Posts Tagged ‘Dog To Horse Aggression’
Clicker Training For Dogs Who Are Aggressive Towards Horses
Training dogs to stop barking, chasing, or biting at horses can be accomplished by a method called clicker training.There are a few main reasons why dogs bother horses.To some dogs, chasing horses is simply FUN .Since the act of chasing the horse is so rewarding, it may be harder to train these dogs to be kind to horses.
If you have a dog who chases horses for fun, contain your dog by installing a fence or trolleys system.
apprehension or some type of aggression is the reason a dog usually bothers a horse. Luckily for us, clicker training can be a phenomenal tool for getting rid of fear and aggression in dogs.
A most effective clicker training technique, called Counter Conditioning, can be used to get rid of dog aggression.The technique of Counter Conditioning gives a dog a hi-value reward, while simultaneously letting the dog experience something that bothers him.
When experiencing something that only slightly bothers him, a dog’s aggression will go away if given a hi-value reward.Start by finding your dog’s tolerance threshold when using this method. Put your dog on a leash and slowly walk towards a horse.Notice your dog’s body language. When your dog starts to show signs of aggression towards the horse, stop.It is at this point you will start the training.
Knowing how close you can get to a horse before your pooch gets upset will help you determine when it is time to start the training.As an example, your dog becomes agitated, let’s say, when he comes within 50 feet of a horse.With our dog on a leash, throughout the day, we would slowly walk up to 50 feet away and give him a treat the moment he begins getting bothered.
You should continue doing this about 10 times a day or more, until you notice your dog reacting differently. Eventually you should start to notice that as you take your dog to within 50 feet of a horse, he no longer focuses on the horse.You will, instead, start noticing that he is looking to you for a treat.
When your dog reacts this way to horses, you have successfully changed his emotional reaction at 50 feet!It is now time to make it harder.Repeat the procedure by trying to walk within 40 feet, once your dog can walk up to within 50 feet of the horse 10 times without growling.
Continue repeating this procedure until you can walk within a few feet of the horse without bothering your dog.Be consistent, don’t push your dog past his aggression threshold, and you should be able to train him to not be aggressive towards horses.