[QUOTE=tnales;3815809]
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.[/QUOTE]
:lol:
I think it might be difficult to desensatize a horse to a “attacking” dog.
You can probably ease the fear of dogs by exposing him to friendly dogs or teach him to hold his ground with aggressive dogs but once a dog is in attack mode it is hard to perdict what will happen even with the best of horses.
Sometimes you can break a attacking dogs mindset with a loud yell in a scolding tone.
A bottle of water that has a squirt top can be effective too, aim at the dogs face.
If a dog is really into the attack mod nothing will distract him. I was a certified decoy for attack competitions and I carried a whip and a starter pistol to try and drive the dog off the attack and any good dog was not driven back with either.
It is extremely rare for a dog to actually attack a horse and while I have had many a dog take a run at my horse and myself none have ever bitten.
[QUOTE=joe21;3817230]
Training your horse to guns is part of it. Training yourself to shoot is another. Even then, there is so much that can go wrong. . . .It is hard enough hitting a stationary balloon in a competition. . . . So much can go wrong on horseback that you really have to think before deciding to use that weapon.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for this post. I live in one of those areas that’s changing from rural to suburban and semi-urban developments. In consequence, some of the ladies have begun carrying pistols with them when they ride out. I see train wreck written all over that.:no:
Like you, I have no problem with a person carrying a gun on horseback if both horse and rider have been trained to mounted shooting. But people who just carry a gun cause they’re scared, and have never fired it off their horses’ backs? No, thanks. I’ll be waaaay over yonder, getting the little paint horse used to hacking out alone.:yes:
It is extremely rare for a dog to actually attack a horse and while I have had many a dog take a run at my horse and myself none have ever bitten.
Very true, Shadow14, and that’s also been my experience. BTW, what kind of bet do you have to lose in order to become the decoy in an attack dog competition?:winkgrin:
We have a great way that stops all of our horses from spooking at monsters in the woods. We ride a lot with our dogs. Our dogs are high energy Vizslas who not only keep up at an endurance pace but can even hunt at the same time. So both dogs are constantly circling aroud the horses and popping back onto the trail at odd moments. One will often pop in front, behind, next to and be running behind and a lot of times running next to our horses as they go in front.
I found out how well this works when my daughter and I were doing an extended trot on a grassy trail in a meadow next to a woods. A young deer popped up from the grass hitting my daughter’s stirrup. Her horse never paused or jumped or even moved sideways. (My daughter had a lot to say about it)
If you are ever trailering up near the Shawnee come ride with us!
[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;3817844]
. BTW, what kind of bet do you have to lose in order to become the decoy in an attack dog competition?:winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
I worked with the cannine department for the police for years, competed with my own dog in Schutzund trials and actually enjoyed being a decoy. I was padded up well and controlled the attack. There are set rules in how a dog attacks and other then my face I was well protected.
After acting as a decoy at a few trials they awarded me a certification.
I have actually gone after criminals with only my dog as back up. The police hung back in their patrol cars until called in while Lance and I worked out the track.
[QUOTE=Icecapade;3815815]
<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 -)[/QUOTE]
One of the tips I read that if you are every robbed at gun point throw your purse or wallet away from you and then RUN. The chances of a shooter hitting you is extremely rare… So now we have you trying to hit a running dog from an unstable horse who is panicing and pouncing around.
Your chances of actually hitting the dog and not shooting the horse by mistake is extremely slim.
Leave the gun at home.
This is from a guy that shot both precision competition and combat.
Ooh! A CERTIFIED decoy!
[QUOTE=Beasmom;3817942]
Ooh! A CERTIFIED decoy![/QUOTE]
Actually some of the most fun I had was when I would have only an arm padded. I would also carry a starter piston. I would be walking down a street down town and a police car would pull up to the curb beside me and the officer would step out and ask me to stop… I would tell him where to go and take of running as fast as I could. The officer would take his cannie partner out of the back seat and send him after me. By this time I had a fairly good lead and as the dog started to catch up to me I would turn and run towards the dog firing my starter pistol. The dog of coarse trained to ignore the gun fire would not hesitate and when he was really close I would feed him the protected arm. A fight would follow and the police officer would pull his car to the curb right beside the fight, call the dog off and tell him to WATCH.
He would then frisk me and take away my gun. At this point I would attack him and the dog on WATCH would immediately attack me in return. I would quickly give up and the police officer would put me in the car with the dog and off we would go. I am sure a few people got real excited over that.
Since I trianed the dog, the attack part anyway we were good friends and I had little to fear. Dave and I sure got a kick out of doing that.:lol::lol:
[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. [/QUOTE]
You got some good advice. Everything gothedistance told you is spot on, so listen.
Not sure why she thought your story was/is bogus, other than a “hunting dog” doesn’t usually go after horses (I assume you meant a hound).
A nervous horse doesn’t need a nervous rider – sounds like maybe you are. In my area no one has ever heard of a leash law, so there are dogs everywhere that come out barking like crazy…that is not “attacking.”
My horses have long learned to turn and face them if the “go home” order issued by me is not obeyed. In fact, my horses usually have a great time turning the tables on the dogs and becoming the hunter instead of the hunted.
Of course, it helps that all these horses have been raised around an incredibly annoying heeler who is ALWAYS trying to herd them this way and that when we go out to feed. It’s pretty funny to watch – sometimes the horses “allow” themselves to be herded, then they turn around and start chasing the heeler!
Again, if you have confidence, the horse will as well. It’s pretty simple.
And everything GTD told you will work.
Edited to add: the rare exception to this are dogs that are actually bred to fight/attack – like some pit bulls. Those types of dogs are almost impossible to deter when they go into “attack” mode. I once had a Bull Terrier whose previous owner had the brilliant idea to train him for attack work (SO STUPID). This guy was generally very mellow, and had no problem with the attack part of the game…but he was impossible when it came to the “out” part (meaning, STOP). Those dogs just don’t know the meaning of “stop.” Not to say all pits/bullies/rotts,etc are like this, but some are.
In those cases, you really are safer on the horse, because there is a great chance the dog will turn on you if the horse gets away. Let the horse defend himself and then beat feet on outta there – in a “one horse vs one dog” encounter the odds are heavily stacked in favor of the horse.
My horses and the horses and riders we ride with are all pretty dog proof, but one little son of a bitch terrier mutt did fang one of my buddy’s horse good once on a back leg and drew blood. Dog belongs to an exceptionally clueless neighbor who sometimes keeps dog confined and sometimes not.
I havent accustomed my horses to guns being fired off their backs but have certainly considered it as an option for dealing with this canine hoodlum. I believe my firearm of choice for this situation would be a 22 revolver loaded with rat shot–itty bitty shotshells with itty bitty pellets. The DH routinely carries a revolver loaded with alternating rounds of ratshot and hardball for snakes and suchlike (me, I wouldnt shoot a snake, but DH is prejudiced against cottonmouths, canebrake rattlers, and copperheads, all of which we have in abundance. The day I almost walked on a cottonmouth and got a good close up of the anatomical feature that gives them their common name I was not too upset when DH went to get the gun.)
If the first round doesnt run em off the second one could finish it off. One pellet would suffice to discourage most wimpy little dogs.
Pitbulls, now, might be another story.
Today we rode past the terrier terrorist and I brandished my riding crop at him and cussed him out until he turned tail and headed for home. My mare has permission to stomp him into a greasy spot any time he ventures into her pasture. I would hold her coat with pleasure while she did it.
In many places owners are liable for any damage their dog does to livestock. Just as you probably wouldnt believe any owner of a horse you were trying who told you “Gosh, he never did THAT before” I wouldnt be too certain this dog wasnt an habitual offender.
Not true. Please do not spread trash like this about Pit Bulls. Good grief. Having had a pure Pit and now a Pit cross, I can tell you that most of them are goofy silly little things that would rather roll over and play dead then cause you any harm. Visit the other forums and get in on the Pit Bull conversations going on right now. You might learn how wonderful most of these dogs really are.
Unless a Pit Bull is a victim of a horrible breeding program and fell into the hands of a “gangsta” who starves and beats the dog to make him mean, Pits are NO different than any other dogs.
This is the very same thing as saying that all stallions are agressive and dangerous and need to be handled with whips and chains or they’ll kill people. A stallion is only as good as his handling and training, and the same is true for Pits, or any other dog.
[QUOTE=Shadow14;3817941]
One of the tips I read that if you are every robbed at gun point throw your purse or wallet away from you and then RUN. The chances of a shooter hitting you is extremely rare… So now we have you trying to hit a running dog from an unstable horse who is panicing and pouncing around.
Your chances of actually hitting the dog and not shooting the horse by mistake is extremely slim.
Leave the gun at home.
This is from a guy that shot both precision competition and combat.[/QUOTE]
Respectfully disagree.
Making any “fast” movement (like attempting a “toss”) when looking down the barrel of somebody else’s gun is a Bad Idea. They might take it the wrong way. Or get pissed off that you’re making them walk. If you’ve been had then comply without tricks. Most thieves just want the money.
If anyone chooses to carry a gun then they should comply with ordinarlily accepted safety standards. That means leaning how to properly handle the weopon, particularly when under stress. They should also ensure that they know the law of their jurisdiction. If a CCW/handgun carry permit program is in effect they should complete same. This is no more than crossing “t’s” and dotting “i’s.”
Gunbreaking a horse is more than just ensuring that they won’t dump you at the sound of the shot (or the sudden eruption of a cloud of white smoke). It means teaching the horse that no harm will come to them from the activity, in spite of the fact that the noise will be unpleasant (from the horse’s point of view). This takes time, but is easily doable if the rider is willing to put in the time.
Last, and far from least, the rider must practice with thier horse.
If the rider is not going to do these things then don’t try shooting from horseback.
Note, too, that I suggested that if the desire was to be “anti-dog” then a revolover with the first three rounds as blanks, the next three as ball would be an option. For an experienced shooter I’d still recommend this. For an inexperience shooter I’d make the load all blanks. A .45Colt blank is quite dangerous at close quarters and should discourage all but a rabid dog. Keep the ball rounds in your pocket and use them if the blanks fail to do the job.
G.
I’m sorry AT, but you are wrong in this. I’ve had “hard” dogs all my life (Casear Milan calls them the “warrior breeds”) – Pits, Bullies, Rotts, etc. I love 'em. My favorite dog in the world is my Rottie/Blue Heeler/Pit Bull cross. But they ARE different in that their prey drive is often off the charts and they need a firm hand and good training (not to mention lots of socialization) right from the start.
It is unfortunate that so many times the people who get these types of dogs are the last ones that SHOULD have them – either because the person is incapable of being the alpha dog and the animal ends up leading the show, or because the person is one of these macho asshats who feels cool 'cause their dog can beat up your dog. Either way, it’s not the dog’s fault, but it is a hell of alot easier for a pit/rottie/bullie to “go bad” than it is your average beagle or goldie or such.
These dogs were bred to be confrontational, they were bred to be aggressive, brave and not back down. When I use to bred bullies they would start fighting each other at 5 week old puppies…it would start as “puppy silliness” and the next thing you know there would be this pack of snarling little fat things all attached to each other. I would have to go wading in there and break it up because NO ONE would back down.
We have a great “no kill” shelter in my town and if you walk through it over 60-70% of the dogs in there are pits or pit crosses. That will tell you something.
So don’t kid yourself – they ARE different. They were bred to be different. Ask any pro dog trainer.
Sending you a PM becuse this thread is NOT the place for this. 
[QUOTE=Guilherme;3819650]
. A .45Colt blank is quite dangerous at close quarters and should discourage all but a rabid dog. Keep the ball rounds in your pocket and use them if the blanks fail to do the job.
G.[/QUOTE]
We are on a horse. A dog is attacking us. I pull my 45 colt and shoot blanks at this dog while my horse is being attacked, so I assume he is not standing still and adding shots will certainly not calm him down.
When my blanks run out I assume I am going to switch mags for the real ones in my pocket??? How do I hold the gun, the reins and at the same time fish a fresh mag out of my pocket, let alone insert it in the gun and active the slide to load a fresh round in the magazine???
Sure you are. And this gun I carry around all my life just in case I get attacked where do I put it?? Carry it on my hip so when I fall off I can land on it???
We are talking about horse back riding here??? Now we should carry a gun??
In Canada no one can carry a hand gun other then for club activities so I guess all those north of the boarder just have to take their chances.
I shot combat for years , trained weekly for it but I know I couldn’t do all that from the back of an excited horse???
I did read the part about training the horse to shoot off his back but isn’t the dog attacking him making him upset?? Adding gun fire to that won’t do anything to calm him down.
As for pit bulls, I like the breed, look them up, they are noted to be great with kids. I know a few and every one of them is a sweet heart.
My dog of choice was the german shepherd
I have been running trail for 50 years and I have never actually had a dog attack me, sure had lots run at me but every time they back down as soon as I raise my voice or turn and face them. I had one try to jump up behind me but he certainly wasn’t attacking me
BUT I know 3 different people who were attacked by riden stallions, 2 were ripped off their horses and the 3rd only because of the heavy winter coat and the stallion had a good chunk of it in the mouth was not thrown to the ground.
I think we should use the gun on them instead:D:D
[QUOTE=Shadow14;3820625]
We are on a horse. A dog is attacking us. I pull my 45 colt and shoot blanks at this dog while my horse is being attacked, so I assume he is not standing still and adding shots will certainly not calm him down.[/QUOTE]
I’ve deleted the rant.
If you’ve shot combat then you know you’ve set up a whole platoon of straw men and then killed them off very professionally.
A firearm can be an effective tool, even against a dog coming after a horse.
But, since you’re concerned, maybe I’ll just recommend a saber. 
G.
Gee, Shadow, sarcasm is wasted on you.
Thanks S14, but I don’t have to “look them up,” I’ve owned many and known many more. Some have been fine with kids – others not so much. Depends (again) on handling & socialization.
I love 'em too, but when the ones with a more aggressive mind-set get into attack mode they are pretty hard to “turn off.”
