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cp
Member
Username: cpacer
Post Number: 362
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - 9:02 am: |   |
Does anyone have suggestions on how to get dogs and horses to live in harmony? My young quarter horse has taken to chasing my dogs. I don't think he's trying to hurt them, but he tries to play soccer with them, running right at them pouncing with his fronts. I think he's looking for someone he can boss around too, and since they are small and started out weary of the horses, he's learned he can push them around. Now he's taken it too far and I feel bad for not disciplining him before it got to this point. I was trying to act like them all being together was no big deal, thinking they'd follow that idea and ignore each other.
We had a couple close calls and now I have to keep them all separate, which is a bummer because my dogs love helping with the barn chores, and I often let the horses roam around the whole yard.
Without putting my dogs at risk, is there anyway to get the QH over this behavior? |
cp
Member
Username: cpacer
Post Number: 363
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - 9:07 am: | |
Want to add--I know that running at something with forelegs outstretched sounds like an act of aggression, but it's how he plays with everything, and he doesn't have any meanness in him (just want to clarify that). |
jojo
Member
Username: jojo15
Post Number: 971
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - 9:52 am: | |
Once they think they can, They will!
Meaning, i don't think that since the horse has now started this, can you ever trust him to not do it.
There are just certain animals that never get along. for whatever reason. It very well might be a phase. and it stops. but I'm not sure how to tell you to train the horse to not "play" with the dog and ultimately kill it.
My horse has this nasty little habit at feed time where she thinks its ok to get "happy" in that timeframe. IT is the ONLY time my other smaller animals are at risk of getting hurt. in this scenario i know the on and off buttons. and i just work around it. Is it possible for you to try certain scenarios out, find the one most docile time and that is when they start getting re-introduced.
For me that was hay time. I slowly let the pig eat with her and i had to stand guard. Same with the goats. And mini. Once the food is on the ground, she turns quiet again and so i just started introducing at the time she is focused on something else.
When the dog is on leash with you how does the horse react? Somehow you need to establish that the dog is like you. and that might take months of having the dog leashed with you everytime you go out so that the dog is now a part of you. you get the respect...
what kind of dog is it? how old is the horse?
What does the horse do under saddle with the dog at your feet? behave differently or still wants to "play"? |
cp
Member
Username: cpacer
Post Number: 364
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - 10:50 am: | |
The horse just turned 2 so he's not under saddle yet, but he is better behaved while in halter than loose. You just made me think---I could probably do some reintroduction while the horse is on a lead. Then I can correct him if he starts showing interest in the dogs. duh... Again, I guess I was just being too casual about the whole thing thinking everyone could run around loose together. I was in la-la land.
Would like to hear of anyone overcoming this kind of thing though. |
Ilona A
Member
Username: ilona
Post Number: 639
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, Jul 22, 2007 - 10:16 am: | |
There is a wonderful DVD you can purchase from www.leerburg.com that addresses training expressly for this. I highly recommend it. You can also just go onto that website and search 'horses and dogs' and you will find many suggestions form experienced dog handlers. It is best if the dogs learn good manners around horses and to keep away from them as horses will by nature kick or stomp dogs if annoyed.
Ed Frawley (founder of website, and, like Dr O, he oversees his website in a most professional manner) has Rocky mountain horses and is very highly respected in the dog world. |
Linda Lashley
Member
Username: lhenning
Post Number: 269
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2007 - 12:06 pm: | |
Just thinking off the top of my head, so bear with me. Lets try applying Clinton Anderson's method of making the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. Tie one of the dogs up within the paddock. Not sure if you've done any ground work with your horse, but have him on a long lead or lunge line. Let the horse approach the dog but only to the point he begins to show any playful behavior. If he does, back him away assertively using the "wiggle, wave, whack" method. If he does not, stop and stand there a moment, let him sniff the dog if he wants to, or just let him rest. Approach again, repeat. See if you can "convince" him it is easier to simply stand near the dog than to play with it. I would begin with training one dog/ one horse and do it with each dog and the horse individually.
Part of your training involves the dogs too. Do they attempt to bark, nip, or bother the horse? You may want to do some dog training with treats to teach the dogs the word "OUT" or something else that says "go away from where you are". I also teach my dogs "LEAVE IT!", which means stop playing with something and let it alone.
Spend some time with the dogs and the horse individually. The horse needs to be respectful of you first and the dogs need to be obedient to you. They may always need supervision when they are together, but you need to be the boss and in control of them.
Linda |
cp
Member
Username: cpacer
Post Number: 366
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2007 - 2:14 pm: | |
Thanks for the link Ilona..
Linda, I'm afraid that sounds a little risky to me. The young horse is very active with his front legs, I'm afraid one wrong move and it would be too late. My dogs certainly could use some responsiveness training though, as you suggest. My dachshund is now terrified of the horses since his close call, which is good I guess since he thinks he's invincible.
At this point my husband is putting his foot down and not allowing them to be out together. I'd feel like a real a** if anything happened that could have been prevented, so for now I'm just keeping them apart.
One funny story I want to share though. I do let the horses graze the front lawn while their pasture is resting, and yesterday I was in the kitchen cooking and heard a tap-tap-tap at the front door. The dogs started barking so I was wondering who the heck was there. I opened the front door and to my surprise it was Shadow my arabian standing in the doorway. He had stepped up on the front porch (3 steps) to admire his reflection and was tapping at the door giving himself kisses. I had to shoo him away, but he sure had me rolling. Bad thing is now he knows I'll come out of that door, so whenever he wants attention I'm afraid he'll start ringing the doorbell.
Maybe I can get a "no soliciting carrots" sign? |
Ilona A
Member
Username: ilona
Post Number: 641
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2007 - 4:02 pm: | |
You are welcome CP,
That is so very funny...horse at the door! |
Cynthia G
Member
Username: cgby1
Post Number: 125
Registered: 5-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - 5:18 pm: | |
If you put the dogs up on a table or something at least chest high on the horse, he would have a harder time kicking at them. Then do your training with the horse. |
