Horse attack-

Robin's Boo · 08-29-2010, 12:21 PM

My 2 year old german sheppard has decided that horses are a great animal to go after. I had taken her to a local river and come across a mule and a horse, my family also has horses so I was quick to grab her because she had exhibited some aggressive behavior in the past (nothing too serious though). I waited about 5 minutes after they left before releasing my dog to play in the water (which she usually loves and it was really hot after a long walk) she immediately took off in the direction of the horses. She got kicked pretty good but not seriously injured (this happened about 2 months ago). Now I'm nervous to take her out for a walk off the leash and she really needs to be able to burn some energy like that. I know that dogs don't seem to learn after skunk encounters, so logic says she probably didn't learn from the horse. I have been nervous about even trying to take her around the family horses to see how she reacts on a leash. Has anyone else run into problems w/ Shepherds and chasing animals? I read somewhere a while back that Shepherds love to chase anything that moves....Suggestions?

doggiedad · 08-29-2010, 12:35 PM

like any dog a GSD will chase things, cars, animals, birds, etc.
when they're young you have to train and socialize them around
people and and other animals. when i got my pup i knew
we were going to be in the woods a lot and encountering
horses, joggers, dogs, etc. i made sure we spent a lot
of time around horses. when flocks of birds were along
the creeks bed i would walk my dog through them and all around.
i didn't want him chasing after birds, horses, people cars, etc
so i exposed him to all of these, almost daily.

when you have a dog you have to think ahead to stay
ahead. you want to stop bad behaviour before it starts.

Jax08 · 08-29-2010, 01:01 PM

Maybe this is fear aggression? The problem, as I see it, will be that any horse she reacts to is going to react in return.

Do you have a correction collar? If so, what kind? Have you done any clicker training?

i would start with taking her out on a leash to see what her reaction would be. And I would also really work on her recall and not let her off leash until you are sure this is overcome.

It's so important that when you call her she comes right back to you. Having horses yourself, you know the dangers if she were to go after a horse especially one with a rider. A rider and your dog could end up with very serious injuries or worse.

With a clicker, I would take her out on a leash to your horses. When she is calm, watching the horse but not reacting, click and treat. It would really depend on the dog and the situation if I would put a correction collar on her. A correction collar on my dog when she is reacting to something will ramp her up but in this situation somebody, or the dog, could get killed.

shilorio · 08-29-2010, 01:25 PM

i agree with jax08,, take advantage that you have horses and train train train! rewared the wanted behavior correct the bad (by correct i mean a sharp noise like a clap or "AHAH!!") good luck!!

Jax08 · 08-29-2010, 01:38 PM

You might try walking her away a short distance and finding her "comfort" zone where she is NOT reacting to start with. Gradually work your way closer to the horse.

I would think that if you get to close and she is so focused on the horse that you can't accomplish anything that you would be defeating the purpose and possible making the situation worse. So, start at 100 ft, 50 ft, 20 ft, etc.

This is what I did with Jax when she was a puppy and with a couple of fosters. It worked for me.

Robin's Boo · 08-29-2010, 09:58 PM

Thanks all for the advice- I'll give it a try

eberesche · 08-29-2010, 11:29 PM

Keep her on a leash and train, train, train as others have said.
I have a friend that had dogs (a GSD and an English Bulldog) that went after her horses (Arab and Clydesdale).
Needless to say, the damage to all of the animals was horrific and ended very badly for all of them.

codmaster · 08-29-2010, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin's Boo

My 2 year old german sheppard has decided that horses are a great animal to go after. I had taken her to a local river and come across a mule and a horse, my family also has horses so I was quick to grab her because she had exhibited some aggressive behavior in the past (nothing too serious though). I waited about 5 minutes after they left before releasing my dog to play in the water (which she usually loves and it was really hot after a long walk) she immediately took off in the direction of the horses. She got kicked pretty good but not seriously injured (this happened about 2 months ago). Now I'm nervous to take her out for a walk off the leash and she really needs to be able to burn some energy like that. I know that dogs don't seem to learn after skunk encounters, so logic says she probably didn't learn from the horse. I have been nervous about even trying to take her around the family horses to see how she reacts on a leash. Has anyone else run into problems w/ Shepherds and chasing animals? I read somewhere a while back that Shepherds love to chase anything that moves....Suggestions?

Something as serious and life threatening as chasing horses, I would highly recommend that you find a trainer who is expert with an ecollar and use them to teach you how to use it. Nearly 100% success with one properly used to train your dog.

Jax08 · 08-29-2010, 11:38 PM

I wondered if an e-collar would work also. If you aren't having any success then I would highly advise finding a professional trainer that has experience with aggression towards other animals. But if the aggression started after she got kicked then I would still think this was fear aggression.

middleofnowhere · 08-30-2010, 12:10 AM

My a-year-old-next-Saturday pup has been on trail rides with me for about 7 or 8 months. My horse is a saint with dogs. She gave her some warning a couple of weeks ago and this week pup got an unshod hoof to the ribs. The dog was much better behaved for the rest of the ride.

One thing I did when I had my horse at my place was to take everyone on a walk - horse, dogs and me. I imagine the neighbors thought it was weird.

Another thing you want to do is work on your recall. If you had been on horseback I find the best thing to do is canter or trot off the other direction from the "object of their affection."

08-29-2010, 12:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
Robin's Boo New Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Cadillac, MI Posts: 2	Horse attack- My 2 year old german sheppard has decided that horses are a great animal to go after. I had taken her to a local river and come across a mule and a horse, my family also has horses so I was quick to grab her because she had exhibited some aggressive behavior in the past (nothing too serious though). I waited about 5 minutes after they left before releasing my dog to play in the water (which she usually loves and it was really hot after a long walk) she immediately took off in the direction of the horses. She got kicked pretty good but not seriously injured (this happened about 2 months ago). Now I'm nervous to take her out for a walk off the leash and she really needs to be able to burn some energy like that. I know that dogs don't seem to learn after skunk encounters, so logic says she probably didn't learn from the horse. I have been nervous about even trying to take her around the family horses to see how she reacts on a leash. Has anyone else run into problems w/ Shepherds and chasing animals? I read somewhere a while back that Shepherds love to chase anything that moves....Suggestions?

08-29-2010, 12:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
doggiedad Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Jenkintown,Pa. Posts: 8,926	like any dog a GSD will chase things, cars, animals, birds, etc. when they're young you have to train and socialize them around people and and other animals. when i got my pup i knew we were going to be in the woods a lot and encountering horses, joggers, dogs, etc. i made sure we spent a lot of time around horses. when flocks of birds were along the creeks bed i would walk my dog through them and all around. i didn't want him chasing after birds, horses, people cars, etc so i exposed him to all of these, almost daily. when you have a dog you have to think ahead to stay ahead. you want to stop bad behaviour before it starts. __________________ "Life Without A Dog Is A Life Unfulfilled"

08-29-2010, 01:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
shilorio Master Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Lynnwood Posts: 752	i agree with jax08,, take advantage that you have horses and train train train! rewared the wanted behavior correct the bad (by correct i mean a sharp noise like a clap or "AHAH!!") good luck!! __________________ "my goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am" "Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail.."

08-29-2010, 01:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 12,773	Maybe this is fear aggression? The problem, as I see it, will be that any horse she reacts to is going to react in return. Do you have a correction collar? If so, what kind? Have you done any clicker training? i would start with taking her out on a leash to see what her reaction would be. And I would also really work on her recall and not let her off leash until you are sure this is overcome. It's so important that when you call her she comes right back to you. Having horses yourself, you know the dangers if she were to go after a horse especially one with a rider. A rider and your dog could end up with very serious injuries or worse. With a clicker, I would take her out on a leash to your horses. When she is calm, watching the horse but not reacting, click and treat. It would really depend on the dog and the situation if I would put a correction collar on her. A correction collar on my dog when she is reacting to something will ramp her up but in this situation somebody, or the dog, could get killed.

08-29-2010, 01:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 12,773	You might try walking her away a short distance and finding her "comfort" zone where she is NOT reacting to start with. Gradually work your way closer to the horse. I would think that if you get to close and she is so focused on the horse that you can't accomplish anything that you would be defeating the purpose and possible making the situation worse. So, start at 100 ft, 50 ft, 20 ft, etc. This is what I did with Jax when she was a puppy and with a couple of fosters. It worked for me.

08-29-2010, 09:58 PM	#6 (permalink)
Robin's Boo New Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Cadillac, MI Posts: 2	Thanks all for the advice- I'll give it a try

08-29-2010, 11:29 PM	#7 (permalink)
eberesche Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 201	Keep her on a leash and train, train, train as others have said. I have a friend that had dogs (a GSD and an English Bulldog) that went after her horses (Arab and Clydesdale). Needless to say, the damage to all of the animals was horrific and ended very badly for all of them.

08-29-2010, 11:38 PM	#9 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 12,773	I wondered if an e-collar would work also. If you aren't having any success then I would highly advise finding a professional trainer that has experience with aggression towards other animals. But if the aggression started after she got kicked then I would still think this was fear aggression.

08-30-2010, 12:10 AM	#10 (permalink)
middleofnowhere Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 12,392	My a-year-old-next-Saturday pup has been on trail rides with me for about 7 or 8 months. My horse is a saint with dogs. She gave her some warning a couple of weeks ago and this week pup got an unshod hoof to the ribs. The dog was much better behaved for the rest of the ride. One thing I did when I had my horse at my place was to take everyone on a walk - horse, dogs and me. I imagine the neighbors thought it was weird. Another thing you want to do is work on your recall. If you had been on horseback I find the best thing to do is canter or trot off the other direction from the "object of their affection."

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