Burro Buddies

 Jeremiah was a pro this morning.  I brought him out of his stall, tied him up, picked his front feet out, ran my hand down both back legs, brushed him thoroughly, and then we went on our walk.  This time, we went around behind the house to avoid the burro-eating cow.  Our walk took us through fresh puddles, too big to jump over, which was a great opportunity to teach him to trust me.  I'm sure after the bovine blockade yesterday, there are little doubts floating around in his donkey mind as to my reliability to recognize danger.  After all, this is Florida.  There could be gators prowling in any body of water.  So, JJ balked as we approached the puddle.  I patiently waited as he assessed the situation.  

The puddle:

What JJ saw:

Patience prevailed!  JJ entered the water, without insisting on a life preserver or a shotgun, and we made it safely to the other side.  On the way to the round pen, he walked past the back deck, bags of mulch, and even chickens and did quite well.  

Once we reached the round pen, we worked on backing up.  While this is natural when a burro is scared, the idea of doing it on purpose is a little foreign.  He gave me a few quizzical looks, as if asking "Why not just  turn around so we can see where we're going?"  We also practiced walking around the cones, once I convinced him that they weren't alien life forms waiting to attack innocent donkey legs.  He calmly walked over a pole on the ground and we headed back the way we came.  He was much better about the puddle the second time.  When we returned to the barn,. I sprayed him with fly spray and let him go back into his stall.  Well done, JJ, well done.  

As soon as a I had another break, I went out to work with Marty.  Our son gave him a very good introduction to people.  He walks right up to you when you enter his pen.  He loves being petted and played with.  I introduced him to brushing, which he really enjoyed, and he let me put my hands on his face, even next to his eyes.  I snapped on the lead rope easily and led him around the pen.  It was starting to rain again, and I felt bad about the lack of shelter.  Plus, Marty's hooves are on soft ground all the time and I'm certain he needs some hoof care.  I decided to hit fast forward a little and move him into JJ's paddock.  We put rock down last spring, which really helps keep their feet clean and tough.  I opened one of the panels and Marty just followed me out.  He led easily to JJ's paddock.  JJ was interested, but not afraid.  They do know each other from being shipped and housed together for several weeks.  Their reunion was uneventful.  JJ immediately followed the older burro around.  I'm hoping Marty helps JJ feel more comfortable.  I dragged Marty's hay feeder into the paddock as well.  There's also a tub to eat from in the stall.  Eventually, I will move them to the biggest paddock in the barn with an open, three sided stall, but that will have to wait until Marty can be haltered easily.  I'm also a little nervous about that paddock because it's next to the road.  It's not a busy road, but it is a lot to take in.  JJ is comfortable in the paddock, so we'll do one step at a time.  

The burros both look much more relaxed together.  

Scary Cow

 Our training session began with grooming, including using a hoof pick on both front hooves (briefly).  JJ was on a roll!  We went for another walk around the farm, which he does seem to enjoy.  This time, we wound our way around the trees in the front yard to the other side of the house, where there is a big open area all the way back to the round pen.  I had a few cones and a small jump in the round pen set up from when we rode the horses earlier.  As we were walking in that direction, past the horse pasture...

(Fiona the cow)  Hang on!  I want to tell this part of the story!  

(Me)  Fine.  Go ahead, Fiona.  Troublemaker.

(Fiona the cow)  The oppression of cattle began long, long ago....

(Me)  Oh brother!

(Fiona)  Ahem.  Anyway, horses were eventually brought in as co-conspirators to be used against all of cowdom.  But the insult of insults was when they turned the donkeys against us.  Our brethren in that little stable, alongside the King of Kings, had always been a kindred spirit.  Neither one appreciated for its labor.  Both the ox and the donkey were called slow and lazy.  I cannot tell you how much it pained me when that donkey jenny came to our farm and TEASED us.  She romped and played while pinning her big ears and making faces!  It was terrifying!  We had gotten along perfectly well with the other donkeys that had shared our pasture on occasion (though they were usually in the barn with the horses).  See, that really was the issue.  She associated too much with HORSES, which every cow knows harbor a serious grudge against all of cowdom.  Why?  You ask?  It's because horses claim that they have to do all the labor while we get to graze all day.  Petty!  But, I digress...

Yesterday, while minding my own business, I noticed one of the humans (the one that gives treats and pokes us with needles "for our own good") was walking with a young donkey.  The donkey was giving us nervous looks.  SInce I remember all too well, the vicious attack against our peace by Rosie the donkey, I was understandably wary.  They were on the other side of the fence, but, still, Rosie's actions cut deep, I tell you.  So, I snorted.  A warning to my daughter and half sister.  The donkey's eyes grew big, so, feeling the sweet tickle of revenge, I snorted again.  The donkey looked up and I got a surprised look from the human.  After that, it was easy.  I threw my marvelous head and kicked up my happy heels in a graceful bovine ballet towards the fenceline.  The results were spectacular!  The donkey bolted and the human let go.  Then, the human yelled at ME!  As if years of oppression by Rosie hadn't even happened.  The human fetched the donkey and tried again.  I did more of a modern dance routine this time with the same result.  The donkey was fetched, again, and turned out in the round pen.  The human went inside to get the boy.  They came into the pasture and we followed them into our pen, expecting some congratulations or acknowledgment of our justifiable desire to get even. Or, at least some food.  Nope.  THEY LOCKED US IN!  Then, the human fetched the donkey and they walked back to the horse barn.  No more dancing with donkeys today.  Oh, but I have the sweet, sweet memories to carry me through the dark, cold night...

(Me)  Cold?  This is Florida.  

(Fiona)  Do not interrupt, human.  I'm having a moment here.  I must get word to cowdom everywhere to notch one up for the poor, har-assed cow.  

(Me)  Nice pun.

(Fiona)  Thank you.

(Me)  Okay, so, the guest blogger, our Dexter cow, Fiona, explained why poor JJ now thinks cows are carnivorous.  We got through it and he trusted me to lead him back past the pasture (although with Fiona locked up away from the fence).  Since we have a perimeter fence around our farm, I opted to let him bolt, rather than suffer ropes burns.  We will have to get past that.  I did some tight circles with him after we returned to the barn, which I can hopefully use, when he tries to bolt again.  

A Good Training Day

 Jeremiah showed some faith in me today.  Again, I tied him in the aisle and did some brushing.  I worked on moving back and forth behind him and reaching for his front hooves.  He moved away when I bent over facing away from him, (in the proper position to pick up his hoof).  I realized that this view was different for him, so we stopped there and I practiced bending over next to him (on both sides) to help him adjust to seeing a human like that.  We've noticed that both burros are worried about humans crouching, or bending.  While a dog is less intimidated when you squat down, burros have the opposite reaction.  It's intuitive with a little thought: Predators crouch before attacking.  After touching my toes on each side several times, JJ relaxed.  I ran my hand down his back legs as well.  I also found little bites on his chest that I scratched while he wiggled his lips slightly.  He tolerated the fly spray tonight, which will help with those bites.  

The things we take for granted with horses become so clear when working with a wild burro.  Going through a gate and turning around to shut it, for example.  Many horses see this as foals and accept it as a normal occurrence in their world.  To a wild burro, this is strange and scary.  He needs to time to study the opening of a path and the closing of that path behind him.  I'm slowly introducing Jeremiah to an entirely new world.  

Marty also had a good day.  We fitted him with a better halter using the panel chute I described before.  Again, we were patient and made sure he accepted each step, rather than using force.  I clipped the lead rope and opened up the panel to let him get used to dragging the rope.  He did not react as JJ did, but took a few steps and then stopped.  I worked with him using gentle pressure and asking for the smallest turn of his head to begin with.  We progressed to some leading fairly quickly.  He is calmer and quicker to accept things than JJ.  We decided that he will be the star Nativity burro this December for our son's school.  As such, his halter is Advent purple.  

Both burros are really making strides now.  Though different in personality, we enjoy them both.  

Jeremiah

Martin

Standing Tied and a Goat

 Today was a bit different.  Nancy the goat is a six year old dairy goat.  When we brought her home as a newly weaned bottle baby, she shared a pen with the pony and the donkey.  She was especially close to the donkey.  She kept him out of trouble and he complained if his goat left him alone.  Later, when we found a great home for that donkey, she was the companion of a weaned baby donkey (Rosie) until she also found a lovely home.  We eventually moved Nancy in with two young goats for company.  In addition, she has sheep for company.  Nancy must miss her donkeys, however, because while our son was moving her from the pasture back into their pen, she broke away and ran across the yard to the horse barn.  The pasture gate was open, so she walked right up to Marty's pen.  Marty showed some territorial behaviors, (swinging his head moving towards the corral panels quickly) so I led her over to JJ's paddock fence.  JJ was unsure at first, but Nancy stretched her head through the fence in an effort to meet him.  He obliged her by touching noses several times.  I don't think he knows what to think of her, but he seemed intrigued.  I left Nancy to graze outside his pen for awhile.  When she returned she was outside of Marty's pen, so I took her back home.  She can duck under the panels and I don't think that would be safe for her.  JJ has a new friend, though.

JJ wanted to come out and play today.  I gave him lots of attention and pieces of carrot for being good about haltering and leading.  I did manage to tie him up to a post in the barn aisle.  It was his first time being tied to anything.  I made sure the aisle was clear, gave him room, and let him figure it out.  He threw his head a few times, leaned back, and tried a few different angles.  That was it.  That's is pretty typical for donkeys.  Not much fuss.  

Once he quieted down, I moved behind him from one side to the other several times, staying close to his body so he couldn't get a full kick.  He never offered to kick and happily took his carrot piece when I reached his head on each side.  I brushed him and introduced the rubber curry.  He enjoyed the new grooming tool.  We went for a walk after that.  Ralph the barn cat made an appearance and JJ lowered his head and pulled towards him.  The cat ran, which made JJ happy.  I'm not sure how he views domestic cats.  He was reactive to Ralph the first time he saw him.  Does he wonder to himself,"Is it a little mountain lion?"   His curiosity is much better than the apprehension or fear he had the first week.  

He enjoyed browsing on some shrubs in the yard before returning to the barn.  He was a little more adventurous during our walk today.  We haven't worked on any real obstacles, but all farms are full of new things to look at and walk past.  I'm very happy with his progress.  My plan is to tie him up twice per day and go out and feed him treats several more times than that, so if I make him apprehensive, I hope the treats will refresh him.

A Little Rule

JJ enjoys his carrots and likes to be scratched, but he was also beginning to express his desire to not be haltered by turning his hindquarters towards me when I approach.  It was a subtle threat.  No kicking at all (I don't push him).  However, this is rude.  The best way to correct this is to encourage him to move his hindquarters away when he does this.  The lead rope didn't work, so I used a short whip with a 6 inch tail to flick towards his hindquarters.  No contact was necessary as these burros are moved around with a similar length stick (with plastic on the end) at the BLM facility.  I moved his hind end away using the whip twice.  The third time I approached, he did not move.  

We worked on picking up the front feet today.  He wants to step backwards when I reach for his hoof.  I tried holding the lead rope behind my back and forward while I picked up his hoof with some success, but I think this lesson is harder to teach him while holding the lead rope.  Today, I will tie his lead rope to a post in the aisle.  I suspect he will understand how to stand tied pretty quickly.  He has had a version of this already.  Sometimes, donkeys will hold their position stretched out with the halter taut.  I use a treat to ask them to step forward and find relief.  There is usually not nearly the amount of drama that there is for horses.  We shall see. 

Marty's training will focus entirely on catching and tying to the tree in his pen.  I can smell his hooves, so I need to prioritize standing tied and picking feet as the main training goals.  Our son has been doing well with approaching and petting.  He took his halter off yesterday because we were worried it would rub his head.  I will make a chute out of panels, if necessary, to halter him.  

Marty was more determined to turn his hindquarters towards our son every time he approached him.  I did the same lesson with him as with JJ, using the short whip to ask him to move his hindquarters away when we approach.  It took several more times, but he understood and allowed our son to approach him many times.  His reward was the removal of his halter (although that may not be understood as such).  

Our burros are over most of their fear and now they are asking their own questions.  This is when they are testing their methods of communication to express their wishes.  This is an important stage because we need to give them the right answers, without frightening them, and show them the rewards of cooperating with us.  The bonding process is at the somewhat friendly level at this stage, but we need to prove that interaction is better than being left alone.   

A Better Day

 After yesterday, I knew JJ needed an easy day today.  We worked on getting used to the halter again.  He let me pick up both front feet.  Then, he was spoiled.  I rubbed his shoulders, sides, and back.  I scratched all the itchy places on his head, neck, and chest.  I think it relaxed him a little.  After a good rubdown, I removed his halter and pet him some more (always conscious of a bad habit developing if an equine learns to bolt when they are unhaltered).  

Somehow, I triggered his self-preservation response and I thought the best way to counter that was to be low key today.  He was a good boy and stood closer to me than usual.  He also approached me several times.  

It's about communication.  I missed something yesterday, or maybe watching the farrier worried him.  Whatever it was, I had to listen and find a way to reassure him.  

Meanwhile, Marty, who is a very mellow burro, allowed our son to put fly spray on him and pet him all over, for the second day in a row.  I also rubbed his should a little this morning when he came up to me.  He is older and definitely less spooky than JJ.  I can't wait until both are trained well enough to be in the paddock together.  

Sometimes I look at these two creatures and imagine them taking care of themselves in the wild.  They have so much knowledge already.  It's amazing how well they are adapting.  Just about everything we are asking of them is completely foreign.  These little victories mean so much more when everything is taken into perspective.  

Backtracking

 Jeremiah had a day off Thursday and then we made some great progress Friday morning.  I picked up both of his front feet and held them for a second, we walked around the farm a little more, and he even let me allowed me to fly spray his legs.  Things were going well.  

In the afternoon, the farrier came by to trim everyone's hooves.  He had an assistant with him who was a bit boisterous and spoke loudly.  JJ spooked at him a few times.  I didn't think much of it, but perhaps that caused an issue today.  

I went to work with JJ this evening, despite the spitting rain and cooler temperatures.  I was dressed differently than I usually do, but more like I might dress at a horse show, so I thought it would be good for JJ to see that. Unfortunately, he seemed apprehensive of me and did not want to be haltered.  I spent a lot of time doing advance and retreat, while rewarding any movement towards me by walking away.  Eventually, he allowed me to rub him with the halter and lead rope and hold the halter under his head, as if I was going to halter him, without moving away.  I also spent a lot of time petting and scratching him.  I stopped there and called it a day.  These things happen for unknown reasons, but if you don't back up and re-do your homework, it might always be a struggle.  

Today was a reminder that this is a wild animal that I am asking a lot of and he needs time to adjust to his new life.  

Meanwhile, Marty approached me several times while I was cleaning his pen.  When I finished cleaning, I scratched him for awhile.