# Animal aggressive mule and escape artist



## JohnnyMule (Nov 8, 2015)

I am having a bit of a problem with my mule. 
His paddock is dog proof except for the gate, as he would quickly kill any dog or other animal that found it's way in there, and he has tried to take a bite out of a few chickens that wandered in there.
This morning though he attacked my young goat and I had to rush her into the vets office over an hour away. It was touch and go for a while, but the vet said she was just very bruised up, and in shock. It was completely my fault for not ensuring the gate was animal proof knowing he will attack any animal in his space ( she managed to escape her pen and wandered in). 
He's also an escape artist, and will bash down the fence or jump it if I have the goats or chickens out to free range, and chases them ( usually back to their pens, then he wanders off to eat my lawn). 
We are buying material this week to build him a 6 foot high, bull and chicken proof fence to keep everyone ( including the mule) safe. We live my a busy highway, and I'm worried he'll get loose one day and cause an accident. 
I love my boy to death, but he is driving me nuts! I had always planned to train him as a saddle mule, but with his aggression towards other animals, I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable taking him off the property.
I am looking for some advice on what to do about all this? He's only two, so is still young and eager to learn. Can I eventually train this out of him? Would getting him a pony companion help?


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

Has he been cut?


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Man, IDK what to do here. I will say that to me at least that animal is a dangerous one, a liability concern and sure to cause more headaches in the future. Please don't get me wrong, but I would be asking myself in this situation whether the mule was worth the trouble he has already shown himself to be.

Will it be someone's child next time? What if great Aunt Mattie comes to visit and her Maltese gets into the mule pen? Livestock predation is no joke either, sounds to me at least like you have a four legged liability suit on your hands. Gelding would help, to a point, but it probably won't totally stop his animal aggression or escape tendencies.


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## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

I agree with the "next time" on the kid. 

What if he gets out and someone tries to help you by catching him?

From the info given here, he needs to be buried or put in the freezer IMO.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

The above was kinda my thoughts, too. This is like keeping an aggressive dog around....except worse, this one weighs several hundred more lbs than a dog. Aggressive dogs get put down, same with chickens and goats and any other animal. The potential for injury is huge here.


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## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

I'd find a trainer and get some professional advice. He's awfully young and a male to boot so may be a few years and good training before you have a reliable mule. Some hate small animals always. Where do you live? There is a really good muleman https://www.facebook.com/anthony.mcallister.14?fref=ts here in Central IL who has raised and trained mules for years. Awesome guy who is genuinely interested in people being safe with their mules


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

I have one that was almost that bad. It's a male thing, donkeys can be bad, too. They just want to basically kill anything that they consider a threat to the territory they are planning to gather a harem in. And then play games with it's lifeless body. He toned down a good bit after being cut. He hates electricity. In fact, i can string a wire with no juice on it and he will stay in it. I use him for lawnmower duty. He won't go out of his way to stalk and kill things now, but he does dislike canines. I wouldn't trust him with any livestock he could hurt. I rotate him through the pastures so he can intimidate would be intruders. He has displayed no aggression towards people, but I wouldn't trust him around kids. Takes a while for the testosterone to work it's way out once you cut him, and he will never be something that will lay there and let baby goats jump on his back, or graze peacefully while puppies frolic in his pasture, but it will calm him down some.


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## JohnnyMule (Nov 8, 2015)

Thank you for all the advice. 
He was cut over 6 months ago (soon after I got him) and has settled down quite a bit since then- beforehand you could not enter the paddock without a whip as he was a mass of raging hormones. 
Since being cut, he has shown no aggression towards people, although I would never trust him around children as he is a very nervous boy and their loud noise and sudden movements frighten him. He'll come right up to the fence for pets and snuggles, and is a real doll with people he knows (will not let strangers near him). 
I really don't want to give up on him yet, as he has come so far in the past 6 months (he did not have much done with him before coming here) and does have a sweet and eager personality (just not around other animals).
I have been working with my farrier since bringing him home, who is familiar with training donkeys, and she has been a great resource. I will have to speak with her about this issue and see what she has to offer as well. 

I do agree with you all that he is a liability, and that it may be that he needs to be put down. I don't want to give up on him yet seeing how far he's come in just the past 6 months, but I also do not want to risk him injuring another animal, or escaping and causing injury or damage. It's a very hard decision to make one way or another.


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## ZachandSammie (Apr 19, 2016)

Well, I'm more of a horse owner rather than mules but since I see mules and horses sharing fields I'm gonna assume they are a lot alike. In personal experience you 'M work with him. It will take a really really long time though. I suggest you keep him definitely separate from the other animals until you've trained him more and trust him better. If you have a round pen that would be of fantastic use. I would set that up somewhere where he can't be distracted by other animals and take him at at least a couple times a week if not every day. Work with him until you feel comfortable. Once you've done that I would move the pen to a spot where the other animals are visible and try working with him again. I feel like the more he sees the other animals and how they react he will get better. Right now he's just antsy. Give it time.


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

It sounds as though your mule is bored. He needs a routine and to be worked. If you can't ride him, put him harness. Get him earning his keep. You'll find that problems like you are having will disappear or greatly decrease.
He's looking for someone to show him the way. If you don't, he'll make up his own way to do things. And you don't seem to like that.
On second thought. "Green and green don't go well together."
Maybe you should send him down the road to someone who can teach him what he needs. And get yourself a trained animal that can give you the time to grow and learn what you need to know.
Killing that mule isn't the answer. You may not like his actions but that doesn't make him bad.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Unfortunately, the mule was doing what mules and donkeys do. They guard territory not flocks and when something ventured into his area, he did his job and instinct is something that is hard to train out of animals.

I'm not of the opinion that he needs to be put down but he may need to be in another environment or with someone who has the time to invest in further training.


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## JohnnyMule (Nov 8, 2015)

He is not at the point where I can hook him up to a harness and make him work. We are still getting him used to haltering, leading, giving to pressure, picking up feet, etc. As I said, he was not really handled before I got him and it took a good few months before I gained his trust. I do work with him daily, but I'm sure he is bored for the remainder of the day. We've been looking for a horse companion for him, but haven't come across the right one yet. 
I am not new to training horses, but he is my first mule, which is why I have my farrier giving some advice and pointers. If I was in over my head, she would let me know in an instant (which is one of the reasons I like her so much). 

I do understand what he did is instinct, and I'm not mad at him in the slightest over attacking Maggie, just annoyed that he keeps breaking out. Maybe a nice, calm mare will help keep him in the paddock ( or he'll teach her to jump out and go frolicking around town together...)


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

This is why I never suggest a donkey or mule as a guardian for small ruminants. I had a small standard donkey who also would do the same thing, but only occasionally. The only fair thing to do was to find him a home with other equine companions. 

It sounds to me like your mule would benefit greatly from some a companion. I imagine he's horribly lonely and bored, and that surely isn't going to help. 

And I don't think animal aggression will automatically lead to human aggression. A mule knows the difference between a chicken or a goat and a human.


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

The first thing that you do to get a mule looking to you for direction is to isolate him. Putting him with another animal will only serve to divide his mind. And all of a sudden he will be looking to the other animal for direction and you will have a hard time catching him. He does not need any other buddy than you right now. 
The second thing is that a great deal of time is needed to be spent with the mule, actively pursuing a goal. Whatever you decide that goal is. You can do things like daily grooming, round pen work and manners. Don't spend more than a few minutes on any one thing and end on a positive note. He will pick up right where you let off the day previous.
This mule wants to learn more than Johnny is ready or able to teach him.
A mule is a pretty big commitment. A lot bigger than other equines because they are so versatile and can do whatever you put them to.
I know of one mule that competes cutting cattle. The next day he may be in harness pulling trees or hitched to tillage equipment in the garden or the next day he may be going up the mountain with a couple of kids on him. He rides him through construction sites and drives him through the drive up window at the Dairy Queen to get an ice cream. Two of course. One for the mule.
The reason he's good is because he is used and exposed to everything. Its made him so rock solid that I don't believe that he could be disturbed by anything.
Johnny's mule will turn around so quick if he is just used.
The best way to get a mule to do something is to get hime tired and then teach it to him.


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## JohnnyMule (Nov 8, 2015)

CIW said:


> The first thing that you do to get a mule looking to you for direction is to isolate him. Putting him with another animal will only serve to divide his mind. And all of a sudden he will be looking to the other animal for direction and you will have a hard time catching him. He does not need any other buddy than you right now.
> The second thing is that a great deal of time is needed to be spent with the mule, actively pursuing a goal. Whatever you decide that goal is. You can do things like daily grooming, round pen work and manners. Don't spend more than a few minutes on any one thing and end on a positive note. He will pick up right where you let off the day previous.
> This mule wants to learn more than Johnny is ready or able to teach him.
> A mule is a pretty big commitment. A lot bigger than other equines because they are so versatile and can do whatever you put them to.
> ...


Thank you for the wonderful advice! To be honest I haven't been spending as much time with him the past few months as winter was very busy and unpleasant. Looking back this is about the time he started escaping his pen. 
He is in a small round pen at the moment, as he escaped again today and ran down the driveway to great me when I came home. He'll be staying there until I get some fencing up that he cannot smash through or jump. 
Guess he's been trying to tell me all this time that he needs more attention, and I've been too dense to realize. He is a very very smart boy, and has the biggest personality . Thank you for this post, it was very helpful. 
As for the animal aggression, I knew this may have been a problem when I bought him, so was fully prepared to keep him away from them if needed. It's just a bummer that he doesn't like the goats.


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## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

I would have a really really really good mule person evaluate your animal. Eyes and hands on is vastly different than folks on a board offering opinions. It sounds like you have made a good start on his issues, but a very experienced person would be better able to give insight as to if your boy is capable of being a productive member of your farm or a liability.

I also vote for not getting him a companion at this point; but that would be another thing to ask the mule person. I know that when I had one rehab horse that refused to be touched at all, the only way to get through to him was to be the only food and water source. The ONLY. If he wanted a drink or feed, it was out of the bucket I held. A tremendous time commitment but it paid off- the light bulb clicked on.


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## JohnnyMule (Nov 8, 2015)

Thank you for the advice. 
My farrier is quite experienced with training donkeys and mules, and i have her out regularly to work on getting him used to the farrier, and other groundwork training.
She absolutely loves him, and said he has a wonderful personality and should be a very good mule with some time and work. 
I did have her out again, and she believes he would benefit from a companion. He's a nervous guy, and she said an older, calm, well trained equine would be a good fit. 
We should have the paddock fixed up by next weekend that can hold a bull, so we have started looking for something suitable. I never liked having him alone to begin with, I personally believe all equines should have a 'herd'.
When we first got him, a companion would not have been good as he would not let anyone touch him, and was very flighty. He is now very comfortable around people, and loves attention, hugs, and scratches. I'm hopeful that a companion will help, although I guess it's gamble as some of you are saying being by himself may be better.


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

A donkey Jack is a lone animal. He has a territory. He wants to defend the best real estate to attract the females. As small groups of females move in and out of his territory he will cover those that are in season. He doesn't follow the group any farther than the edge of his territory. He also runs any kind of challenger out of his territory.
You have a male mule that was castrated late, leading to his character development style. 
Bringing another animal into his pen may be trading one problem for 2 or 3 more.
When he does buddy up to something else he will draw away from you.
Increase the amount of time that you are spending with him. Let him grow through this skiddish time. The best way you can speed this up is to put him to work. You are going to slow. He's bored and anxious. He doesn't need any other companionship than yours.
When a mule becomes hyper sensitive it needs a job.
You can have him pulling a loader tire up and down your drive in a week.
Your worrying too much about his psyche. Move on with his teaching . He doesn't need a pacifier.


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## Alder (Aug 18, 2014)

Indeed he sounds like an animal in need of a job. I've never owned a mule, but in my lifetime with horses, have experienced and closely observed how successful mule people interact with their long-ears. They need a "person" of their own, and they crave more time with that person than a horse does. They are flat-out smarter, are "thinkers" and live a lot longer. They watch you, they learn how you do things and communicate. They learn your body language, and they bond deeply.

Frankly, a mule is a heck of a commitment, and not one to be taken lightly as a life's decision. I never had the time to give to a mule while I was working, and now, am to the age where a young mule would likely outlive me. But they make an outstanding work partner and companion if you do it right. Special considerations are in order for differences in anatomy when you buy a saddle and harness/collar, bridles and halters (most mules are very particular about how their ears are handled!) Try to not make him ear-shy. A bridle that buckles around his ears is a kindness to a mule. Also, as you've probably learned from your farrier, they are particular about how and who handles their feet.

I wouldn't worry too much about the chasing thing. I've had lots of horses who wouldn't tolerate dogs and such within their reach - usually for good reason. Interaction between different species is always something to move forward with cautiously. As for a stray young person wandering into the pen - anybody is a fool if they let unsupervised stray kids randomly wander into animal pens on their place - we've been over that thoroughly on other threads. And 'aggression" while working? With you on his back, on the lines or holding the lead rope, you are in charge. Once he has confidence in you and has a good base of training and exposure, he will follow your lead and fall back on his training and his trust. 

Anyway, this young guy knows something is missing, and he needs a job and a leader. He's signalling that he's more than ready for it. If you don't have the time or the knowledge to move forward with his training VERY soon, you may want to consider another owner for him.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Your mule needs a job. If you won't give him one he will be bored and make up his own. A young mule needs one hour a day of your time, seven days a week. Most mules don't like dogs or other small animals. I have a good saddle mule who will travel a mile out of his way for the chance to kill a dog. If it isn't possible to keep him away from small animals you should find him another home. This is not unusual behavior for a mule, this is the norm.

Muleskinner2


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