Jenny Behaving Badly

[wobynwee]

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are making good progress on your holiday preparations.

My new Jenny and I have just passed our one month anniversary. She had calmed down quite a bit, but over the last couple of days she has gotten bad. When I come into her stall to muck, she's pinning her ears and coming at me like she's going to bite :no: . I turn to her and give her a smack and say "stop!". I think she wants 100% of my attention but I can't do that and I'd like some really specific advice as to how to work with her and how to discipline her before this goes too far. She is very sweet and I want her to grow up to be a "good person"! She will be 5 months old on the 16th of this month.

Any and all advice welcome. The more specific and step by step, the better. If you can point me to a previous post or somewhere on the web, that would be great, too.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JumpinJackFarm]

My little Abbie is 3 1/2 months old now and she is starting her biting ways.

:

Biting is such a social thing for donkeys....it means many things to them. And yes, our little ones want attention and also to feel us out to see if we like to get bit

:

Abbie also comes after me with the ears back...but she is just playing and she kinda jumps up on me pushing me with her chest. She is quite the character!!!

The "Smack" & the "Stop" is the best thing you can do.

Did it get her attention?

I think our girls are going through their terrible two's and just testing us..

but Dang...these tests hurt Teri

 

[Shari]

What Teri said works. But you have to mean it, as they so know the difference.

Ella still tries to pull this...with every creature on the place. However the other animals have just learned to ignore her, much to her dismay.

She knows with us it will not work,even though she tries. Now I just say," Quit!" or "Pretty ears" (she knows she is to bring up her ears). She has to have pretty ears and a calm manner before she gets her vitamins or hay.

You will have to inforce this every time. After awhile she will get the idea.

 

[lilfoot]

Awww :aktion033: What a wonderful way to discipline Shari!!

Wonder if "pretty ears" would work on my 2 1/2 yr old son :lol:

Sandy

 

[wobynwee]

I wanted to thank everyone for your suggestions. She got better, then...worse :no: . Now, she's standing up and coming at me on two legs. Sigh. She even did this to a couple of our guests this past weekend. Needless to say, they were not pleased.

How do I deal with the whole "standing up" thing? Is this a play thing, a lack of respect thing? I love her dearly

: but this kind of behavior makes me crazy :new_shocked: .

I've never owned a baby horse/mini donk before, so this is all new to me. If she were a puppy, I'd know exactly what to do. But she's not like any animal I've ever worked with before....

:

 

[iluvwalkers]

SORRY TO HEAR SHE IS STILL NOT BEHAVING :no: . JUST MY OPINION BUT IF SHE WERE MINE I WOULD CARRY A CROP WITH ME . I DO NOT BELIEVE IN BEATING ANY ANIMAL BUT THERE IS A LINE AND IF SHE IS CROSSING IT THEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, WHICH YOU ALREADY KNOW. WE HAD A MARE THAT WAS VERY DISRESPECTFUL AND IT TOOK ONLY ONE TIME WITH A CROP TO THE SHOULDER AND SHE GOT THE HINT ON WHO WAS THE BOSS IN THE PASTURE. ONCE WE STOPPED BRINGING IT WITH US IF SHE STARTED TO GET PUSHY ALL WE NEEDED TO DO WAS CARRY IT WITH US AGAIN

: .

I HOPE THIS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WE ARE ABUSIVE, SHE IS THE ONLY ONE WE EVER HAD TO DO THIS WITH AND ONLY DID AFTER WE REALIZED SHE WAS A DANGER. I THINK SOMEONE ELSE MENTIONED THIS ALREADY BUT IF YOU WATCH HORSES OR DONKEYS WHEN EARS PINNED DOESN'T WORK THEY DO WHAT COMES NEXT...BITE AND KICK. BEST OF LUCK, SORRY SHE IS BEING A BRAT

, NIKKI

EDITED BECAUSE MY SPELLING IS AWFUL !

 

[jdomep]

Elvis did that to my friend and she turned on him rushed at him and yelled "NO" and swatted him and he got the hint...

 

[JumpinJackFarm]

I don't know what to tell you :no:

That must be scary.

Does she have donkey friends?

Was she taken away from donkey friends?

I have always heard..Donkeys need to be with Donkeys.

I am also wondering if she is in heat when she acts like this...she might be trying to mount you.

That's even scarier!!

Is she aggressive towards your dogs and other animals?

 

[wobynwee]

She is only 5 months old, so I don't think it's heat related. But then again, I haven't researched the age at which that starts. She is aggressive toward the dogs, running them away from her. Most of the bad behavior occurs in her paddock area. I think she's protecting it. From everything and everyone.

I have sadly resorted to carrying a crop. I'm hoping that will get through to her if I do, indeed, have to use it. Her manners regarding the stall door have much improved since I started telling her "get over" and not coming in or feeding or petting her until she moves away from the door.

The breeder told me she's been handled by humans since birth and really didn't run and play with other baby and adult donkeys like the other babies would. She pretty much stuck by her mom and wanted to be with the humans. I think that she thinks she's human. In fact, my vet mentioned that her behavior toward people was very much like that of an orphaned horse foal. No boundaries.

I need to teach this donkey some boundaries. I've begun by (as I said) teaching her that charging the door and trying to run me over to get out is not acceptable. She's very lovable, loves to be scratched, brushed, and be around me everywhere I go. I think this is part of the problem. She is very willful and I believe she was never corrected for this type of behavior before I got her. I think they thought it was "cute". Sigh :no: .

Keep the suggestions coming. I'm determined to make a good person out of her! I know there's a good little donkey in there.