I'm going to a horse stable this saturday, and i only agreed to go if i could bring my 9mo old pup, to my chagrine, my evil sister in-law said "sure, bring him up", i know there's dog people that have horses on this forum, my question is how do you introduce your dogs to horses without scaring the horses or the dog. I'm pretty sure my pup isn't going to like them at all, he's never seen a horse, i have visions of horses bolting out of stalls and total mayhem, lol
AL

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I'm going to a horse stable this saturday ......my question is how do you introduce your dogs to horses without scaring the horses or the dog.

In my limited experience with this, it's generally a slow and gradual process. If the horses are not used to dogs and your dog has never seen horses, I think that this introduction is not something that can be done in the course of a Saturday.

Others may weigh in differently here..............my own experience (which, again, is limited to a visit every year or two to relatives who have horses and cattle) would lead me to keep them separated for the term of the visit. (I'm basing this on the assumption that you aren't trying to forge a long-term relationship between them.)

A horse who is annoyed or scared by a dog can do some fast and heavy-duty damage!

There's a park near me that has a farm in it that lets children come look at the animals. The park allows dogs - the first time my dog saw horses was a very amusing experience. The horses really didn't care that Cujo was there, but it was quite a distance away. My dog was kinda sniffing around, looked up, saw horses, hairs raised n the barking started, I told him "it's ok!" n calmed him down a bite as he walked up to the fence to get closer - the horses were about 30ft from the fence n I couldn't get any closer if I wanted to. It didn't take much for Cujo to accept that they were there and stop barking at them... then a horse turned his head towards Cujo, the second eye contact was made Cujo fired up again lol. It was a little harder to calm him down after the eye contact, but he's pretty much OK around horses at a distance. I think if the horses are used to dogs it's alot easier for dogs to get used to the horses. I'd start at a distance - 30ft is as close as I've ever gotten so I don't know what to suggest beyond that. But if you can get your dog to calm down from a distance I think you're halfway there.

Al, The first question I'd ask would be if the horses are dog friendly. My 8 mo. old gsd is not allowed anywhere near my two horses since they take great joy in chasing any dog that comes into their pasture. Our fenced yard connects to the pasture and the horses tolerate the dog in the yard but I would never trust them together. Ask the evil sister-in-law about the horses you will be coming in contact with. If they are dog friendly then it may be possible to introduce them slowly. Otherwise, you may just have to keep your distance. I know Ed's new video deals with dogs getting along with horses, I need one to teach my two geldings that dog stomping is not a sport they can participate in!

Hi Al, I know that Ed did or was doing a dvd on horses & dogs but don't know if it is completed yet or not. But I guess that won't help for this weekend. I introduced Zasha to my horse when she was only a small puppy...maybe about 4 months or so, I don't remember exactly how old she was. My horse was used to being around dogs, though. When I did it I had my horse in his stall & walked Zasha into his stall & let them sniff each other. Of course before this point, both animals had smelled each other on my clothes regularly already. I would not recomend doing this first intro in a stall unless you really know the horse well. I'd try a tunrout area & just let the dog watch them from a distance for a while before getting any closer. Remember if they run & his prey drive kicks in he will want to chase them..& could get kicked if he gets away from you. Zasha was a little taken aback at the size of 'Blue's' head but she still was willing to take a sniff & sit & watch him eat his hay. I will say that a word of caution is needed here...I have had my horse for 19 years ( since he was turning 5) & know him very well & what to expect from him. If you decide to get closer..You will also have to respect the fact that horses kinda have a area or 'bubble' around them...that they consider 'their space'. You don't want to invade that space. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> You might see how just letting him watch from outside the turnout area goes & then maybe have the owner of the horse hold the horse on a lead rope & then let them have a closer encounter to sniff each others noses. That should work at least as an initial introduction to horses for you pup. I often work Zasha in the turnout fields where my horse is in, or right next to it & 'Blue' (my horse) will often trot up to us to see what is going on in his field..he is a herd leader horse...but she stays focused on me & her work & he has been taught to stand when told to, so I just tell him to stand & he will stay there & not come any closer to watch until I release him. But that has been going on for the last 1 1/2 years. To add to the distractions at the barn.. there is a active gun club on the other side of the woods to add the sound of gunfire under work for both my dogs & my horse. Good luck & let me know how Elvis likes the horses. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> If worse comes to worse...Elvis could come bearing gifts( carrots/ apples) to make the horses happy to meet their new 'friend'. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Go with a friend. Have him/her hold the dog while you walk towards a saddled horse aprox 50 yds away. Get on the horse, start walking, call your dog, have your assistant go towards the horse while you keep calling the dog. Watch what happens. If everything is calm, your assistant gets closer and closer. If the horse is cool with it...and your dog is too...carefully allow your dog a sniff. The goal is to teach the dog that a horse is environment...and to focus more on you.
This is not a one time lesson...most of the time...but you may find yourself positively surprised.
There are a few other ways, but they are more corrective, and you need to be a good rider, and not mind TOO much if your dog gets the snot kicked out of him.
The best age for you to do this is passed. Easy socialization occurs before 5 months. Good luck.

Al,

My 2 cents...

I too have a park here next to a farm with about 20 horses that are allowed to graze adjacent to the park. In my experience some horses are more socialized with dogs than others. I have one gray mare that is unfazed by dogs, she comes over puts her head over the fence and Jackie was unsure what to do on the first meeting. I just let her slowly approach and meet nose to nose. (A horse can only see from the sides, don't approach from rear or direct on, a 15 degree angle or more will allow the horse to see you coming) Sure enough Jackie licked her on the nose! I couldn't have asked more for the first meeting. Now Jackie thinks the horse is a play friend. Now just to teach her not all horses like dogs... hmmm,without getting kicked!

Anyways, I don't know if that helps any... but that is how my intro went.

Ok, just don't do what I did, suffering from a dingbat episode. I let my PSD Mal "meet" my mare for the first time ( a few years back), seeing that he seemed interested and not aggressive. Well, my good ol' mare stuck her head down to say hello and got bit on the nose. Not a latch on, but a bite nonetheless. Well, she responded by immediately thwacking my mal right on top of the head with her front (shod) hoof. Great, my horse's nose has a puncture and I thought I had just killed my partner. (They were on opposite sides of the fence too--I thought I was somewhat *safe* to react if anything would occur.)

So my point? Don't underestimate the speed and damage that can occur. And my mal did not at all seem like he would react that way. He was nonchalant, not at all acting aggressive or "keyed".

It depends on what you are planning to do while at the stable. Are you going to ride? If so, I would leave your dog kenneled. If not, then maybe you can do a good, slow introduction.