Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

All the dogs here are "strange" dogs !!  There are some not-so-strange 
dogs in Egypt, but the majority encountered when riding are either 
semi-feral farm dogs with an over-developed sense of territory or they 
are the wild, totally feral desert dogs.  When I first encountered the 
former at the club in Alexandria where I kept Dorika, there were about 
8 dogs that followed a semi-feral  stable worker around as he collected 
the stuff cleaned out of the boxes and carted it off to the compost 
heap at the far end of the club.  These dogs created havoc with the 
jumpers and the lesson kids because they would pop out from behind 
barrels and piles of jumps and bark at the horses.  Being over 40, just 
coming back to riding with my green self on my green mare, and really 
hating to take painkillers all the time, I decided that the best 
defense is an attack, so I trained Dory to "herd dogs".  We would walk 
towards them and gradually move them out of the arena, coming back time 
after time to move them out again.  None of the dogs got trampled, they 
did eventually learn to stay out at least when Dory was there, and she 
is utterly unafraid of dogs.  When we moved up here, we tried the same 
technique with the desert dogs, and I taught the colts the same trick.

Dogs can only chase something that is running away.  If the horse 
doesn't run, they can't chase it, and if the horse walks slowly, calmly 
and relentlessly at the dog, it has to run away or get stepped on.  All 
my horses are taught to walk when a dog runs out at them and if they 
are persistent, to turn (if the rider so chooses) to the dog and walk 
towards it.  Works for me.  You can't change someone's stupid dog.  But 
you can change your horse's reaction.  Never had a horse bitten yet.

Maryanne
Cairo, Egypt
On Monday, Jun 16, 2003, at 07:50 Africa/Cairo, Tamara Taylor wrote:

> Hi list,
>
> Does anyone have good tips for dealing with strange dogs that run up 
> to you
> while you are riding? We encountered a rather aggressive brute today 
> who was
> heel snapping and barking like a maniac. I tried the soothing "good 
> dog"
> routine but when that failed I resorted to telling him to "GO HOME". 
> Luckily
> Magnum is a pretty mellow fellow or I might have found myself walking 
> home ;o)
> Any tips on dealing with dogs that come after you?
>
> Tamara Taylor
> Saskatoon, SK
>
>
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>  Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
>  Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
>  Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp
>
>  Ride Long and Ride Safe!!
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=