# Butt rubbing Goats



## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

So, some of my goats will rub their head at times on a persons butt. Not only one person, but my husband and son too. 
Im told this is Bad behavior because they are testing our authority. 
Could you please give me some clarification on this.
What are they trying to gain other than a scratch? Ive noticed it is only the does in the milking line that do this. 
Cheryl


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

They're basically testing you to see how far they can go with getting into your personal space.

The same goes for stepping on your feet, pushing against you in any way, rearing up on their backs legs in front of you, etc, etc.

If you let them continue, they will keep testing the limits and become very aggressive.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree on the most part. 

I have a Doe who wants attention and will rub on me to get scratched. It depends on the situation.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

Got it. I just run stupid dialog in my head trying to figure out what they are thinking. 
Ive always itched my goats on top if their heads.
If they are jerks, Im a bigger jerk. I bite their ears.
However, I have never had many goats at one time. So this is valuable moving forward.
Next butt rub will be met with an ear bite.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I usually pull up on their ears until they yell out then let go, saying at the same time "Quit".


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Mine only do it for attention and pets/rubbing out the itchies. Unless they are biting, shoving, etc. I just gently push them off tell them QUIT and they get the message. I don't have any trouble with any of my girls running all over me. I would save painful reminders for more elevated situations.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

Great Advice. Testing behavior met with discipline. Attention seeking behavior met with verbal warning. 
This is important to me because I soooo want to have goats in my life. But fear as I age, it may not be possible if I dont raise them right.


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

I try not to push, they seem to view that as an invite. I also don't pull on ears, I've seen to many head shy horses. I will grab my bucks beard when I need to have a heart to heart with him. But my bottle of vinegar, that's all I need to get any of my goats to back up. If I'm walking and they try to stop me by crossing in front, I just plow right through them. Of course that was a lot easier when they were 25 lbs, versus the 100 + now!


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

My husband just reminded me of my most effective behavior corrector, I apparently have a very scary "growl", and ALL the animals respond to it. Whatever...


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ugh I have a doe that is annoyingly sweet and she rubs on me all the time. I am very big on them respecting my personal space. With her I will pop her on the nose and once she has backed off and stands there for how ever long I see fit then I will let her. I have never had one do it meanly or anything like that but I still don't want them doing that. For the most part they have all learned rubbing will back fire but this one is a little slow in the head lol


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Madgoat said:


> I try not to push, they seem to view that as an invite. I also don't pull on ears, I've seen to many head shy horses. I will grab my bucks beard when I need to have a heart to heart with him. But my bottle of vinegar, that's all I need to get any of my goats to back up. If I'm walking and they try to stop me by crossing in front, I just plow right through them. Of course that was a lot easier when they were 25 lbs, versus the 100 + now!


Goats and pulling ears, goats themselves pull each others ears in telling them they do not like something. They are not horses, we do not ride them. Goats are different, but of course they won't like you near their ears after a ear pull. That is why you teach word command with it so you do not have to pull their ear every time. 
Goats don't want to be caught if you are trying to catch them for shots, trimming and worming. They are very smart especially when you start vaccinations on their herd mates they will try to stay away. So that ear pull is just one more added to the don't touch me list with goats. 
Goats will push their luck in many ways testing you. And you have to remind them sometimes, that is not acceptable if you feel they have bad intentions. I do like the spray bottle thing, but I don't always have it on hand. So pulling up on the ear is the best tool for me at that time. You need to discipline at that moment.

I do not slap the head, as it is play to them especially bucks.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

I only have 20 goats. 10 are kids. 7 are does, I started with 2 and have grown to this. No goats run from me. The Bucks are also gentle creatures. I wasnt aware it was a naughty behavior to rub their head on my butt. I was curiouse as to the reason. I was thinking better there than the annoying dog with his nose in every ones crotch .


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It isn't a bad thing to rub on you especially for attention and they are being gentle. If they are being mean, that is another story.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I agree with toth, I am not a big ear puller but I will if I have to get threw to them. Animals don't talk to each other and will tell them hey I don't like that they will puff up, growl and or just beat the snot out of the other goat. Most of mine don't rub on each other because they know they would get butted, but us humans have to kinda do the same thing when we fill they are crossing a line. The 'no' 'knock It off' or whatever is our way of puffing up or growling at them and the pushing, pulling ear or popping them on the nose is us putting them in their place.
No there's not really anything wrong with the rubbing as has been said as long as you are ok with it. For me it's not ok because even though they are not knocking me down or hurting me in any way they would knock down my kids or my sisters kids if they rub on them. So for me it's a big no no. Kinda like a small dog jumping up on you. No it doesn't hurt, annoying yes but not something a lot of people want their dog doing


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

Could the ear biting be a specific breed action? Because I spend a lot of time with mine and observe them most of the day, and I have never seen any of them bite one of the other goats ears. All mine do when they argue is head butt.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Some breeds are more aggressive towards other goats, and biting ears is something that the meaner ones do. So it's sort of breed related. My herd queen is the only one in my herd that does much ear-biting.

ETA - I also find that most ear-biting occurs when the goat that's doing to biting is restrained in some way. If one goat is in the stand and another goat wants to eat the food, the goat in the stand wants to all-out charge, but biting the ears will have to do.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Mine do rub on each other as well, and most of the time the one being rubbed on loves it.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh mine get so annoyed! Well when it's on their back side anyways.
Most of mine only bite the kids ears, but I think Suzanne is right, it's more of a hand smack then a good whipping. But my lamancha is evil when it comes to biting ears! I joke and say it's because she doesn't have any but really I have no idea why she is such a nasty one about ears. She is the queen, and also OLD (11) so maybe because she knows no one is going to do anything about it


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## DawnStar (May 19, 2013)

Lol! My LaManchas also will not hesitate to pull the ears of any goat that has them--they even reach for each others 'lack of ears' when the get really vexed.. then there is this moment where I imagine they say "oh--you don't have them"! And go for the beard or a head butt. Most of the ear pulling I have witnessed is around feeding time and the other goats are not respecting the 'Queens' space. 

As for head butting---I don't allow that ever. If a goat needs their head scratched, there are fences, wall corners, and other 'non-human' things to do that on. One of our nigies loves having her back rubbed (especially when pregnant.. you know, hard to reach  ), but if you stop rubbing and she still wants to be rubbed she will vigorously rub her head up and down on the fence (if you are outside) or on your leg if you are in the pen with her until you submit and continue to rub her back.. She often gets reprimanded since she can get forceful. She is getting better, and will elect to do a 'cat-rub,' on your leg on occasion. But more often than not she gets sassy and demands with the head rubbing.. some goats just can't resist boundary pushing I guess....


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

One of my lamancha yearlings, who was bottle raised at the farm she was born, will stick her snout up my butt....kinda like a dog would. It never fails! I say hello to her first and as soon as I pay attention to another goat, up she goes!


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## newtogo (Jun 19, 2013)

After reading this I can't decide if I'm a sucker or just too easy-going. Several of my goats will push on me to get my attention, or gently grab my sleeve. They want to be petted or have their back scratched. I really don't mind unless they're being too pushy. I think it's just the way they relate to humans because they never butt or act aggressive the way they do with each other. I have 26 goats but the most I have in one field is 15. When they're all fairly "friendly" around me, they will follow me anywhere, which is a very useful when I need them to follow me to another pasture or to the corral. I think it's easy to start thinking you have to "dominate" them, when it's not truly necessary. 
Andrea McKinney


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## Maureen Harmon (Jul 19, 2017)

My Pygmy will challenge my (semi) adult daughters, the dogs, and definitely my ND and Fainter, but never me or my husband. The girls spritz him with water when he gets out of line. The dogs (Great Dane mixes) just walk away, but the two other goats scream bloody murder and run like hell. Mind you, my babies all live in the house with us and are all very, very young!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

newtogo said:


> After reading this I can't decide if I'm a sucker or just too easy-going. Several of my goats will push on me to get my attention, or gently grab my sleeve. They want to be petted or have their back scratched. I really don't mind unless they're being too pushy. I think it's just the way they relate to humans because they never butt or act aggressive the way they do with each other. I have 26 goats but the most I have in one field is 15. When they're all fairly "friendly" around me, they will follow me anywhere, which is a very useful when I need them to follow me to another pasture or to the corral. I think it's easy to start thinking you have to "dominate" them, when it's not truly necessary.
> Andrea McKinney


 It sounds OK to me on what they are doing, as long as they are gentle. Some of my goats do the same. No need to discipline unless they are getting out of line.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

Just because a goat is rubbing their head on someone doesn't necessarily mean they are being aggressive - you just have to know your goats and figure out their personality and their intentions. I have some does who will rub their head on my boots and I know they are just itching their head (which is kind of cute I think) so I let them do it. I have a wether who can be rather obnoxious, and if he tries to do the same thing I'll stop him right away because he will most definitely continue to cross the line until someone ends up getting hurt.

My goats will bite each others ears, usually it's an adult doing it to a kid or the herd queen doing it to an underling. I have only used this kind of discipline on that wether I mentioned above. It didn't make him scared of me, it just communicated to him a very serious "stop it!" in a way he understood.


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