Hopes of a breakthrough with nervous donkey Dougie

We previously reported how Dougie was first discovered with a sarcoid – a locally invasive tumour – which was about the size of a grapefruit.

Thankfully, our Donkey Welfare Adviser Charly Wain ensured Dougie was taken into our care, and he went on to receive surgery at Yorkshire’s Rainbow Equine Hospital.

Dougie now resides at our New Arrivals Unit in Sidmouth, Devon, where the next stage of his recovery is in full swing.

For the last six months, New Arrivals Groom Rachel Hill has been working tirelessly to melt away Dougie’s barriers of mistrust.

Although Dougie is a young donkey at just five years old, not much is known about his background. His wariness around humans was noticed by Rachel from his first day in Devon.

Rachel says: “When Dougie first arrived at our New Arrivals Unit, he was really nervous. He wouldn’t approach me and refused to take food from my hand.

“The first thing we worked on with Dougie was teaching him to stand still, even if I was a couple of metres away from him.

“We achieved this through positive food rewards, but even that was slow progress. We had to start by placing his food rewards on the floor until he was confident enough to take it from my hand.”

Another technique Rachel used was clicker training. A clicker is a tool that can help with positive reinforcement training by making a clicking sound when deliberately activated.

Rachel first began the training by clicking once and giving Dougie a food reward when he remained calm and still.

She has now advanced the training through a ‘varied schedule’ – this means Dougie doesn’t always receive a reward on the first click.

“He might have to remain calm through two or three clicks before he is rewarded,” Rachel explains. “This encourages him to carry on staying still and standing for longer periods of time.”

There’s still plenty of work to be done with Dougie. While Rachel is unable to stroke or pat him, she is focusing on the positive results.

“I think I’ve gained Dougie’s trust,” she says. “He has begun to take food from other grooms, which shows very good progress.

“He’s also helped by his three companions, Puzzle, Scrabble and Dibble. These three donkeys are very calm and confident, which helps encourage him around the grooms. There’s still a lot to do, but I’m confident we can help him turn the corner.

“We have a great process going forward and I know that if he can grow his trust in me and strike up that bond, Dougie can achieve the same with another groom.

“Dougie has definitely been the biggest challenge I’ve come up against in my career so far, but when that breakthrough happens, it is going to be such a special moment.”