Goat with separation anxiety

[Sage Albright]

Hello!

We have had our mini nubian buck for a month now, making him 5 months old. We believe he was not weened from his mom properly because since we got him he has insisted on sucking on my fingers. Overall he's very well behaved and loves hanging out with our chickens and ducks. Our rooster and him are constantly together.

Only problem is that he seems to have separation anxiety. He follows us everywhere and if we leave him he cries and cries. He has now learned how to break through the fence and runs down to the front door and the driveway to find us. It's a constant battle of carrying him back up to where he belongs just to have him come back down to the house. He has plenty of things to play on. We also have woods behind our house so he has lots of plants to eat. Plus his hay, pellets, and water of course. The goat and my dog do not get along and now I am having problems letting my dog out because as soon as we get outside the goat starts running right at us.

My question is how to I break this separation anxiety or is there anyway to train him to not come down to the house.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Latestarter]

First, . I'm sure others with experience will chime in shortly, but I'm here now so thought I'd post. You haven't mentioned if your goat has a "friend". Goats are herd animals and need companionship from and with other goats. They don't do well without it. Dogs, chickens, & other animals (including us humans) can't fill that need. If you had/have/got another goat (or even 2), you'd most likely have less of a problem. You could check around and see if anyone nearby has a whether (altered male) available. They normally are very inexpensive and are sometimes free.

 

[animalmom]

I agree with @Latestarter in that goats really do need to have a companion of their own kind, and that getting your buck a wether is the best solution. Even if you wanted to raise goats, getting a doe for your buck is not ideal because you want to be able to control the breeding which means you have to house does and bucks separately. Get your boy a wether and he will be much happier. The companion does not have to be a mini nubian, it could be a Nigerian Dwarf, or a Pygmy, or any other mini.

You want your goat to be happy, healthy and above all safe. If he is getting through your fencing then he won't be safe. Figure out how he is doing that and get it fixed so he can't escape. The last thing you need is to come home and find your boy has gotten out looking for friendship.

Goats are amazing creatures that worm their way into our hearts. You will find yourself on an incredible journey filled with much love, exasperation, joy and greedy companionship (goaties do love raisins and will pick your pockets if they think you have any). Welcome to the wonderful world of goats, and also welcome to BYH; we be pretty partial to them there goaties.

 

[samssimonsays]

Welcome!

I fully agree with the above comments. They need hoofed animal companionship. My goats (I just started and only have 3) all LOVE people and will cry and cry for us if they see or hear us. They are big babies. My older doeling will suck on my fingers as did her mother and both were raised on their moms and weaned normally. Some goats are just more prone to doing so from what I understand. Enjoy your little guy it will definitely be an adventure!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Welcome , glad you joined us! Like the others mentioned another goat friend(wether) would probably be a good idea!

 

[Sage Albright]

Sorry it took me so long to respond everyone!

We ended up getting another buckling. He's a 3 month old fainting goat. Our original goat is pushing him around a little but overall they get along great and don't like to be separated.

We will be getting the new little one dehorned soon since our first goat doesn't have horns. I don't want to risk him getting hurt. We will also be getting both of them fixed. My vet told me we have to wait until spring to do that.

As far as the fencing, they are still getting out. They knock the fence right over. We will be looking into other options soon!

 

[samssimonsays]

That is so good to hear! I hope that you are able to get something they can not knock down

 

[OneFineAcre]

Sorry it took me so long to respond everyone!

We ended up getting another buckling. He's a 3 month old fainting goat. Our original goat is pushing him around a little but overall they get along great and don't like to be separated.

We will be getting the new little one dehorned soon since our first goat doesn't have horns. I don't want to risk him getting hurt. We will also be getting both of them fixed. My vet told me we have to wait until spring to do that.

As far as the fencing, they are still getting out. They knock the fence right over. We will be looking into other options soon!

Why did the vet say you needed to wait until spring to "fix" them?

 

[Sage Albright]

Why did the vet say you needed to wait until spring to "fix" them?

Not sure shy he said to wait until spring. Something about their urethra getting messed up if you castrate them too early.

So far the two are getting along, for the most part. Our older boy tends to pick on the new baby a little. Headbutts him whenever he tries to go into the stall to lay down. Or if the baby tries to come near us. It's making it harder to bond with the baby. Our older boy is still so attached and won't leave our side. Right now the baby just runs.

Any tips on how to get the baby to be more bonded to us?

 

[Latestarter]

In a word: TREATS! lots and lots of treats!