Following on from dog hacking thread..

[tankgirl1]

I'd love to hack out with my pooch - how do you train them? Lunge line instead of a lead while you ride? Unfortunately we have to negotiate a few country roads before we hit the bridleways, and pooch isnt the cleverest.............

 

[igglepop]

I used to hack out with a lady who's dog went on a 12ft lead rein. When she got to woods she told it to jump up onto her foot she lent down and unclipped it. She reversed the process on the way back. She said it took 6 months of everyday practicing to perfect the dog putting feet on her foot to remove the lead tho.

 

[Irishbabygirl]

I used to keep mine on a farm in the middle of nowhere, so could just hack out on the miles and miles of farm land. I just rode off and my dog followed! Then we practiced all the usual commands. She was no different then if I were to take her for a normal walk off her lead!

 

[Silmarillion]

We are lucky enough to have almost direct access to the woods, so Mum's Jack Russell just follows. My old YO has hers a little way up the road from us, and when her Jack was hacking out with her he'd jump on the mounting block, up in front of her on the saddle (small dog, 17hh horses) and would stay there until she got to the off-road bit. On the way back she'd get off and put a lead on him, but it wasn't far to walk. Obviously it wouldn't work with anything bigger than a JRT, though!

Mum's was pretty quick to pick up the idea of obeying a horse shouting at him in my mum's voice

 

[cheeryplatypus]

I'd be worried that a lunge line old get tangled and be dangerous.
I taught my lab to come to the whistle and then she got a treat after she lay down beside us. You could practice this in the school or field first of all.
Millie now also will drop in behind us if we are on a blind corner etc and will lie by the hedge and wait until traffic passes before coming for a treat and going about her way again.
I'd definately recommend whistle training and an incentive to come to the horse. If it is a little busy she goes on a lead rope until we reach the tracks, it has a knot in the end so she can't pull away easily but I can easily release her if the is a problem also she wears a harness not anything round her neck.
My pony is very good though and my horse looks out for her, if he sees traffic his ear flicks to the traffic and then to wherever the dog is, quite amazing as I didn't train this.

 

[Luci07]

Food works for mine. A friend helped and I have to keep reinforcing, stay, heel, come and LEAVE! I put her to heel when I see other dogs with the aid of food but the biggest thing is to keep your dogs attention on you before something or someone attracts them. Did it all on the ground before we tried with horses, then with a dog proof horse. I do not recommend mixing a horse new to hacking with dogs with a dog new to hacking with horses. It was really hairy when I graduated to riding with my young horse and there was a long time I would only go out with another dog proof horse as my youngster really struggled with the dog being around. On the positive, we have found that, done properly, hacking out with dogs is an excellent way of really spook proofing your horse. My youngster no longer gives a monkey if something crashes out of the woods or appears in front of him and it has been the same for other babies on the yard. Very useful in a highly populated area like ours..

 

[picolenicole]

Fern, my older dog was just expected to do as she was told when we went out riding, just like when on a normal walk really.

I would take her with me to the wood, we have one road, a main one so I would get off cross stirrups over lossen Kings girth and lead him, with Fern on a lead rope. Once off the road I'd hope back on and we would carry on. I used to get loads of coments about how well behaved both my pony and dog were, she would always come if called and would sit at the side of King on the footpath until told to walk on

I cannot talk her anymore as she is going bilnd a bit and her hearing is going so she doesn't respond as quick as she used to Not too bad tho for a dog of 15 years old

Oh and Dougal hes just a pain in the bum, anything moves and he legs it to play. He is only 19 months old so still has a lot of trianing!!!

 

[Jazzy B]

I trained mine with a whistle out hacking and was lucky enough to be able to avoid lanes to start with. Now take her anywhere with the horse, she comes to heel, tucks behind him when we are trotting and cantering and gets into the hedge when a car comes - its taken about six months to get that good, I never did it with a lunge rope cos she's too cautious around their legs and that would frighten her my auntie does and says it works fine.

 

[FrecklesMum]

I have to do some country roads before getting on to the open new forest and my dog is not clever or traffic savvy.

I tie two pieces of bayler twine together and slip through dogs collar and I hold the other two ends - once i get to the forest I simply drop one end and pull - twine comes through the collar and its small enough to put in pocket.

Don't even need to get off and if there is a prob, I would simply drop the twine.