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  Discussion on Neighbor's Dogs Run Horses
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 2, 2002 - 8:17 pm:

Next door neighbor moved son back home with 2 vicious dogs that run horses up and down the fence line. I have repeatedly informed them of the problem and they say as long as the dogs are on thier side of the fence I have no rights to do anything to the dogs unless they are on my property. In the two weeks the dogs have been here, they have brought down another neighbors calf and caused my horse to fall from startling the horse. Yesterday, one of the dogs spooked one of the horses and caused him to almost run over me. The dogs aren't stupid, its the owners. They can't control them. I live her in Texas and have always had horses. I have never had this problem before and am not sure of the laws as to what I can do. Please help!

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 3, 2002 - 4:19 am:

Is it true Linda, that they never cross onto your property?
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 3, 2002 - 1:57 pm:

I'd call my local sheriff and/or animal control officer and discuss the situation with them.

Perhaps the dogs barking continuously is more of a problem that can be acted on.

All this depends on local ordinances ... maybe they've exceded their allowable number of dogs? Maybe the barking is not allowed ... there could be lots of instances.

What kind of dogs are they? Do they really stay on the owner's property? Are they a nuisance/safety issue to people, or just livestock?

Knowing what is legal in your locale is the first step.

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 3, 2002 - 4:52 pm:

Hi, Linda,
I'm going to take a different thread on this one. Having dealt with owners and horses that fear barking, rushing dogs, my inclination is to look at this as an opportunity to train your horses to not be afraid of dogs. Dogs chase things that run from them. Training horses to face the dogs and approach them is not difficult and might solve the problem along the pasture fence as well as any problems you may encounter when meeting dogs on rides. It is a rare dog that won't back down when faced with a 1000 lb animal that refuses to run and even walks toward the dog to investigate. In my travels and training, I have found that the best way to cure dogs from chasing horses, is to train the horses to face the dogs and even approach them. You'll be doing your horses, yourself and the neighbor's dogs a great service.
Holly

Posted on Thursday, Jul 4, 2002 - 7:06 am:

Is there anyway you could get a mule/donkey or minature donkey? I've heard even a llama will "learn" dogs about chasing horses.
Good luck and sorry you have such horse unfriendly neighbors.

Posted on Thursday, Jul 4, 2002 - 9:15 am:

I like Holly's suggestion. Horses that don't run from dogs are much safer rides anyhow, it's valuable training. Also, most dogs will simmer down once they've actually had a chance to meet a horse up close, so get them introduced ASAP to take the novelty out of it for the dogs.

We ride daily in a state park where dogs run offleash (a wonderful thing, I might add) and at least once a week I encounter a dog with no horse experience. Typically, the dog runs around chasing and barking at the horse, then the owner lunges after him and snaps him on the leash, and then the the dog becomes even more insecure. I always stop, and encourage the owner to bring the dog over and introduce him/her. Usually, the owner is hesitant to do this (and worried about their dog behaving ok), but I reassure them, and so they approach. It takes maybe 5 minutes for the dog and the horse to actually sniff each other and get acquainted, and then (always to the owner's astonishment) the dog relaxes and they unleash them and the dog wanders around as if it grew up in a horse barn! When we meet that same dog again a week or two later, it's a relaxed encounter.

Maybe I'm lucky not to have encountered a truly recalcitrant canine (it's a state park, so maybe the really tough cases are the ones that stay home, or that owners keep leashed and haul off in some direction away from me and my horse), but I've been doing this for 4 years and it seems to work very well. Maybe this approach will work for you and those neighbor dogs, and help you avoid a negative relationship with your neighbors.
Melissa

Posted on Thursday, Jul 11, 2002 - 5:26 pm:

Thank you so much for all the responses. In answer to all the questions, one dog is pure german shepard, 1 part german shepard and the other one is a yellow lab. My miniature mare has kicked one and almost cut her leg off. My miniature stallion is not scared of them and just stands there but they are bigger than he is. All 3 together, they could bring him down. My thoroughbred now stays on the side of the pasture where the dogs run and he will stay there till hopefully the dogs will get kicked and he becomes desenthitized(sp?) The sheriff says until they come on the place I can't do anything and I must have proof by camera. I am hoping they come on the place not in any range of the horses and yes, I will take drastic measures. I'm not a violent person and have several animals but no dog. These are vicious dogs and since my first e-mail, I have witnessed these dogs knocking there 2 year old daughter down wrestling and my neighbor on the other side of me has been bitten but he had gone to their house to give them an electrical bid. The people did nothing. I wish I had my camera to have proof of them being a nuisance. When they are pinned, they bark continuously so I turn my radios up in 2 different barns to avoid the noise. One thoroughbred has been on many trail rides with dogs but never vicious dogs that are sneaky. We have many coyotes in the area but my horses are up at night with horse mesh wire or in their stalls. It's when they are turned out that I have a concern. I have also armed my person with mace and a horn that will hopefully deter them from coming anywhere near my property line. What a mess. I will keep you posted as to the outcome. Thanks again, Linda
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