Best Anti-Dog defense item for hacking?

[TheDBYC]

I was going to say this. Put your horse on the offensive. A few years ago I read about a trail leader at a dude ranch near Yellowstone who managed to get her horse to turn & charge a grizzly bear that attacked their group. (It was a giant Percheron gelding that none of them heretofore had wanted to ride) . The product that @Garythesquirrel has looks promising.

Honesty? I’m a redneck at heart & have no qualms about bringing Messieurs Smith & Wesson along for the ride. They’d be my absolute last resort. But even as a dog owner & lover, I’m so damn tired of people not training their dogs. I’ve shot at dogs coming onto my property & killing my poultry. I’ll protect my horse if i have to.

[Curly_Feather]

We’ve taught our horses to face dogs and charge. If the dog isn’t deterred, the idiot who let their unleashed dog chase our horses certainly will be…

[exvet]

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when considering what to use. First your horse must be okay with what you are using; so, get them introduced and used to what you’re wielding. Not all horses handle gun shot off of the back well and you don’t want to be dumped or in hot pursuit of your horse. Then there are your locale’s ordinances and regulations. I have and will shoot to kill dogs that come on my property and threaten my livestock. I have done the same on public lands that allowed such, but those areas are decreasing quickly around here. If a dog doesn’t back off with a planned horse charge/whip/etc you should have a plan - like call animal control, etc.

Several years ago, we had a dog dumped in our rural location that was attacking people, horses, bikes, etc. He did back off with our super soaker. At the time it was legal to shoot dogs threatening livestock on public lands (we are an open range state and at the time the restrictions were reasonable to operate under) and several calls to the county ACO failed to get the dog. We were a good distance from ACO and their one dispatch out to capture the dog after a report of it biting a kid was not successful. The response I got was…Dr. X…you are far more likely to be able to handle this problem on your own and you know what you can do. So, after encountering the dog on another ‘trail ride’ around our area on are typical route carrying the super soaker, I walked back to where we encountered the dog, made sure I was far enough from the residences as appropriated by ordinance and shot and killed the dog. I then disposed of his body at work. No one during the 3 weeks of the neighbors being harassed by this dog claimed ownership. Unfortunate situation and an extreme example; but, if there isn’t an owner or a responsible owner contacting the authorities may be in order after you’ve handled the immediate confrontation.

[EventingMaff]

A confident mare has been my solution

She’ll threaten to kick, but most dogs don’t understand that “polite” signal to leave alone. Pinned ears, bared teath, and low arched neck as she charges them does seem to translate very effectively though!

Our problem is excitable dogs off-leash on the trails, so fortunately I’ve never had to worry about a truly aggressive dog that may bite / attack to defend it’s “territory” as we pass by. She’ll stand quietly as it runs circles barking but once she’s done being patient she’s quick to let it know she’s tired of the antics and will go after it with front hooves and teeth. Dog usually scampers back to owner with tail tucked pretty quickly and we continue on our way.

[Arlomine]

Thank you for all the suggestions so far. I am well aware that facing the dogs and potentially facing them down or even chasing them is really the best option. But I can’t count on that happening or working.

Also, the idea of having to get close enough to use a whip already puts the horse and dog a bit close for my liking, though I would not hesitate to whack the crap out of a dog close enough to reach. I’m looking for something that’s more of a distance option. So far the super soakers sounds like a great idea, especially with some ammonia in it.

[MorganMaresVT]

@Curly_Feather

If the dog isn’t deterred, the idiot who let their unleashed dog chase our horses certainly will be…

You would think…but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve warned some idiotic person with an off-leash dog that they can’t catch that my horse might kick, and that person has said to me: “Good, let your horse kick him, that’ll teach him.”

Ummm…no…I do not need to be sitting on top of a rampaging horse that could potentially maim or kill your dog to teach him a lesson you did not teach.

In my experience with loose dogs, most are bluffing, so things like waving a whip or using a squirt gun can work. My horse will also turn and chase, and will tolerate obnoxiously excited dogs getting pretty close to her legs while a bumbling owner tries to get hold of a collar. But I don’t want to have to risk my horse or my own safety with a truly aggressive dog that isn’t bluffing whether their person is there or not.

[AMackechnie]

As B and B has suggested, I carry a hunt whip. I also have a horse that will literally stomp a dog that gets in his face, so that’s incredibly helpful.

The one time I had a shepherd come at us in an excessively aggressive manner I dismounted, placed my horse behind me and had a face off with the dog and my whip. I won.

It’s a shame that we have to think of these ways to protect our horses, but too many people are so defiant to the “keep dog on leash” requirements of parks.

[aregard]

Bear spray? I understand it comes out more in a stream than pepper spray (which comes out in a wider triangle of spray. All on the theory that you will use the pepper spray from a closer distance than a bear spray.)

I usually charge them (with my own horses, who understood the maneuver). Not sure what I’d do on some of my lease horses, since I didn’t know if they were acquainted with the idea. That would probably be MY go to, but the horse might disagree.

Super soaker sounds interesting, but I can’t imagine riding around with 2 lbs of water strapped to my back/leg/saddle.

[eightpondfarm]

bear spray sounds good to me!

[skydy]

It depends upon which way the wind is blowing, if the wind is blowing.

[lenapesadie]

I didn’t see this first bit mentioned already so that I’d chime in.

For many dogs (not all certainty!), a firm scolding is enough to deter them. “Get the eff outta here you horrid animal before I beat your tail”, said loudly and aggressively. That kind of scolding.

Stop moving if possible (this is important so really whoa you’re horse if you can) and scold / holler at the dog.

Then if that fails proceed with your next steps, charge the dog or shoot it or whatever.

If I was regularly riding where dogs were a problem, I’d always carry a whip of some sort. It’s prudent to have a hand weapon in the event that it escalates into an actual attack in close quarters. I’d carry a gun too.

Naturally one’s horse needs to be trained appropriately for whatever defensive maneuvers one intends to employ.

[Arlomine]

Thanks, I am quite capable of scolding a dog with enough “verve” to remove hair. This thread is for the circumstances where that hasn’t worked.

[ThreeWishes]

Exactly. I think some dogs might be deterred by the verbal assault, some by a charge or a horse that kicks, others by a lash of a whip. But on my rides I’ve encountered a subset of dogs with frightening prey drives. There’s a pair of pit bulls that are kept in an outdoor kennel in an unfenced property who lose their ever loving minds when they see my horse. I am talking snarling, rage barking, throwing their bodies against the chain link feeding off their collective aggression kind of threat. I saw a type of pepper spray that comes in a gel fired from a plastic pistol that touts no blowback. Target can be 15 feet away. Over ten shots.

Amazon.com: SABRE Aim and Fire Pepper Gel : Everything Else

Not all dogs can be deterred by voice, or a hoof (especially when there’s more than one), or a whip. Some dogs would just get more pissed and aggressive.

[lenapesadie]

You’re welcome? Since it wasn’t in any of your or anyone else’s posts, I didn’t know if you had tried that or not. Some folks may not intuitively realize that a verbal assault can be effective. It was not my intention to offend.

[lenapesadie]

Surely you’re not intending to shoot dogs that are contained in a kennel.

[ThreeWishes]

Good Lord no! My fear is that they get out!! They are 2 80 lb + dogs that push their untethered kennel with each ferocious slam against the side. With no perimeter fencing. I love dogs. I hate people who house aggressive poorly taken care of dogs and I adore my lovely horse the most.
And to be honest these dogs make me fearful for my own self. My horse probably could outrun them. Me. Not so much.

[lenapesadie]

I was confused!

I like biking with my dog and there are a few routes with very vocal dogs contained in suspect fences. So I can definitely understand the worry of what if that dog gets loose.

[ThreeWishes]

No worries! My riding buddy who has lived in the area much longer than I’ve boarded there told me that sometimes they have in the past gotten out. Thankfully while their owners were home. Even then she said their recall was really poor. Any deterrent I’d carry I would hope to NEVER use. I am just pragmatic. And those dogs give me a bad bad feeling.

[ThreeWishes]

And I’ll be honest. I have owned and loved many dogs over my 5 decades of life. I never really bought into the bull dog “click” where the prey drive overrides their socialization. Until I adopted an American bulldog bitch at 8 weeks old. 8 weeks so no abuse or mishandling. This dogs prey drive is off the charts. I manage her like I would a Tiger or a lion. She’s sweet to people but woe to any loose possums raccoons armadillo’s etc she shuts off in the moment. So I would never house her with another aggressive dog unattended in an outdoor kennel with little exercise or stimulation. I would never allow her free around my horses or any animal that might excite that drive. I take care of her carefully and diligently. I see all her potential aggression in those two poorly confined dogs.

[Arlomine]

This PERFECT! Thank you!