How to Train Your Dog to Behave Around Horses
Introduction
It is not uncommon for animal lovers to have pets from more than one species, but what happens when one of your pet species is a predator and the other is a prey animal? Does mayhem necessarily have to follow? Hopefully not! Many horse owners also own dogs, and they get along famously, but this does not necessarily occur without some work, training and assimilating the two companion animals from species with very different natural instincts. Remember herding dogs have a tendency to want to herd livestock and large dogs, especially from hunting breeds, may also be prone to chase livestock. Other dogs are just plain excited about being around a new animal and may jump at the horse or, if fearful, may bite out of fear. If you do not teach your dog that these behaviors are not compatible with being around your horse, you could be in for a wreck. There is a danger to the horse if it becomes frightened and the flight instinct kicks in--the horse could become injured in its panic to escape, slip and hurt itself or run through a fence, person, or other obstacle. Also, your dog can become hurt if a horse, being annoyed or harried by a dog decides to “fight”, a horse can easily injure or kill a dog by stepping on, kicking or even biting it.
Defining Tasks
Because horses are prey animals who tend to react by fight or flight to the presence of a predator, which technically your dog is, you will need to teach your dog to behave in a respectful, calm way around horses in order to avoid a confrontation in which your dog or the horse could be injured or worse. Ideally, a dog that is going to be around horses is introduced when young, but this is not always possible. If a horse owner adopts or acquires an older dog that has no experience with horses, some precautions and training will need to take place so that the dog learns to behave appropriately around his equine family members. If the dog has a history of aggression or chasing bikes, people or other livestock, teaching the dog to behave around a horse can be particularly challenging. Dogs need to not chase, jump at, or nip horses and should stay a respectful distance from the horse's feet. In order to not put themselves or the horse at risk, dogs need to learn to be calm, gentle and not make sudden movements around horses.
Getting Started
Before you introduce your dog and horse and start teaching appropriate behavior around horses, you should be aware of the temperament of both the horse and the dog, and whether either of them has been exposed to the other species before. If you have an excitable dog and your horse has never seen a dog before, you might want to introduce the horse to a calm dog first so the horse has a positive experience around dogs before introducing an excitable dog, and vice versa. If your dog is calm, but the horse not so much, get your dog used to quiet horses that accept his presence before introducing him to a more high-spirited equine friend. Your dog should know basic obedience commands and have good on and off leash control prior to exposing him to a horse or horses. A leash, to control your dog, and a round pen or corral with safe fencing such as rail, not barbed wire, is ideal for introducing your dog to how to behave around horses.
The Slow Introduction Method
The Off Leash Control Method
The Model Behavior Method
Written by Laurie Haggart
Published: 10/11/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
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Success Stories and Training Questions
Training Questions and Answers
Gem
I want to know how to train dog to heal while i am on horseback. Gem is running ahead of me and then coming right back to me at the moment?
842 Dog owners recommended
Hello Julie, First, you need to work on a really solid off-leash heel around the horses, when not on horseback. Teaching pup to heel calmly around the horse when you are just walking past the horses comes first. Next, choosing the calmest, most well-socialized horse, practice having pup heel next to you while you walk next to the horse on your other side, going in the same direction as the horse. It's probably best to have a second person actually leading the horse even though you are next to it, so that you can focus all of your attention on the dog. Next, have pup heel while you are riding on the horse, but have another person managing pup on a long leash to correct him back into position just as needed - the leash should be relaxed when pup is doing well so that he is heeling because of obedience and not because he is being forced too most of the time. This can also be done through off-leash heeling with e-collar training if pup has been trained to heel to an e-collar ahead of time. The e-collar can be used to correct pup when he begins moving out of position. I would have another person who is super experienced with e-collars managing the corrects though, so that you can focus on the horse for safety reasons. You may need a long leash and an e-collar for a bit in between this step and the previous step too if you use an e-collar. You will practice with the extra person helping for a really long time, spending lots of time on this step because pup needs to be 100% on this before it's just you on the horse alone with pup. Once pup is 100%, then you are ready for just you, pup, and the horse in calm areas. Only progress to more distracting areas when both the dog and the horse are fully in the habit of obeying you and traveling with each other even around distractions. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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My puppy won't listen to me or I need him to not be scared of my horses.
842 Dog owners recommended
Hello Angel, Check out the Passing Approach method from the article linked below and the Turns method from the second article linked below. Passing Approach: https://wagwalking.com/training/greet-other-dogs Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Have a second person handle your calmest horse. Practice a structured obedience walking past the horse using the two methods above, adding in turns to get pup's attention back on you - like the turns method, and passing back and forth from a further distance, rewarding calm responses as they walk past the horse. Be careful not to spook the horse and give the horse as much space as they need also. Reward pup for being calm and ignoring the horse, and gradually work the animals up to being closer over the next few weeks. You want pup to become bored around the horse, focused on you, and able to be calm and responsive to training by adding in the structure of the heel and managing the interaction with distance and lots of repetition to create a good, calm habit when near the horse. When pup is doing well, check out the walking together method from the article that the passing approach method is found in, to teach pup to heel along the horse. Only use that method when both the horse and dog are completely calm around each other, to avoid spooking the horse. Have a second person walk the horse while you walk pup during that training too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I’ve only had Rex 7 months,
Was perfect round horses when I went to view him.
Brought him home, bit silly darting infront of them in an intimidating manor - not aggressive, this got better, he was good to hack with the horses etc.
Unfortunately we had to move house and yards etc, now getting progressively worse with horses finding the yard far too exciting and now jumps up and snaps teeth at the stables doors!!!
I need to nip this in the bud, he loves coming to the yard and I want him to be a part of it, but I’m really struggling at the moment and don’t know what to do.
Thank you
104 Dog owners recommended
Thank you for the question. It sounds as though Rex is trying to put his innate herding skills to use. As for the jumping up at the doors, I am really not sure why he would be doing that. I think you may need to spend some time at the yard with Rex on the leash. Put some gentle yet corrective training to work while there. When he shows too much interest in the horses, correct him so that he learns what you expect and that the horses deserve respect. You could join either a Border Collie forum or even better, a horse forum and ask questions there. You may run across a similar problem and someone there can give advice. How does Rex do in obedience classes? He has a keen, working mind and is a breed that thrives on having a job to do. He would excel at obedience, flyball and agility. Put him to work and maybe he'll be calmer around the horses. Good luck!
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I got my two horses yesterday. Roxy is going crazy and wild when around them,she only seems to acts like this when I'm around. She barks and goes crazy, she doesn't listen to us and normally does. I have tried to ignore the horse while I'm with Roxy but it doesn't make a difference. What should I do?
842 Dog owners recommended
Hello Natalie, Check out the videos linked below. I suggest working on some structured obedience with pup from further away from the horse, while someone else manages the horse. The videos below show dogs with a cat, but the commands like Place can be used in this situation to increase pup's self-control and desensitize them too. Gradually decrease the distance between pup and the horse as pup improves. When pup can handle being calm around the horse with lots of boundaries, then practice pup heeling with you on leash in a very structured, focused heel around the horse in closer range. Have someone else manage the horse and be careful not to let the horse spook due to the dog. Mild issue - teaching impulse control: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWF2Ohik8iM Moderate issue - teaching impulse control using corrections and rewards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dPIC3Jtn0E Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-to-not-bark Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Heel - Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel How pup responds to the training will determine whether other things like interrupters or more structure is needed. If things are getting worse, not improving, or you feel uncertain how to proceed, I suggest hiring a trainer with experience with reactivity and introducing animals, to help you. Even working with the right trainer over video right now could help determine what methods to use and be very helpful. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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We recently moved out to a new property where my dog is now living with two horses. He started off totally crazy around them, but has calmed down a lot. However, he Isn’t able to read their body language at all, and crowds them often around their rear ends, which they don’t like. They give escalating signals (ears back, tail swishes, rear foot lifted slightly) but my dog has no idea what it all means. When we see the horses doing this, we call the dog away, and so far he hasn’t gotten kicked, but I feel like he’s deaf to the horses’ signals (which makes sense, he’s a dog), and I’m worried he will get kicked. Any ideas? Thanks!
104 Dog owners recommended
Hello, my apologies for the delay. You may have done this already - but I looked for articles from horse magazines as I am not well-versed in this area. I've seen plenty of dogs around horses, but always on leash.https://horseandrider.com/how-to/how-to-introduce-dog-to-horse and https://www.crktrainingblog.com/groundwork-handling/6-tips-for-keeping-dogs-safe-around-horses/. One of them mentions to have your dog well trained with the sit, down and stay commands so that you can have them stay off to the side when you are unable to watch them 100%. The long stay will be essential for this: https://wagwalking.com/training/perform-a-long-stay. This guide has many good training tips for the stay. I think the best thing is to teach Rivet that the horses are out of bounds to him with a boundary of sorts set up when he is in their presence. In that case, when you are working with the horses, if that is the case, he stays on a long down. Otherwise, set up boundary training for not going on the fields or paddock. The horse's kick is very powerful! Good luck!
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My dog Bruno is fantastic around horses. The only issue I am having is that he gets jealous of the horse when I ride. I tie him up when riding to keep him safe and under supervision, but he barks even when I go about my business and ignore him. He is very determined, and the barking becomes hard to focus with (especially when other people are trying to ride their horses too!) Any advice on keeping him safe and quiet, but allowing me to ride my horse while he is there? Thank you!
842 Dog owners recommended
Hello Sarah, I would hire a professional trainer to help you in person with this. This needs to be done carefully to keep everyone safe around the horse, and not spook the horse. I recommend teaching pup the Quiet command, and having a second person (like the trainer) reward pup with a treat for tolerance and quietness around the horse while you ride. Using something like an unscented pet convincer to also correct pup whenever they still bark after being told Quiet, by briefly spraying it at pup's side. I would have the trainer hold pup's leash until they are trained, while doing this, and not the person on the horse. It's important to not only correct to interrupt the barking, but also to reward pup's good behavior. As pup improves there should be more opportunities to reward, and less need to correct, so that by the time you are ready to hold pup's leash, pup is generally just being rewarded for their good behavior around the horse. If pup is possessive of you in general in other situations too, I recommend building their overall respect for you gently, when not around the horse, too. Respect building: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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My dog has been around my horses since she was young but has recently started chasing, barking & snapping at my horses. I genuinely think she is reacting as a defensive mechanism as when on the lead she is fine & doesn’t bark as much so obviously feels safer but I want her to be able to run in the field with my horses
842 Dog owners recommended
Hello Sally, I recommend teaching an Out and Leave It command, and with a second person helping you manage the horse, practice pup being around the horse further away from you on the long leash - like 30 foot, just giving pup 10 feet of slack at first, giving more slack as pup improves. Work on practicing Leave It and Out whenever pup gives the horse too much attention, with you practicing while further and further away. Reel pup in and tell them "Ah Ah" when they are misbehaving around the horse, and reward for ignoring the horse or heeling calmly near it if you are trying to train them to heel beside the horse. Out https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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