Remy Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Good Morning to All! I have been reading your board for a while and decided to join, I have learned a lot of info from your postings, thank you! My name is Darwin and my BC is Remy, she is almost 3 months old, she can sit, stay, speak and fetch already (at least in puppy seconds), I have also introduced her to our horses and she doesn’t know what to think of the big dogs! She get’s a little timid around them, wants to go the other way (she’s on a leash) and I don’t want to traumatize her, maybe I have to much of a “high expectation for her at this young age?” Any suggestions on introducing her without scaring her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 You want to be able to introduce her to the horses without inadvertantly "teaching" her that it's okay to harass the horses in any way. If it were me, I'd take her when I do chores (feeding, mucking stalls, grooming, etc.) and keep her on leash and out of the way of the horses (tied where she can see everything that's going on but not spook the horses and also not in a place where the horses can see her but not get to her while you're handling them), so she gets used to all the activities surrounding them without actually being forced to interact directly with them. Once she's used to the routine and just being around you while you're doing stuff with them, she should lose some of her fear of the "unknown." The horses will also be able to get used to her presence without actually having to interact directly with her. It's sort of a means of desensitizing each to the other in a "nonconfrontational" way. Once she's over her fear, then you can start training her on leaving the horses alone. I don't know if you eventually want her to go riding with you or something like that, but she'll need to learn to respect a horse's space, even if y'all are just putzing around the stable or pasture. Most dogs go through a stage where they want to chase and that's what you'll want to discourage. A horse can easily kill a dog, so you want to make sure you manage the situation so that she learns the horses aren't to be chased or nipped at while at the same time the horses can learn that she's not to be kicked or chased by them. Don't rush it and use common sense and you should ultimately have a dog who's safe to have around horses and horses that are relatively safe for your dog to be around. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewie'sMom Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Hi Darwin and welcome to the forum. Remy is quite a cutie. Sounds like you’ve really been working with her giving her lots of opportunities to learn new things. So it will be the same with new sights, sounds, smells. Give her lots of opportunities to experience new things but remember she’s still a baby. Don’t force anything on her. Allow her to go at her own speed. If she’s intimidated by something back off and expose her to it another day. Remember, baby steps for your baby. Good luck and keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dali Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 We took Dali to the children's farm weeks ago and he really did well....so may smells ans sounds ...he wasn't to sure about the cows...but overall he did super. Of course it is not comparable to owning a horse and seeing it everyday. But I was told it is really important to give as many impressions as possible at a young age . There are horses on a field in our street and he goes up to them but as soon as they make a noise ..he's off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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