I've recently got a rescue husky (so everybody knows) and I'm having problems with him and the horse I'm looking after. My other dog is absolutely fine with horses due to the fact that since I got him at eight weeks old he has been brought up with horses. Although, my newer dog (2 years old) is completely in love with them. Although, he becomes too much. I asked my (useless) trainer what I could do and he didn't have a clue. Luckily the horse is old and will put up with anything and everything but in the very near future I'm going to have a horse of my own and I need my adorable cross-eyed husky to not be so boysterous. Has anybody had this kind of problem before (rare, I know!) because if you have I need help urgently!!!

Hi

I have 6 horses and 2 danes. Phoebe dane will avoid the horses - she knows whats good for her! Willis learned the hard way and got double barrelled by my pony. Prior to that he went running up to them and promptly got chased out the field. He now completely ignores them - he pretends they are not interesting but actually he is scared of them :D

What does your rescue husky do?

C :)

Goes barmy!!! He sees them as an overgrown huge dog. Sadly the breed can't be allowed off the lead so if he was to learn the hard way then so would I. The family's whose horse it belongs to have gone on holiday so I've been lumped with their boxer and horse (not that I mind!!!) but the boxer always comes with me off the lead when we go riding. So when I go down the field I usually take the boxer and my intrigued husky. Not that he'll learn it seems!

How comes they can't be let off the lead, just interested to know :)  Is it a law or just a breed thing, not very good at recall etc?

I believe they have a 100% unreliable record at recall... one sniff of something more interesting and one gone Sibe :D

Could you get someone to walk him on the lead next to you when you ride? with treats until the novelty wears off? I'm not familiar with the breed... hopefully one of the members who is will have some recommendations. I will point this out to Mel - she has Mals - she might have some ideas... :)

He isn't interested in treats when out on a walk! What we might do is rent the field at the end of our back garden for my new horse. That way, there's a chicken wire fence seperating them and he can see straight through to sniff and do whatever he wants. After all, that's the way that Byron got to know horses!

K

Hi Keira :)

Did you get your Sibe from Sibe rescue? If so, then I think that they should be able to offer advise on how to get him used to horses if it is possible.

Failing that, maybe you could get in touch with the Siberian Husky Club and see if someone there can give you some help?

If you email me I can put you in touch with someone who has Sibes and I know there are a couple of other members here who have Sibes ;)

My mother in law has three dogs, two german shepherd and one small spitz. All three are fine and perfectly confident with the horses (she has 8 horses), primarily because she has let them learn for themselves what behaviour is acceptable, and the horses, who are all fine with dogs, will let the dogs know when they overstep the mark. One of the two stallions can go through phases of being particularly intollerent of the dogs (and of everything in general if the truth be told!), but they can read these signals and keep away. Once, this stallion was going mad, and went to kick me, and one of the dogs actually ran and stood between me and the horse and took the kick meant for me. I couldn't believe it, but she was fine (a little yelp, but then we both legged it!)
I think I would start by bringing dogs in during stabling, as the horses and dogs are seperated by the stable itself, and take it from there, as that has worked for my mother in law. Now they will sit in the stable with the horses while the stable is being mucked out, and they are very confident (usually happy to be rolling around in the horse crap!)
I will add though that the youngest German Shepherd behaved like a typical 'herder' when she was first introduced to horses as a wee little girl, and would try and herd them around the field, and would snap a little at their heels and bark, but the horses then outlined what they would tolerate and she soon became disinterested, so maybe with time horses don't seem so interesting to dogs any more. I know that isn't a direct help to you, but I thought it might halp just to know how other people have broached introducing horses and dogs.

Good luck!

Sibes have very high prey drives, is it over excitement or do you think it is possible she is going into hunt mode and wants to get in there for the chase. One of my collies is a hunter through and through and no amount of socialisation with horses will help him, they are a prey animal as far as he is concerned. He has only ever got loose with a horse once and jumped on it's back biting it's flank in true pack animal bringing down it's prey style. That was the last time he had direct contact with a horse! The next one is terrified of them and barks and the youngest thinks they are lovely and kisses their noses, even though he had never met one before!

If the new horse you are getting has hunted then it should be used to hounds milling around and running about and not kick out, so no danger to husky.  If not, then it is not just the husky you need to educate but the horse too. Get the horse 'dog proofed' first, then move on to the dog. Ask your local hunt if you can attend hound exercise with the new entry - most are amenable to such requests if you explain the situation and make a small donation to hunt funds.

Not 100% sure about new horse yet but definitely need help with horse I'm currently looking after. The dog isn't in hunt mode at all, just "stupid" mode! Not only is there a risk of getting a new horse/donkey but we live in the countryside and basically every walk we pass horses so you can imagine how important it is. I got my new dog from a breeder, he was given back to her as the family were going through a divorce and were no longer interested in keeping the dogs!

we have 9 hounds & a few horses too :) but what i cannot understand from the post is what your dogs actually doing & what you want to achieve? Are you letting the dog see the horse in the field & its getting over excited at this?  If so then 1st mistake is having horse in field! None of my  dogs go into the horse field its VERY dangerous. You need to get the horse in the stable & the dog in the yard & let him get used to seeing horse over stable door until he is bored with it. in winter when ours are stabled the hounds wander around the yard all day & horses hang heads over door watching them! he may get bitten a few times if he pushes his luck....most horses enjoy nipping dogs backs over stable doors & it will teach him to be wary!! Once the sight of horses not of interest to him then start him on a lead....a short lead....with  horse thats being lead (not ridden) that is very dog proof. beware of him being kicked....i saw a hound get kicked by shoeless pony & was killed. Also beware of him getting pawed....i have a horse that kills sheep with front legs!
As for your useless trainer....um....if hes useless then why use them?????