ANOTHER UPDATE: Rough, rambunctious, slightly aggressive buck...

[secuono]

I sold a ram, that I had just bought a few months earlier, for simply flinging his head down & taking a couple of steps back. That's all he did, never escalated, never charged, but I wasn't going to keep him to find out. No offspring by him, either. Not worth it.
Too many rams/bucks out there to keep a dangerous one around.

Gentle isn't how they work. They don't care nor know what that means. They only know serious action. You're a threat to him and he only knows violence fixes that issue. You could try being the tougher male and beat the snot out of him, but then you will always have to be top dog. He'll regularly challenge you for the top dog position.

Get rid of him before he breaks your leg or worse.

 

[Ridgetop]

I hope you will not think this is scolding you since I will be blunt here. You have gotten a lot of good advice. It sounds like this is your first experience with keeping a buck goat. It also sounds like the person you got him from did not give you any advice or instructions on how to train him. Shame on them. While you are doing a good job reading up on how to care for them, books can only help you so far. Livestock, whether kept as pets or in the field, need to have certain training. Always remember that the animal is not going to stay cute and tiny forever. Train from the beginning with that in mind and you will have a much happier relationship with your animals. They will be a pleasure to be around instead of a nuisance or a danger.

Now, this buck has become dangerous. You have 2 choices: Get rid of him or retrain him. Like everyone said - you should have started his training when he was young, and you thought he was being cute and loving. Hopefully by being forceful with him you can retrain him. Otherwise, he is dangerous and if you can't curb his behavior, you will have to dispose of him and replace him.

At this season, he is probably coming into rut which makes bucks and rams more aggressive. Rut also makes bucks and rams very stupid. Your does will start cycling soon if they haven't already. This will make him more stupid and aggressive. (You don't mention what breed he is so I don't know if your goats are year-round or cyclical breeders.) He is over a year old so he is mature. He has learned that this behavior is acceptable and will continue to do it. Even accelerate it. Immediately separate him from the does. I don't know if this will improve his attitude, but he should not live fulltime with the does. Like all females, they will appreciate a bit of rest from the man in their midst.

First get a piece of PVC water pipe - if he is a dwarf breed you can start with 1/2" diameter, but since he is already aggressive, I would use either 3/4" or 1" PVC. Cut it about 18-24" long and use this to whack him on the side of the nose. This has the dual effect of turning his head away as he makes his run at you and also hurting his nose. You must hurt him or it will not be effective. It is not abuse, it is buck mentality training. You need something of substance, not a little switch, since even if you don't want to hit him with it, the 24' pipe can be used to turn his head away so he can't reach you.
(I drill a hole about 2" from the end of the pipe and thread a piece of hay rope through. I have 3 of these which I hang in all locations where they are handy to use on any ram/buck that even looks like he is considering having a run at me. Our rams/bucks are well-behaved because we trained them from babyhood. We don't need the ram stick, but it is there for an emergency.)

Goats and sheep have a tremendous amount of power in their heads and necks. You only have to watch any National Geographic special on wild sheep battling for dominance to see the power they have. A grown ram or buck can break a man's leg with the full force of their charge. This is not something you want to experience and if you have children DO NOT let them go in the pen with him.

Now with your buck stick go in the pen and when he runs at you whack him on the nose with the pipe. You should also shout at him, wave your arms and advance on him until he backs down and leaves. You must impress on him that YOU are the herd buck. YOU are the dominant herd leader. You are bigger, meaner, and more powerful. Do this many times daily until he accepts you as the dominant leader. NEVER go in the pen without the buck stick since he will recognize when you don't have it. Once you see that he recognizes the buck stick, hide it behind your back or at your side so you can use it when he thinks he can get you without punishment.

Unfortunately, he is over a year old and already a mature buck. Even with the training, he may never be trustworthy. However, you will know better next time. Always teach kids that you are the herd boss. If you start them young you don't have to use your buck stick. Anticipate any bad habits like jumping on you, butting you, etc. This may be adorable in kids and lambs, but dangerous in adult animals.

Never turn your back on a buck, ram, bull, stallion, etc. Never make a pet out of a buck kid or ram lamb without teaching them manners. Many people have affectionate relationships with their stud animals, but they have all been taught manners and trained. Their stud animals come for petting and treats, they can enter the pens without fear, they can work with the animals, but this is the result of proper training.

I am sorry to be so blunt. Understand that I am not blaming you since you got no help from the person who sold you the goats. Our family started with dairy goats 35 years ago. We have raised calves, sheep, and market animals. We currently have 50 head of White Dorper sheep and 3 breeding rams. We don't keep any problem animals. You can be hurt accidently by an animal spooking and knocking you down, (has happened to us plenty LOL) you shouldn't keep one that is actively trying to hurt you. Hope this helps.

 

[The Chick Addict]

I hope you will not think this is scolding you since I will be blunt here. You have gotten a lot of good advice. It sounds like this is your first experience with keeping a buck goat. It also sounds like the person you got him from did not give you any advice or instructions on how to train him. Shame on them. While you are doing a good job reading up on how to care for them, books can only help you so far. Livestock, whether kept as pets or in the field, need to have certain training. Always remember that the animal is not going to stay cute and tiny forever. Train from the beginning with that in mind and you will have a much happier relationship with your animals. They will be a pleasure to be around instead of a nuisance or a danger.

Now, this buck has become dangerous. You have 2 choices: Get rid of him or retrain him. Like everyone said - you should have started his training when he was young, and you thought he was being cute and loving. Hopefully by being forceful with him you can retrain him. Otherwise, he is dangerous and if you can't curb his behavior, you will have to dispose of him and replace him.

At this season, he is probably coming into rut which makes bucks and rams more aggressive. Rut also makes bucks and rams very stupid. Your does will start cycling soon if they haven't already. This will make him more stupid and aggressive. (You don't mention what breed he is so I don't know if your goats are year-round or cyclical breeders.) He is over a year old so he is mature. He has learned that this behavior is acceptable and will continue to do it. Even accelerate it. Immediately separate him from the does. I don't know if this will improve his attitude, but he should not live fulltime with the does. Like all females, they will appreciate a bit of rest from the man in their midst.

First get a piece of PVC water pipe - if he is a dwarf breed you can start with 1/2" diameter, but since he is already aggressive, I would use either 3/4" or 1" PVC. Cut it about 18-24" long and use this to whack him on the side of the nose. This has the dual effect of turning his head away as he makes his run at you and also hurting his nose. You must hurt him or it will not be effective. It is not abuse, it is buck mentality training. You need something of substance, not a little switch, since even if you don't want to hit him with it, the 24' pipe can be used to turn his head away so he can't reach you.
(I drill a hole about 2" from the end of the pipe and thread a piece of hay rope through. I have 3 of these which I hang in all locations where they are handy to use on any ram/buck that even looks like he is considering having a run at me. Our rams/bucks are well-behaved because we trained them from babyhood. We don't need the ram stick, but it is there for an emergency.)

Goats and sheep have a tremendous amount of power in their heads and necks. You only have to watch any National Geographic special on wild sheep battling for dominance to see the power they have. A grown ram or buck can break a man's leg with the full force of their charge. This is not something you want to experience and if you have children DO NOT let them go in the pen with him.

Now with your buck stick go in the pen and when he runs at you whack him on the nose with the pipe. You should also shout at him, wave your arms and advance on him until he backs down and leaves. You must impress on him that YOU are the herd buck. YOU are the dominant herd leader. You are bigger, meaner, and more powerful. Do this many times daily until he accepts you as the dominant leader. NEVER go in the pen without the buck stick since he will recognize when you don't have it. Once you see that he recognizes the buck stick, hide it behind your back or at your side so you can use it when he thinks he can get you without punishment.

Unfortunately, he is over a year old and already a mature buck. Even with the training, he may never be trustworthy. However, you will know better next time. Always teach kids that you are the herd boss. If you start them young you don't have to use your buck stick. Anticipate any bad habits like jumping on you, butting you, etc. This may be adorable in kids and lambs, but dangerous in adult animals.

Never turn your back on a buck, ram, bull, stallion, etc. Never make a pet out of a buck kid or ram lamb without teaching them manners. Many people have affectionate relationships with their stud animals, but they have all been taught manners and trained. Their stud animals come for petting and treats, they can enter the pens without fear, they can work with the animals, but this is the result of proper training.

I am sorry to be so blunt. Understand that I am not blaming you since you got no help from the person who sold you the goats. Our family started with dairy goats 35 years ago. We have raised calves, sheep, and market animals. We currently have 50 head of White Dorper sheep and 3 breeding rams. We don't keep any problem animals. You can be hurt accidently by an animal spooking and knocking you down, (has happened to us plenty LOL) you shouldn't keep one that is actively trying to hurt you. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful! You are not being blunt at all!

I have also started knocking him down by first pushing one of his horns to the ground, then pulling the rest of his body down until all his legs are in the air. I stand over him and talk to him in a firm voice and tell him to stop misbehaving. When he stays still I let him back up. I am trying to build a separate pen to move him away from the girls. With the PVC pipe, when I try whacking him with a stick, he can move his horns really fast and instead of his nose, I always end up whacking his horns. Should I do this until I catch his nose? I also have a problem with my neighbor. He really loves animals (so do I) but he can see me from his house and I really think he thinks I am abusing him. I don't want him to think this. This is not abuse correct? Yes, you are right, I believe he is in rut. Thank you again! I truly hope his behavior will mend and I am working hard to help both of us get through this!

 

[Ridgetop]

Not abuse, corrective training and SELF DEFENSE!

If you know the neighbor, you can talk to him about how the buck has become so aggressive that he is getting dangerous, and you are training him in an attempt to avoid putting him down. Stress avoidance of putting him down - might keep neighbor from calling animal control.

 

[The Chick Addict]

ANOTHER UPDATE!
Due to much hard work and training between Caspien and I, his behavior has improved from terrible to great. I have been using these techniques, especially with the PVC pipe, and he has been behaving wonderfully. His jumping the fence has reduced and when he does that, I tie him up and he doesn't do it again since he knows he won't have the freedom to move around the pen. He will rarely put his head against my leg and when he does, I smack him on the forehead. He is in rut right now and I did the final test yesterday. He had been very protective of my doe who is in heat and I decided that would be a time to see if he really did respect me. I stepped threateningly in front of him as if I were taking charge of Willow instead of him, and he shied and moved away, submitting. I was so proud of him. He really seemed to be a lost case but this goes to show if you put your mind to it, you can change hearts. Thanks to all of you who helped me get through this and all the advice y'all have given me!

 

[Baymule]

I’m glad the training is going so well.

 

[SageHill]

Great news, but remember he's a buck and could be a bit buck-ish esp in rut. My ram is nice - so far - but I keep an eye out. When he looks like he might be thinking of not being nice he gets reminded I'm the boss. He young, so there's that. But there is nothing that will trump being smart and careful - keeps everyone happy that way.