# Which minis are the most affectionate?



## Goats & Dogs R My Life (Aug 27, 2017)

I'm probably going to start an argument here (lol), but, which mini's are the most affectionate? I cared for 13, full-sized, Nubians, and absolutely loved them!! Are the Mini Nubians as affectionate? What about Dwarf Nigerians? I am going to help someone else choose, who wants a couple minis, and for myself, as well.


----------



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

It really depends on the goat with any breed. Saanens and Nubians are sweet in general. NDs can be sweet or snobby. Or both


----------



## Goats & Dogs R My Life (Aug 27, 2017)

T


Suzanne_Tyler said:


> It really depends on the goat with any breed. Saanens and Nubians are sweet in general. NDs can be sweet or snobby. Or both


 At the place I am right now, only 1, out of 6, of the ND are friendly. What about personalities, in general, on the Mini Nubians, vs. the full sized?


----------



## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

My Nigerians are fairly snuggly, but my F1 mini LaMancha just loves FOOD. People are simply a means to an end.


----------



## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

My NDs are sweet and snobbish. It depends on the individual and the day. One was a snuggle bug lap goat as a baby, and now that she's an adult (and hopefully pregnant) she doesn't want anything to do with anyone, including her best buddy from kid-hood. The herd queen has never been a lap pet, but loves a good neck scratch. The bucklings are all sugar. They love cuddles. The girls get moody around heats, but that's understandable.


----------



## Kayla T (Jul 12, 2017)

We have a mini lamancha and he cannot get enough of his humans. He blats from the pen waiting for someone to come save him from his inadequate herdmates. LOL. He is a people goat for sure.


----------



## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

My Mini-Nubian was a bottle baby. I got her at 4 days old. She is SUPER sweet and and loves to be rubbed/petted/loved on. I also have a full-sized Nubian doeling that I bottle raised. She is very affectionate as well and LOVES to be rubbed. My other Nubians, most of whom were dam raised I think, are sweet too, but not as "in-your-lap" as a bottle baby will be.
I have a Mini-Lamancha too and she isn't as affectionate but that may be because she was dam-raised, and was really attached to her mama at first. At two months old she was very wild, but we managed to tame her down. I love both of my Minis though!

This is my little Mini-Nubian, Hildy, she was about 3 months old in this picture. When she wants attention (which is always) she will rest her head against my leg and gently push until I pet her.


----------



## Deborah Haney (Jul 11, 2017)

In my opinion, it's a goat-by-goat basis. That being said, I've only ever owned 5 goats of 2 breeds. My ND bottle baby will take a running start and jump into my lap, then just curl up and stay for hours. My other ND, however, is very skittish and kind of standoffish. She doesn't even seem curious about these people who come in and feed her.


----------



## Goats & Dogs R My Life (Aug 27, 2017)

Goat_Scout said:


> My Mini-Nubian was a bottle baby. I got her at 4 days old. She is SUPER sweet and and loves to be rubbed/petted/loved on. I also have a full-sized Nubian doeling that I bottle raised. She is very affectionate as well and LOVES to be rubbed. My other Nubians, most of whom were dam raised I think, are sweet too, but not as "in-your-lap" as a bottle baby will be.
> I have a Mini-Lamancha too and she isn't as affectionate but that may be because she was dam-raised, and was really attached to her mama at first. At two months old she was very wild, but we managed to tame her down. I love both of my Minis though!
> 
> This is my little Mini-Nubian, Hildy, she was about 3 months old in this picture. When she wants attention (which is always) she will rest her head against my leg and gently push until I pet her.


----------



## Goats & Dogs R My Life (Aug 27, 2017)

How sweet!!!! <3 My kind of goatie!!!


----------



## Goats & Dogs R My Life (Aug 27, 2017)

Deborah Haney said:


> In my opinion, it's a goat-by-goat basis. That being said, I've only ever owned 5 goats of 2 breeds. My ND bottle baby will take a running start and jump into my lap, then just curl up and stay for hours. My other ND, however, is very skittish and kind of standoffish. She doesn't even seem curious about these people who come in and feed her.


I love the jumping in the lap thing!! How completely adorable!!! Sad, about the other... I love a 'vecro' goatie!!


----------



## Clairepaws (Feb 2, 2016)

I've got 4 minis and they're personalities are all over the place. One is shy + sassy, one is a total mama's boy but also dominant, one is the herd queen and kind of a jerk but super affectionate, and one is shy and docile sometimes standoffish. It truly depends on the individual goat.


----------



## Goats & Dogs R My Life (Aug 27, 2017)

Clairepaws said:


> I've got 4 minis and they're personalities are all over the place. One is shy + sassy, one is a total mama's boy but also dominant, one is the herd queen and kind of a jerk but super affectionate, and one is shy and docile sometimes standoffish. It truly depends on the individual goat.


What kind of minis do you have?


----------



## Clairepaws (Feb 2, 2016)

Goats & Dogs R My Life said:


> What kind of minis do you have?


Two ND x pygmy mixes, one (supposedly) full ND, and one I'm not really sure but he's small.


----------



## Rose3057 (Sep 18, 2017)

I have 2 Nigerian's. I'm new to goats and while they weren't bottle babies Ellie has become a lap goat. She does have her diva moments like when she wants the chair and you tell her no and she rolls her head...kind of like my daughters did when they were teenagers. The male, he lets me scratch him for about 10 seconds.


----------



## LSRR (Aug 28, 2017)

I have 14 NDs, 1 mini nubian, and 1 nigora. The mini nubian is super sweet, follows me around and pushes on my leg for attention. 4 of the dwarves were bottle babies and literally want to be standing on your back or in your lap at all times. The other 10 dwarves are all pretty friendly, took them a good week to come around, but grain works wonders. They love being brushed and getting scratches. My nigora is a pain to catch, but calms down when you've got her. She's recently started approaching me out in the pasture and letting me pet her, I think she's just more nervous than the others.


----------



## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I have 20 some ND and a minimancha. I think their friendliness depends more on being a bottle baby than breed. All of mine are pretty well socialized and lovable, but the bottle babies are the ones who consistently seek me out.


----------



## Jaeih (Sep 27, 2017)

I have six Nigerian Dwarfs. Four of them are quite affectionate. One of the young wethers is a bit skittish, and the buck is shy and only comes to us if we have food. But one of the does will walk right up to you and inspect your pockets to see if you have treats!


----------



## Oreosmom (Nov 19, 2016)

It all depends on what you want to do with the goats. Pets or livestock. I have Oreo, now 2, when she found us we didn't know what to do with a goat. We found she was a ND. Once we got the right bedding and food, bath, and dewormed she started warming up to us.Lots of brushing, and talking to she was content to lay next to us on the couch and watch TV. A month later she had Feta, not a ND. Feta was mule colored with fuzzy hair. Much different build then her mom Oreo. More a barrel with legs. Being born on the deck, and living last winter in the back bathroom ( in an igloo house) both goats are very loving. But not to everyone. It took over a week for them to warm up to my 15yr old granddaughter. But now the goats have been here a year we all have a routine. I think our favorite time of day is when we hang out on the steps of our deck, the girls walk over our feet to get into our laps. We change off on which ones we hold as they do get jelious if they think the other one is getting more attention. They love to check pockets for treats and chips.


----------



## cbrossard (Oct 4, 2014)

I have 6 Nigerians and all of them are very sweet! A couple were bottle babies, and one was raised here. I have one gal who took a little time to warm up, and she still sometimes runs from my husband, but loves to get brushed and pet by me! Like others have said, I think it depends on the individual goat, how they were raised and their personality, but in my experience, NDs have a tendency to be very sweet even if some of them might take a little time to warm up!


----------



## BoerSaanenmother12 (May 21, 2014)

I have 5 does 2 bucks 

I have 2 Mini Lamancha Bucks 
1 MINI Lamancha doe 
2 full size Lamancha does 
2 Nigerian dwarf does 

I would say all my goats are in you face type of goats 1 will sit next to me for hours getting pampered brushed and pet she is always in your face like what do you have to feed me can't you see i am starving. but I couldn't see my self with any other goats then my girls I am hoping to ad 3 more doe's to my herd once my doe gives birth to her kids any day now.


----------



## Kath G. (Jul 13, 2017)

I know I'm late to the party, but I wanted to comment on the OP question. I've owned ND, Mini Alpines, standards (Oberhasli and Nubian) and Mini Nubians.
I actually didn't want to go into Mini Nubians as the focus on noses and ears doesn't appeal to me, but once we owned one... and then another... and found the personality to be representative of the breed, I was hooked! We loved our other goats too, and they were very sweet; but the Mini Nubians are SO much more people-centered. People centric. Not loud or needy or pushy about attention either, some people find that all cute but I do not. My herd is made up of mostly dam raised but some bottle raised too and you can't tell the difference. My #1, 2, & 3 friendliest goats are all dam raised; my least friendly was bottle raised (though she's still really friendly, mind you! She'd stand out in another breed's herd). The personality was enough that we sold everything else and only keep MN's now (dabbling in Nubians too). If you were closer, I'd invite you to come and visit; as it is, if you ever travel through beautiful southeastern Wisconsin, look me up! Homeward Bound Farm


----------



## Rose3057 (Sep 18, 2017)

Kath, I may need to take a ride up as I'm in NW Indiana so not that far...


----------



## MadCatX (Jan 16, 2018)

I have 2 minis - one hybrid and one Pygmy Runt - she is a people person very loving and will bleat as soon as I pull in. My hybrid buckling meets me at the fence every day like a dog. They were both bottle fed and I spend time with them daily. The main difference I see is the male to female differences. She gentler and more docile, hes all over the place and rambunctious


----------

