MULE CROSSING: Donkey Training, Part 1
By Meredith Hodges
Training your donkey is not really much different than training horses and mules, although there are differences in instinct and attitude that will determine your approach in given situations. The mechanics and techniques, however, remain the same.
The donkey foal needs to begin his life of training with imprinting. Imprinting is simply getting your donkey accustomed to your touch, your voice, your smell, the way you look and the way you interact with him. These are all the things he learns from his mother that will determine the design of his character as he grows older. If he is to be a trainable and tractable individual, you and his mother must teach him to be accepting and willing from the day he is born. This also implies that you and the mother cannot be at odds. She needs to possess the traits you wish to instill in the foal. A well-trained mother will help to produce a well-trained foal. If your jennet is not easy to handle, then she needs this training as well and should be started with imprinting and progress through the steps of training before the foal is born.
When imprinting the foal, think of the kind of attitude you want to cultivate in him—do not come at him with the idea that he must accept you. This is a forceful and intrusive attitude and can foster resistance. Come at him with love, patience and kindness and these are the things he will learn. Give him respect and ask that he respect you and he will begin to learn about behavioral limitations. If he were in a herd, the adults would demand that he respect their space with well-placed discipline. You must learn to do the same without overdoing it. If he bites or kicks, a well-placed slap on the side of the mouth for biting and on the rump for kicking and a loud, “No!” will do the trick. Rewarding his good behaviors consistently will reinforce repetition of what you desire from him and will foster understanding between you and your donkey. This is the beginning of a long-lasting bond of friendship.
Friendships would not be complete without a good balance of work and play. Teachers who make learning fun for children make it easier for the child to learn what he needs to, as well as encouraging a good attitude towards life in general that can carry the child through the most trying of situations. The donkey is no different than a child. If learning is fun and non-threatening, he will enjoy his time with you and you will discover his innate desire to please and to serve. The best teachers are those who realize that they too can learn from the child in this process. Each individual is different in his or her own way, and it is important to recognize the differences in order to foster confidence and self-assurance. Your donkey will appreciate that you not only wish to teach him, but to learn from him as well. This will encourage his enthusiasm for learning and will ensure that he learns well and with confidence. He will learn, right from the beginning, to want to follow you anywhere because it’s the best place to be!
Don’t get in a hurry with your donkey. As a rule, horses have a very quick response time, but with minimal comprehension and memory retention. A mule’s response time is slightly slower than that of the horse, but their comprehension and memory retention is very keen. A donkey’s response time is measurably slower (they appear to be in deep thought for what seems like an eternity to you and me), but their comprehension and memory retention is the keenest of all three. When training each of these different equines, you need to learn to gauge your body language and expectations accordingly.
Whether your donkey is a young foal or an older animal, begin with imprinting and do the steps in sequence. Learn how to properly put on the halter. Let him wear it for a while then take it off, as he could get it caught and injure himself if it is left on. When your donkey is not bothered by you putting on and taking off the halter, you can teach him to be tied. Put the halter on him and tie him to a safe post for one hour. Come by to see him every 10 or 15 minutes, untie him and ask him to “come.” If he does not take a step toward you, just retie him and leave. Come back in 10 minutes and try again. When he takes a step toward you, reward him with a treat and lots of praise. Stroke him on the neck and shoulder or on the poll between the ears, or scratch his chest or rump—whatever he finds most pleasing. Then try a few more steps. Don’t ask for any more steps each day than he is willing to give. Save them for the next time and soon he will lead easily. When he is leading easily, you can start taking walks around the farm and you can begin to introduce him to things he may find frightening. Lead him as close as he will go at your shoulder, then step toward the obstacle as close as the lead will allow and coax him to you. Offer a reward if necessary to entice him, and be sure to reward him when he comes forward. When he is confident about investigating “things” with you, you can progress to an obstacle course.
At your first try going over logs, a bridge, tires, or other such obstacles, you may find your donkey reluctant to pick up his feet to negotiate an obstacle. He will probably try to go around it any way he can. Stand close to his head, holding him on a shorter lead, and ask him to “come.” If he moves only one foot over a log or tire or onto a bridge, stop, hold him there and give him a reward for his effort. Next, ask for the other foot and, if he is willing, let him walk over the obstacle, then reward him again. If he moves only one foot more, reward that, and proceed—slowly! You don’t want him to just run through it. You want him to come when you say “come” and to whoa when you say “whoa.” You are beginning to establish verbal communication with your donkey, so keep it simple and consistent. Do all obstacles the same way. Donkeys like to get crooked over obstacles. When he has learned to step through or over an obstacle but is not going straight, you can step directly in front of him, holding the halter on both sides, and ask for straightness as he negotiates the obstacle.
Once he has learned to follow you over and around obstacles, he will be ready to begin the fundamentals of showmanship. Hold your lead in your left hand, keeping your right hand free and straight out in front of you. He should learn to lead with slack in the lead and to follow your shoulder. If he gets too close, you can use your right hand to push him back into position. Once you have begun showmanship training, ALWAYS lead him this way. Teach him to stand squarely on all fours every time he stops. You are not just teaching him to set up, but to carry his body in a balanced fashion so he will develop good posture and balance. When you want to teach him to trot on the lead, give the verbal command to “trot” and slowly move your own legs into a very slow trot. If he is difficult, do not go to the whip. Try to find something toward which he wants to trot. Above all, don’t get discouraged if he won’t trot the first few times, just slow back down and do something he already knows, then quit for the day and try again the next. Eventually, he WILL get it!
Do the same exercises (outlined in DVD #1 of my Training Mules and Donkeys resistance-free training series) with your donkey as you would with your horse or mule, but be prepared to go much slower and to be calm and supportive when he complies. Learn to reward even the slightest movement in the direction of compliance and allow him to progress at his own speed, not yours. Soon he will be wearing his halter and lead, standing tied quietly while you brush him and clean his feet, following you around and over obstacles, loading into a trailer and learning the beginning stages of showmanship. You will have a good, solid foundation on which to begin your donkey’s formal training.
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com
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