Safety Tips For Dogs at the Stables 

Practical safety tips for dogs at the stables and around horses. Guest Post.

The dog, horse, and human relationship ties have been healthy for many years. Humans who rear horses tend to have dogs alongside them, and it has always been a perfect match.

As a dog and horse enthusiast, you could be thinking about introducing your dog to the stable. However, you could also have several questions about how to safely go about the introduction of a dog to the stable yard. This article will help you learn the potential dangers for dogs new to horses and the stable yard, including best tips for success.  Read on for practical tips on how to keep your pooch safe and secure around horses, and at the stable.

Tips to Take Note

In addition to creating a healthy lifestyle for pets, it is essential to ensure that your dog remains safe everywhere. It is even more critical to ensure your dog’s safety at the stable, so here are a few tips to help you:

• Human Supervision

Leaving your dog to roam freely can be catastrophic at any point. It is always essential to keep an eye on him and ensure he doesn’t go to dangerous spots. You should pay as much attention as you can to ensure that the first few days are safe as he adapts slowly.

Another good practice is keeping your dog leashed for the first few days. A dog that hasn’t been around horses before will require a few days to finally get used to them. Therefore, keeping your dog leashed will help him learn more about his new companions slowly.

• Gradual Introductions

Teaching your dog to adapt to life with horses should be a gradual process. The first thing to ensure, as mentioned earlier, is that you leash the dog. Then, start with short walks to places close to the stable without going directly onto the stable yard.

After a few days, start introducing the dog to the inside environment. Bring them near the horses, but not aggressive ones. Ensure they keep some safe distance and withdraw your dog if any of the animals get excited.

• Obedience Commands

Teach your dog to listen to you before going to the stable. Dogs are quite intelligent and often master language and take instructions keenly. Therefore, make sure your pup is clear on some basic commands like “come”, “stay”, “sit”, and so on.

This will help you to control your dog around the stable by using voice commands. Besides, it will play a critical role in keeping your dog safe in general.

• Bring a Dog Crate

Bringing a dog crate with you will be helpful in several ways. It will help you keep them safe while grooming or doing other activities around the stable. In addition, a dog crate becomes necessary when your visits to the stable become longer, so it’s best to introduce this in the early stages.

• Understand Your Dog’s Body Language

Dogs communicate every time about their feelings and what they want. Your dog could be feeling hungry, excited, afraid, or sick, but it takes care and attention to interpret their body language. It is essential to learn this and give them a break, food to eat, or anything else they might need. This will also make your dog feel secure and well taken care of.

What Are Some Of The Potential Dangers For Dogs?

Bringing your dog to the stable yard is a great idea as well as learning about your dog’s nutritional requirements and the best pet food ingredients. But there are a lot of things to consider. Here are some potential dangers of having dogs around stable yard, and how you can avoid them:

• Worming Paste

The vast amounts of worming pastes used on horses can be very harmful to dogs. According to experts, horses require up to 25 times the amount of worming paste used in dogs. That means it could be a significant overdose for dogs if consumed accidentally.

The effects of this paste on dogs can be severe when taken in such quantities. Some dogs experience side effects, while others are genetically hypersensitive to the paste’s chemicals. Call your vet should you see your dog vomiting, tired, blinded, or unable to stand after visiting the stable yard.

• Hoof Trimmings

Dogs love feeding on hoof trimmings because of the odour and taste. However, experts will warn you that hoof trimmings aren’t the best for your dogs. Besides, there has been no research showing that hoof trimmings offer any nutritional value to dogs and thus, are okay to eat.

Some of the dangers that dogs face at the stable yard are the chemicals used to treat horse hooves. Farriers use chemicals to treat hooves from various infections and also to prevent a variety of disease attacks. These chemicals can have adverse effects on your dog if consumed, and therefore, you need to take care.

• Eating Horse Feed

Dogs also love horse feed and although we haven’t seen any significant effects of horse food on dogs, there’s a looming danger if your dog eats horse feed in large quantities. Therefore, you need to train them to avoid eating it during the early stages.

Various signs will show you that your dog has eaten this food in massive amounts. They may experience breathing difficulties, start to vomit or have stomach pains. Call your vet for immediate medical attention if your dog exhibits any of these signs before the condition worsens.

• Presence of Huge Vehicles

Dogs that wander off from their owners could face many risks, especially if huge vehicles are passing by. If the area is sunny, your dog will most likely find shelter in a nearby parked vehicle or tractor. The risk of injury or death is high if the driver backs up without checking underneath.

Therefore, you need to ensure that your dog sticks around you or stays in a kennel. Besides, kennels offer adequate shelter for your dogs, and that will keep them off vehicles.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, having your dogs around a stable yard with your horse is a great exercise for all. However, you may have to deal with many risks making it essential to follow the tips in this article. You can introduce your dogs to stables safely and keep them for an extended period of time without any problems as long as you do so with safety in mind.

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