained my goat to walk on a lead not to long ago, and had the exact same experience as you. My advice is to start will very short sessions, and ditch the whip. Using a whip is teaching by force, you want them to think it's okay to follow, not that,"they have to or else". For the first few days will my goat, all I did was try to get him out of the pen. He didn't want to go any further then that, and would fight me if I tried. I used Timothy pellets to encourage him, and pressure and release. When he moved, immediately remove pressure. When he stopped, immediately pull and shake a bin of pellets.
I also started him on a DIY rope halter before his nylon one arrived. It was nice since it would get tighter, (much like a pop collar or check chain on a dog) and release when I applied and released pressure. That was key for me in getting him listening.
After finally getting Billy to walk sort of with me outside his pen, I then advanced the hitching post were I could tie him and brush him. This was key in teaching him that it was okay to follow. At this point I had his Nylon halter on him, I wouldn't tie in the style of rope halter I was using. Once your Donkey will let you take him far enough to be tied and brushed, do that first so that they know they get a good grooming if they work for you. They like it, and it's a great start to the session.
After a few days of brushing and short sessions, Billy surprised me by allowing me to easily take him into the back yard, run a few laps and back. As soon as he started getting sick of it, I end on a good note and take him back. You can't over work them, thats the last key.
The next day he allowed me to walk him pretty far away from the pen and up next to a chain saw, (at my side the whole time.) And the next day he gladly went on a 2 mile walk at my side the entire time. Then we continued for a 10 minuet walk around our perimeter trail. It just takes time and rewards.
The 3 most important things in training are-

Rope halter for the start. (I don't know if it would have the same affect on your Donkey or not, but it worked for me)
Tying and brushing once he allows it
Once they get sick of it and start fighting you, end on a good note and call it.

Of course, I'm talking about training a goat, not a Donkey, but I think they learn the same way. @oldhenlikesdogs, please correct me if any of this is wrong, or shouldn't be used on a Donkey. I hope you find this info helpful.
I'm not sure if a halter like that would work on a donkey. The tightening pain may be too much. Every donkey is different. The one we adopted from the wild was easy to teach to lead. Her two boys have been a bit of trouble. One leads fairly easy, and the other never would no matter what. I think walking with some feed would work initially, kinda like you do teaching a pup to walk on a lead.
 
I'm not sure if a halter like that would work on a donkey. The tightening pain may be too much. Every donkey is different. The one we adopted from the wild was easy to teach to lead. Her two boys have been a bit of trouble. One leads fairly easy, and the other never would no matter what. I think walking with some feed would work initially, kinda like you do teaching a pup to walk on a lead.
I though it may be to much, as goats are definitely a bit different.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom