# Moving back to farm...horse issue



## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Tucker and I have been living in town, and while we spend a fair amount of time at the farm anyway, now we will be there full time. I know he'll be happier to have more outside time.

One thing has become an issue recently, and I admit training has been sporadic lately due to my crazy work schedule. I am committed to getting back to where we were, work or not.

He is harrassing the horses. Now, our horses are not in the least bit worried about him. Our now-deceased ACD made them bullet-proof as far as dogs are concerned. My mare will actually get bored of him barking (across the fence only at this point) and lay down to take a nap. If he ever gets brave enough to go in, I know one of them will clean his clock if he goes too far. I don't want him hurt, however deserving he may be. The horses that show have back shoes  Our young gelding WILL hunt him down if he goes in...

I've been hesitant to use an ecollar yet as I havent worked with my trainer on it yet. Hopefully Ill be able to start up training again soon and work on it (hour drive each way). Is there anything else I might try in the meantime? The horses pasture is right beside our yard and right now it would be tough to keep him securely away without confining him to a crate. Part of the reason of moving back is to give him more play time outside.

Honestly, he appears to want to play with them. When he's bored and wants me to play, he'll obnoxiously shove a stick in my lap or "throw" it at me. He does the same things to my mares when they're standing near the fence. Its almost like he expects them to throw a ball for him. It would be funny if it weren't so darn annoying, and potentially dangerous for him if it escalates.

I know there's probably nothing until I get his obedience tuned up and use an ecollar, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Thanks in advance for any input 

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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

Dogs chasing horses is a zero tolerance issue to me. Barking at the horses included.
Mine are not allowed in stalls or in a pasture without permission. 
Generally a very firm NO and if it is still an issue then dog goes in tack room, crate, etc. No electric, but mine have fairly good obedience.

Allowing him to bark/ harass across the fence should be stopped.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

My dogs are leashed and /or directly supervised until they learn the ropes. At the beginning that means every trip out with dog is about training, not horses or barn chores.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

I don't have any experience with living on a farm, however where I take my Lola and Harry for some ball play in an individual training pen and then walking around this huge shaded area, there is an area dedicated to equestrian activities and we often see horses.

The first time they saw a horse they both barked and carried on and really wanted to take the horse on - the horse was just standing there staring at them with their big eyes. It took me about 4 to 5 months but I am now able to walk by and even sit and watch the horses work without any carry on. What I did was just kept exposing them to horses on their walks, so they were both leashed and we would just walk by, I ignored the horse and their carry on and they eventually did do. So my point is, for the benefit of all - you, horses and dogs, it is important to train your dogs to ignore - it just takes consistency and time.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

work and training. you make time to train. train before
you go to work and train when you come home.

keep your leashed when he's around the horses. once your
dog has recall and you trained, socialized and proofed him
he should be alright around the horses. untill then a kennel
may prove to be helpful.

when my dog was a pup i took him to a lot of stables.
i picked him up so he could get close to the horses.
i knew we would be in the woods a lot and there's a lot
of people that ride there. i didn't want any problems
with the horses or riders.


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## TinkerinWstuff (Dec 21, 2013)

Horses were my GSDs drug. Didn't matter what I did and I would have had an easier time making him into a poodle than get him to relax around the horses.

He wouldn't mess with them when we rode and was a great trail buddy. But there was no chance he'd stop pacing the fence or keep him from barking when they got frisky.

I'd have saved myself hours of frustration if I'd have realized sooner that some things in life can't be changed and learn to work WITH it.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

The late Barker the Elder would chase my mare. My mare would chase Barker the Elder. They would lay down in the turnout together. The mare raised that dog. The mare was one of the dog's favorite things in life. She LOVED going to the barn and I took her out right before she tanked for the last time.

Current 4 yo had a hiatus from horses. She now barks at the horse. And barks at the horse. This gelding couldn't care much less. We're working on it. If she's in the house she barks, if she's in the feed room she barks. When we pull up in the truck she barks. We're working on it.


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## TinkerinWstuff (Dec 21, 2013)

middleofnowhere said:


> Current 4 yo had a hiatus from horses. She now barks at the horse. And barks at the horse. This gelding couldn't care much less. We're working on it. If she's in the house she barks, if she's in the feed room she barks. When we pull up in the truck she barks. We're working on it.


Ya, so long as mine could pace the fence then there wasn't much barking unless the horses got frisky. But like my two year old son, if the feet can't move then the mouth doesn't stop. If I tried to tie him up to trim the hooves then he'd bark incessantly. Same with the son, strap him in the car seat and prepare for an earful of jiberjabber, singing, tall tales, and tantrums.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Sorry for the late reply....thanks all for your replies. Makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one. 

I've made arrangements to start taking him to work with me so my daughters won't turn him loose and then have to deal with his antics. He'll only be out when I'm there. Thank goodness for increasing daylight time...I've decided to work with him on a long lead so I can correct him more easily, until trainer has worked with us on ecollar use. I have no worries about him having bad intentions with them...he's just having fun...annoying fun. 

On the positive side, at horse shows when the unexpected happens and kids are being catapulted and run away with, my horses tend to sigh and have a "whatever" expression. We've actually had a loose pig (not ours) run into the ring during lessons and my filly was weaned beside an ostrich! 

Maybe I should market Tucker for desensitizing!

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