The Donkey Companion: Selecting, Training, Breeding, Enjoying & Caring for Donkeys

I can't say much about it other than it looks like it is very interesting. I bought it for my sister who is moving and wants to raise donkeys. I browsed through it and learned a thing or two myself.

I highly recommend all of Sue's books. Her goat book is awesome. The Donkey Companion is the Donkey Bible for me. I've read numerous books on the selection and care of donkeys but I learned more in two pages of Sue's book than in all the others combined. If there is an award for the best livestock books for those starting out, it should go to Sue.

Clear and comprehensive guide!

WHen this book arrived in the mail was during a moment I was frantically trying to figure out what was going on with my donkey JuJu Bean - I had never had a donkey before and she was going into heat & having a false pregnacy. I realized where this book fell short in a few places, but after the medical mishap was over I sat down with the book and enjoyed it for what it did have to offer.This book has a great love for donkeys, which i found contagious, it helepd me to understand and appreciate the nature of my donkey much more then I had before.I would like to have seen more details in some other areas- like when they go into heat, their cycles, symptoms of things besides the detailed medical section on the horrible worm diseases they could get.One thing i really appreciated too about this book was it has a homoepathic/natural section for treating things that may ail your donkey. After reading through the allopathic medicine section it was a huge relief to know that others were choosing natural methods to treat their animals rather then relying on the Big Pharma Money Hungry industry to tell us what to do with our animals.Plenty of donkey lore, and good tips on the best way to train them too! I was already interested in clicker training but this book confirmed that the non violent, kindness & reward, bonding approach to training really does work best with a donkey.They have great memories and if all you do is repremand them they will just think you are a jerk and it will end there.I like this book, but kinda wish it had more detail then it does.

I really really enjoyed this book. The first half though is the only part I felt really pertained to my needs. As a miniature donkey owner I found a lot of great beginner info. The only complaint (which I didn't see in others comments) was the second entire half of the book is on clicker training. I am not convinced this is something I'd find useful because I don't want to have to carry around a clicker for my animals to listen to me. I understand it is a reward system but I'd rather find a different way around it. Maybe as I become more experienced with my donkeys (who are very docile and well mannered) I might realize the importance and value of clicker training but right now it's just not the path i wish to go, therefore I feel a bit cheated out of a big book. Otherwise, honestly its a great book and one I would still highly recommend. The other book I found just as, if not more helpful, was Donna Smith's "The Book of Donkeys: A Guide to Selecting, Caring, and Training" I found that book incredibly useful too. Also check out The Donkey Sanctuary of UK's downloadable handbook.

Update: This book is more helpful than it appeared, at first blush. To be honest, donks are easy to take care of and I was a nervous new owner. Whatever real questions I've needed answered have been here in this book. I apologize for my earlier stars and have edited this review.It's good. I've never had anything larger than a dog, so I was looking for a book that had detailed information on donkeys. This book is accessible and easy to use. It has an excellent and thoughtful list of things you should have in your first aid kit. Note, these are good to have in your human first aid kit, too. The history of the donkey, as well as, lore are here. Which is handier to know than you might think. People don't know much about donkeys, so it's fun to tell them a little when introducing them to friends. There is other good information in here, like how to communicate with your donkey on its terms. They are not dogs and they're not horses, it's good to speak a little donkey. Donkeys are smart, strong and they are clear communicators. This book is a good addition to your donkey reference library. And btw, I love my mini donkeys!

The book was not what I expected. I was hoping for more info on donkey feeding, behavior, not things on history or half the book on what to do before you bring donkey home. if you are new to donkey care and have no clue what to do this is for you

This book explains a lot of must know information about donkeys to make their life and your life better. Great book. Must have for folks thinking of getting “a donkey” or *donkeys*!

Sue Weaver has produced an informative book that covers most of the basics that an aspiring donkey owner should know. Some sections are more detailed than others. I would have liked to see more information about the rearing of jack donkeys (in particular their physical development), as this is an important aspect of donkey breeding.However, the sections on feed, general care and donkey handling (as well as the other information on donkey breeding) are generally good. The book is written for the reader who sees the donkey as a pet, participant in shows and/or puller of carts or traps. Consequently, there is almost no information about using the donkey as a work animal.My biggest criticism is the somewhat over-egged folksy style. Although the many donkey anecdotes and pictures of donkeys in postcards are interesting to a point, their random distribution throughout the book disrupts the flow of information and is a continual distraction (if not downright irritation!) A slimmed down, more tightly edited and structured book would be much more user friendly.The author is based in the United States and her knowledge and advice reflects the climatic and agricultural conditions in the areas she is familiar with. However, this does not especially limit the potential usefulness of the book to donkey owners living in other parts of the world. There is an extensive reading list (mainly of books published in the United States) for people who wish to know more.In spite of all the useful information,I did not find this book especially easy to read. I might have given only two stars, but Sue's obvious commitment to donkey welfare, and her interest in encouraging the same attitude in other donkey owners, is worth an extra star.

I bought this after getting involved with a neighbourhood donkey (no, not romantically!!! Training it!!). Having been around horses for aeons, my previous experience with donkeys was limited to riding them on the beach at Weymouth as a child. This is a useful book to have, it gives a good overview of the different breeds of donkey, basic care etc. I believe it's aimed more at American readers, though (there are parts about burro racing and various other donkey 'sports which I have never heard of here in the UK). But overall, it would be a good gift for a donkey fan.

Rather disappointing,everything in black and white and no colour photos

I bought a few donkey and horse training books, this was by far the best. It's easy to read yet has real substance - from nutrition to tack, with plenty of photos and examples. More modern than the othe donkey books out there.

Great present