I board my horse at a barn with a pretty exuberant large dog. My horse seemed to be fine with its antics but the last few times the dog has bounded past him, he’s ear pinned/threatened to lunge at it. I would someday like to introduce him to hunting-- is this a terrible sign? Why has he suddenly stopped tolerating the dog??
Could it be the dog is acting up when no one is looking and harrassing the horses? I had to leave a barn in part, due to a large GS dog who went after her in her stall - thought it was great fun. Got to the point where my horse, when being led past the dog (who was being “good” right then), would jump over and try to stomp the dog. She still is totally focused on the dog when she sees one, especially German Shepherds…
Horses usually ignore foxhounds because foxhounds ignore horses. They’re working dogs.
Pet dogs, house dogs, farm dogs (sometimes), and big bad dogs like you describe are wholly focused on your horse and that frightens some horses.
6 Likes
Foxhounds ignore horses because they are TRAINED to focus on the job and LEAVE IT! If you are going to have pet dogs around horses BOTH need have it impressed upon them that they be good citizens. They do not spontaneously tolerate each other.
3 Likes
My horse tolerates my parent’s dog very well. Dog gives horse space, horse gives dog space. They know to be respectful of each of other. At first, my horse was a bit aggressive towards dog (and dog was nervous around horse) but once I took them on a few trail rides together, they seemed to develop an understanding and now get along perfectly well.
However, my neighbours’ have a big, dumb dog like the one you are describing. Somehow it got through fence earlier this year when we had tons of water around - I honestly think it might’ve swam over the fence! One afternoon I let my horse into front yard to do some cleanup and that dog came through fence as clueless as ever. My horse let him know in no uncertain terms, he was not welcome. Dog has not returned.
It could be your horse just doesn’t like this dog because it is in his space and not very aware or respectful. You’ll probably always have to be careful around that dog but doesn’t mean your horse will be aggressive to other dogs while you’re hunting.
1 Like
Thank you all for your replies! Happy to hear it might be dog-specific. We don’t typically have other dogs around so I haven’t seen his reaction to them and got worried. He’s fine with all other farm animals and is never rude to them, which makes sense since they’re usually minding their own business 
At one point I boarded my hunter and he was out 24/7. I was allowed to bring my dog to the barn. Since horsie didn’t have a stall I fed him from a tub on the ground after I rode. Doggie is a pig who would sit about 5’ away politely begging. To this day that horse hates that specific dog.
However, we can hack out together and he could care less if the dog runs up his butt. He just gets mad when she’s a “threat” to his food or potential treats. Ears pinned, snakes his head at her, etc.
He’s never made a face at the resident barn dogs.
1 Like
Yep. My mare hates pet any dog or cat that wanders into her pasture or bugs her in the barn, nasty faces, lunging - she’ll walk calmly and looking very sweet (ears forward, head down) up to an animal in her field and then pin her ears suddenly and strike with her front feet…
Once, out hunting a foxhound took a break under my mare at a check (hot day, shady under there I guess…) and I didn’t notice. I asked her to walk on and she squealed at me and refused to move until the foxhound was out from under her. She’s never kicked a hound or threatened to. They pay no mind to her, she does the same.
Then, my gelding who loves dogs and does not care (at home) about them coming in the field, looking at his food, running into his legs etc, is very UP hunting and easily startled when he’s up. He’ll kick at a hound if they run into his legs or pop our of a bush right behind him, its been a longer road getting him over that.
It may be a different issue if this behavior was while riding, but on the ground your horse may be protective of his little herd of two ; you and he against the dog.
When I first started hunting Finnegan was very concerned with the hounds. He will kick at other horses if they run into his butt so I know that kick is there. I have been able to manage to keep him from kicking at other horses. He has never tried to kick at a hound.
Of course the first couple of times hunting we had a few stray hounds get separated from the pack so they started following the field. You know those hounds wanted to be trotting right behind Finnegan, as in 2 feet behind his hocks for almost a mile. I swear they are drawn to him since he is white. He was concerned but I just kept talking to him. He is now great with hounds and with most dogs. We have had young hounds run under his belly at check.
However if we are just trail riding and a dog is running up to us he will sometimes make faces at them. I don’t mind if he wants to back of some lose dog on the trail that I have no idea if they are good or bad with horses. He very definately knows the difference between hounds and other dogs.
I was on one trail ride and a dog came up to me and my friend as we came by on the trail. The dog was not jumpy or moving fast so Finnegan was fine with him. The owner was trying his best to grab the dog but the dog would keep Finnegan between him and his owner. Ring around the rosie. At one point the dog was sitting under Finnegan sniffing his sheath. Finnegan was like “Just another day at the office”.
Like others have said I think they get concerned with dogs that focus on the horse and trying to interact with the horse. The hound don’t so aren’t an issue. The dog that was playing Ring around the Horsey wasn’t really focused on Finnegan he was focused on keeping away from the owner.
One of my now retired hunters absolutely hated dogs, she would try to kill any dog that came into her pasture and once grabbed a terrier that went into her stall and flung him into the aisle while we were all standing there mouths agape (dog was unharmed but never went in her stall again!). That same mare never ever even thought about kicking a hound in the hunt field. She seemed to understand they were there to do a job and had nothing to do with her, they could run up behind her, run under her belly or even have the entire pack come running straight at her head on and she would stand stock still, cool as a cucumber. I can’t take credit for training her this way, she just seemed to understand the difference…
1 Like
