Horse attacked by dog

[tnales]

I am new to this forum, but am hoping I will get some good advice from experienced riders. My horse was attacked by a hunting dog yesterday while I was riding him. He is already a nervous type, always looking for something in the bushes that eats grey horses. I was actually trying to get him over some of that when the attack happened. I had to bail out and let him run and kick at the dog. I don’t want him to think that all of his fears are real and I’m afraid that he will have a new fear of dogs that he didn’t have before. How do I re-introduce him to dogs in a way that will hopefully get him over this.

Thanks, Terri

[gothedistance]

Your story smell a bit too …odd… to me. But I will ignore that and deal only with your question:

You need to teach yourself to turn your horse to meet any approaching dogs head on, and to STAND and wait. Present a solid, unmoving “wall” so to speak. Wandering dogs will quickly lose courage, and interest, in you, especially if you tell the dog in no uncertain terms to go home. Dogs will be quick to do so if you don’t provide a reason to excite them by acting like prey. They aren’t about to pick a fight with something WAY bigger than themselves. Act like a predator – stop and face the danger, and vocalize in an unfriendly, powerful manner.

If your horse refuses to stand still, start walking towards the dog. The dog will retreat, and that action will recharge your horse’s “courage meter”. Horses build confidence when things move away from them.

If the dog IS home and you are trespassing on their turf you need to stop, face the dog, and speak kindly to it. The dog is only doing it’s job, and YOU are in the wrong (in it’s eyes) being on or too close to the dog’s property. Do not challenge the dog – just tell it everything is OK, no need to get tied up in knots because you are there. Teach your horse to walk away quietly, petting horse quietly and telling horse it is a good boy/girl, and keep talking to the dog as well. Quiet words have a lot more power on dog behavior than one would think.

If the dog starts to follow you, going off it’s own property, change your nice voice to a harsh one, and use the word “NO” firmly. The dog will get the message. KEEP YOUR HORSE AT A SLOW WALK, and if you feel you need to emphasize your displeasure to the dog, turn the horse around and face the dog again. It is good practice for your horse to do so, and will teach it that it CAN face down “danger”. Excellent confidence builder for the horse.

DO NOT EVER charge a dog, even if it is coming at your with bared teeth! The second you move faster than a walk, you open up a whole nasty world of things happening too fast for you to handle.

Time and being consistent in how you handle each meeting with a dog, even those that are friendly, will help build that confidence in your horse that you won’t allow it to come to harm, and to trust you in taking charge of the situation, rather then them falling into the fight or flight syndrome.

[tnales]

gothedistance,

Wow, what a nice welcome to this forum. I think I will ignore all but your last paragraph.

For anyone who may have some good advice I welcome it. I was in such a hurry this morning that I didn’t include any details. I am not a novice rider. I have turned many a horse to face an approaching dog and had the dog retreat. That didn’t happen yesterday. I was on my property. There was a hunter behind the property probably training his hunting dog. The dog trotted down the trail on my property looking like he was going to mind his own business. I saw him. My horse saw him, and we continued our little workout. The next thing I knew the dog was heading straight for us. I faced my horse at the dog and walked towards it. To my horror, the dog did not turn and run, but grabbed ahold of my horses front leg. My horse began spinning, kicking with both hind legs and trying to strike with his front legs. I hung in there for a little while and realized the dog was not going anywhere. I decided to bail, so taking my feet out of the stirrups and letting go (which by the way was very hard to do) I made the worst dismount of my life. I chose to leave my horse while he was relatively still (not running) and there was sand under his feet. When I came off, he took off running which probably saved him from sustaining more bites. He ran to my husband who was running out of the barn looking for me. The hunter must have heard all the commotion and came up on our property calling his dog. His dog didn’t listen to him at first either, but kept going after my horse. I won’t go on and on, but finally the hunter got hold of his dog and said that he couldn’t believe it. He has cows and horses and this dog has never acted like that. We showed him the blood pouring down my horses leg. I could tell he felt bad about the incident. I got back on my horse (after the man and dog left) and took him back to the scene where it happened. He was nervous but did as I asked, so I’m proud of him for that. Just want to make sure I don’t make any mistakes in our recovery.

[abbydp]

Do you have the hunter’s contact information? You need a copy of the dog’s rabies certificate. Can’t really help you with the training except to say miles and time. I’m sorry that happened to you guys, must have been horrible.

[MikeP]

@gothedistance;3815254

Your story smell a bit too …odd… to me. But I will ignore that and deal only with your question:

Having a bad hair day?

[birdsong]

tnales…so sorry this happened…and you HAVE come to the right place for good advice and well wishes.

Did your horse sustain any injuries? Dog bites are painful (ask me how I know)

Sorry I don’t have any useful info as its a situation thats hard to duplicate for retraining. My own horse is fine in the middle of cars, buses and trucks but so nervous in the woods…
Good Luck!

[Guilherme]

I didn’t see anything unusual in the OP. A bit sparse on detail, but no more.

The advice to face the aggressive dog is good. Take a deep seat and give the horse the rein in might need to defend itself or use its teeth to deal with the dog. I’ve never seen it, but some trail riding friends have said that their horses have picked up dogs by the scruff of the neck and flung them. That usually ends the encounter.

As a rule when it’s “one dog vs. one horse” it’s gonna be “too bad for the dog.” Three or more means the horse is gonna have a bad day.

If the dog broke the skin on the horse it should be located and its rabies status verified. If you know where the dog is and the owner will cooperate then all well and good. If not, contact the sheriff/animal control and make a report. In TN it’s unlawful to allow a dog to run at large (even in the country). Verify the law where you ride.

As to making the horse more “dog comfortable,” I guess you’d have to use any standard “desensitization” program you want to use. If the horse is comfortable with you then it’s less likely that it will be excessively “spooky” with a dog. If it is then work on building the horse’s trust in you. Dogs may be part of that process (but so will balls, plastic bags, and other “scary” stuff).

Good luck in resolving the issues.

G.

P.S. A very effective alternative is to gun break the horse, get yourself a Ruger Montado, load the first three chambers with black powder blanks, and be ready to use it. If any aggressive animal is not discouraged by a facefull of hot black powder coals then you’ve got a big problem and a lead bolus will likely be the most practical solution.

[wateryglen]

Don’t assume your horse will be somehow permanently traumatized by this interaction. It might even make him more protective of himself. He may just kick or try to bite dogs next time. Many horses distinguish between bad dogs, friendly dogs, strays, hunting hounds etc. Mine do. I have one that has a breed bias against Jack Russells. He HATES them. Nevertheless, YOU set the stage for his reaction by telling him how to react. If you’re scared, he’s scared etc. Exposure is the key. Just like all training; it’s mileage & experience that sets their reactions to new or scary things.

YOU need to react less and not be traumatized. Keep in mind, this dog knew you were in a protected territory where he & his owner was. Even tho it’s your property; they have fear & territoriality in their nature. He was scared & you need to learn how dogs think to outthink them. I’d have jumped off and yelled Bad Dog and given him the whatfor! And told the owner the whatfor too. And that you’d prefer he not bring the dog hunting with him. I’ve run into many dogs with their owners out on the trail and sometimes it’s just a matter of getting out of the area. Most owners are embarassed or mad at their dogs reactions. Many dogs have never seen or been around horses so they wanna scare the monster or make it go away. They are just doing what is their nature!

Not speaking for GTD but your opening use of the term “hunting dog” may have triggered a defensive mode some of us foxhunters/deerhunters/other hunters get into when we “smell” an anti-hunting hint. Sometimes animal rightists use dramatic stories to open up a thread that is really antihunting. But you clearly explained further and at least I am appeased and believe you! There’s one on the foxhunting forum that got busted and fun was had by all!! So don’t overreact please! We’ve all had dog/horse interactions and there should be some great advice here. Some already shared! Thanks eveyrone!

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=wateryglen;3815465]

[Y]our opening use of the term “hunting dog” may have triggered a defensive mode some of us foxhunters/deerhunters/other hunters get into when we “smell” an anti-hunting hint.[/QUOTE]

:yes: Or GTD may be like me - I’m trying to figure out what game is in season right now, for which one would use a single dog, that one would train on dry land, and that would be so aggressive as to mount a full frontal assault on a much larger animal for no apparent reason.

I can’t think of any plausible scenario in my area, but of course I don’t know where the OP is. I apologize if my suspicions are unfounded.

As for not making mistakes in recovery - are you saying you got right back on the horse while it’s leg was still bleeding heavily and rode it back to where the attack occurred? Have you called the vet? And also of course verify the dog’s rabies status. I’d put off any further densensitization till the leg heals.

[Auventera_Two]

There’s nothing saying that the horse will be terrified of dogs now. The horse I owned as a kid was attacked and bitten badly by a pack of 3 dogs and he didn’t have any kind of lingering fear.

One of my current horses was attacked twice, but not bitten, by dogs. Each time the dogs came running at her barking and snarling and grabbing for her hocks. She doesn’t have any fear of dogs now either. I have 3 dogs and mine don’t scare her at all, and subsequent dog meetings on trails has not bothered her.

The most important thing is to get the horse back into the presence of dogs, and don’t coo coo and coddle him. Stand up straight, hold the lead rope firm and with confidence, and move around the dog(s) as if nothing ever happened. If YOU get scared, then the horse will surely think dogs are something to be feared.

Horses have horrible trailering accidents and get right back in. A lady I used to ride with had her mare fall through a rotted wooden bridge and it took hours to get her out. She had no lingering fear of bridges and walks right over them like it never happened. There was a girl where I used to board who rode her horse down into a creek for a drink and the mare sunk in quicksand. It took four hours, about 10 people, and a truck with a winch to pull her out. She never had any fears of creeks or trucks or anything. She wasn’t even afraid to go back that same spot on the trail. She acted like it didn’t happen.

As for what season it is - don’t know about there, but around here people get their dogs in the woods all year long. Rabbits and squirrels are always open to hunting, so it doesn’t have to be any particular “season.” I meet dogs on trails all year long.

For what it’s worth - I have met PLENTY of unsocialized, untrained, unleashed dogs on trails of all breeds and types. In one situation it was a Black Lab and the dog was barking and lunging so furiously I had to yell at the owner “Would you PLEASE get your hands on that dog and get him under control?!?!!” The owner glared at me like I was the enemy.

Last year we rode on New Year’s day and we came across a guy in a pickup truck driving down the trail with a bed full of hunting dogs. The dogs were going nuts but the owner did yell at them and they shut up. But if they had been a little more untrained, they could have jumped out and we’d have about 5 dogs on our heels.

I also had to dismount one time and give a “BAD DOG!” and step hard into the dog’s space to make him stop and turn for home. He came out of his driveway and followed us down the county highway. He followed for a couple hundred yards before I realized he was back there. The more I yelled at him, the more he wagged his tail and thought it was fun. So I had to get off and get right in his space with a mean command and body language. Then he was like - oh crap - and turned and ran for home. I watched to make sure he turned into his drive, which he did. There was a car coming, and I flagged them to slow down - which they did. They crept along beside the dog until he went into his driveway.

We ride on two different public trails here that have lots of dog walkers and bikers. You see it all if you ride out away from home enough.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3815499]

We ride on two different public trails here that have lots of dog walkers and bikers. You see it all if you ride out away from home enough.[/QUOTE]

Sure you do. I had a Rottweiler climb my fenders once, telling me he’d yank me out of the saddle and have me for lunch.:lol: Pet dogs on public ways? Oh, yeah. Some of them don’t have two brain cells to rub together.

It’s the “hunting dog” part that made me question the story. Most hunting breeds I’ve met are far more interested in that rabbit/squirrel/bird/whatever than in attacking Trigger. Not to mention that most squirrel dogs are pretty little - like a feist - and rabbits one generally hunts with beagles or harriers or something of similar size and lack of appetite for equines.

[pj1]

[QUOTE=MikeP;3815398]
Having a bad hair day?[/QUOTE]
I am…you ought to see it. Sticking straight up!! :{

[Auventera_Two]

Around here people use their regular bird dogs (springers, setters, retrievers) to hunt squirrels and rabbits in the off season. These dogs are super high energy and they need to get out in the woods and hunt. My parents own springers and they hunt squirrels and rabbits in the off season too. You don’t have to have some kind of little ankle biter to hunt during the winter. And some people just like to get the dogs out in the woods, even if they’re not “hunting” anything.

I ride with my Weimaraner and we sure don’t hunt anything. We’re just out there having fun.

[tnales]

Thank you all for recent replies. It does help to know where people are coming from. I am not anti-hunting. My husband hunts. I don’t go with him. That is his choice and my choice. I can respect both.

It sounds like everyone is saying that I should just stick with a good “de-spooking” program. Maybe not specifically for dogs, but to include all things that tend to scare him. I guess I’m feeling a little guilty. I had him out there, getting him further and further away from the barn and his herd, trying to let him know he would be OK with just me, and then his fears came to fruition. The timing really stinks! and I wish I could have helped him more.
Thanks for the thought that he may not have any lasting ill effects. I need to believe that is possible so I can relax more too.

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;3815525]
Sure you do. I had a Rottweiler climb my fenders once, telling me he’d yank me out of the saddle and have me for lunch.:lol: Pet dogs on public ways? Oh, yeah. Some of them don’t have two brain cells to rub together.

It’s the “hunting dog” part that made me question the story. Most hunting breeds I’ve met are far more interested in that rabbit/squirrel/bird/whatever than in attacking Trigger. Not to mention that most squirrel dogs are pretty little - like a feist - and rabbits one generally hunts with beagles or harriers or something of similar size and lack of appetite for equines.:)[/QUOTE]

I see folks a half dozen times a year, or so, in court for hunting out of season (with and without dogs).

I also see folks in court charged with hunting with dogs when the game involved does not permit same.

So that part of the story is not at all suspicious.

But, to get back to the point, I agree that the OP can’t “mollycoddle” the horse or, herself, get upset. THAT will upset the horse when it detects the rider’s anxiety. A calm rider demeanor will go a long way towards keeping the horse focused.

G.

[Auventera_Two]

I bet it would be beneficial to have someone else ride the horse around dogs a few times and let tnales see that her horse is okay, or let the other rider work him through it until he IS ok. That way tnales’ anxiety won’t be added to the mix. Sort of break it down into pieces instead of a scared horse and scared rider meeting the enemy all at once. Anybody else think that would be beneficial??

I was having a really bad time with my mare one ride, and I was crying I was so upset. It was during the time I was having excrutiating hip pain from the saddle I was using. I had no strength to control her spooks. I got off and handed the reins to my endurance riding buddy. He climbed on and took her all over camp and had no problem. It was good for me to see her doing so well with him. I was in physical pain and emotionally distraught over the trouble we were having, and I was in no shape to work the horse through the issue. He did, and it turned out well.

[Shadow14]

[QUOTE=tnales;3815364]
gothedistance,

Wow, what a nice welcome to this forum. I think I will ignore all but your last paragraph.

For anyone who may have some good advice I welcome it. I was in such a hurry this morning that I didn’t include any details. I am not a novice rider. I have turned many a horse to face an approaching dog and had the dog retreat. That didn’t happen yesterday. I was on my property. There was a hunter behind the property probably training his hunting dog. The dog trotted down the trail on my property looking like he was going to mind his own business. I saw him. My horse saw him, and we continued our little workout. The next thing I knew the dog was heading straight for us. I faced my horse at the dog and walked towards it. To my horror, the dog did not turn and run, but grabbed ahold of my horses front leg. My horse began spinning, kicking with both hind legs and trying to strike with his front legs. I hung in there for a little while and realized the dog was not going anywhere. I decided to bail, so taking my feet out of the stirrups and letting go (which by the way was very hard to do) I made the worst dismount of my life. I chose to leave my horse while he was relatively still (not running) and there was sand under his feet. When I came off, he took off running which probably saved him from sustaining more bites. He ran to my husband who was running out of the barn looking for me. The hunter must have heard all the commotion and came up on our property calling his dog. His dog didn’t listen to him at first either, but kept going after my horse. I won’t go on and on, but finally the hunter got hold of his dog and said that he couldn’t believe it. He has cows and horses and this dog has never acted like that. We showed him the blood pouring down my horses leg. I could tell he felt bad about the incident. I got back on my horse (after the man and dog left) and took him back to the scene where it happened. He was nervous but did as I asked, so I’m proud of him for that. Just want to make sure I don’t make any mistakes in our recovery.[/QUOTE]

This is all after the fact. YOu could have given this information from the start.
Gothedistance gave you good advice for the general problems. I had two seperate dog incidents this weekend and both times I did as gothedistance said and both dogs ran off.
She gave you good information for the information you gave her to work with.

[tnales]

A few people are wondering where this happened. It was on the Goethe State Forest in North Florida. I just looked at the hunting schedule and it is small game season. My husband explained to me yesterday that you can take wild hog during most hunting seasons and he thought that this dog was for wild hog hunting. I know that you don’t want me to call it a hunting dog, but that’s what the owner called it, and he was in full camo. The dog wore a flourescent orange collar. The kind they use for hunting dogs. I promise you, if a clown had come out of the forest, and the dog had on a too-too, I would have called it a circus dog.

My husband did ask the owner if the dog was up-to-date on his rabies shots. He said that he was, but we didn’t get his name or number. My husband just told him that he didn’t ever want to see that dog on our property again. My horses injuries are not bad enough to need stitches so we didn’t call the vet, but now I am worried about the rabies.

[Icecapade]

<get a gun>

would have been first to say it but computer choked. I second G’s statment.

Really thats all you need. Teach your horse to be fired off of and proceed from there. You can’t go wrong. (by the way training starts with clapping… balloon popping works equally well, but clearly more time consuming -)

[Auventera_Two]

I just wanted to add that you REALLY should have stayed ON the horse. What if you jumped off, the horse took off, and the dog came after YOU? The horse’s hide is tougher than delicate human skin. The horse is faster, and the horse has far better weapons for beating off the dog than you do. In all the dog situations I’ve encountered, I only dismounted the one time. But the dog was NOT acting vicious. He was wagging his tag and hassling and just happy to be going for a walk along behind my horse. Yelling at him to go home from horseback didn’t work so I got off. I think THEN he recognized me as being “human” and he took the order from me. But IF a dog were acting in the least bit agressive, I would stick on no matter what it took. I’d have my hands wrapped up in the mane or breastcollar straps or whatever and I’d stay on and take off with the horse.

You are REALLY fortunate that the dog didn’t go after you once you were on the ground.

We were “attacked” (I use the term very loosely) by a miniature horse on a trail ride once. He was loose from his pasture and was in the woods eating something (probably a deer bait pile!) We came trotting down the trail and out of nowhere this 300 pound white poof ball came charging at us. Both our horses spun and bolted. I lost a stirrup but stayed on. My friend got her horse stopped and turned around to face him. He kept trotting after us and our horses were in all out panick mode. They were spinning around while bucking and kicking out trying to defend themselves. At that point, they had no idea it was another equine. He looked like a rolly polly little white bear. It was so out of context, that it took 2 or 3 minutes for it to even register with me what it was.

I grabbed reins and mane tight and even with one stirrup and a treeless saddle that I was NOT used to, I managed to stay on. All I could think of was that if I came off, I was going to land in the middle of kicking hooves. And that little miniature squirt was doing his darndest to challenge our horses.

I do bale off if it’s a traffic situation - like the horse is terrified of a fast approaching dump truck, or something. But a lot of times you’re much safer in the saddle.