2023 Loshenka Makeover Phase 3: The Present

Event: 2023 Loshenka Makeover
Phase Number: 3: The Present
Horse ID#: 6499

- Issues: Fear and Aggression Toward Dogs
- Description: After an incident with an off leash dog while on a trail ride at a local nature park, this Loshenka has become aggressive and skittish around all dogs. Even the sound of barking sets them off, and if they are held back from bolting, they'll rear and strike out instead. Even friendly dogs are a trigger, causing intense panic and sending this horse directly into flight mode.

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Copper is so smart and willing. I’ve been with this horse every day from sun-up to sun-down since the first day meeting her and the Makeover event began. We're quite a few weeks into her retraining with only a couple more weeks to go and I do have to say, it’s been a rollercoaster of a journey but we’re making progress!!

Copper and I started off just doing some basic groundwork lessons and some round pen work to kind of get to know one another and to see if there were any holes in her training I needed to know about before addressing the big scary dog issue. Luckily she’s such a saint. Besides the occasional “OMG I think I heard a dog” spook she hasn’t shown any other issues other than the uncontainable fear. Once I get her relaxed and opened up she’s very willing to learn and try to trust me.

I didn’t bring any of my own dogs to the Sanctuary with me so I had to get resourceful. As silly as it sounds I started off with a stuffed toy dog, a good sized Valentine’s Day Dalmatian someone had donated to the local thrift store. Heart in its mouth and everything, freaking adorable. I’d place it at the very end of the larger arena we’d work in for this exercise and I’d be at the other end just putting Copper through her paces on the ground. Just trying to keep her mind occupied and working and keeping it off the dorky stuffed animal at the other end of the arena. After a few days of blinding terror and thinking she was going to rip my shoulders out of their sockets she slowly began to use her big old brain and think about things and figure out the thing at the end of the arena doesn’t move, doesn’t make noise, doesn’t pose a threat. Then we’d slowly get closer every day until I could hold the stuffed dog next to her without her striking at it. I was able to touch her with it, swing it next to her, you name it. She was completely cool with this silly stuffed dog.

Next step I had to take was to go and make a friend which I’m not very good at. Luckily Sagebrush Sanctuary isn’t too far away from an awesome no-kill non-profit animal shelter and one of their dog trainers readily agreed to help me out with my unusual request. Her name is Becca. She’s an older lady with the curliest black hair. She has been training dogs for about 15+ years and volunteering with the rescue for approximately 5 years. She also said she had the perfect dog to help me and Copper too! She was just the sweetest little tricolor Shetland Sheepdog named Shadow. Shadow was turned over to the shelter after her owner passed away unexpectedly. Sadly no one has wanted to adopt Shadow because she was a little older and was also missing her left front leg. She had been hit by a car as a puppy and they had to amputate…

So Becca and I started doing the same exercise with Copper and Shadow as I had done with the stuffed Dalmatian toy but instead of starting with the dog inside the arena, Becca and Shadow were outside a good distance away until we found a semi-comfortable distance between Shadow and Copper. I didn’t want to push too fast and lose any progress I might’ve made. So far it’s been going well. Shadow absolutely loves racing around in any empty pastures when we’re finished. She’s so happy out here. She’s also just such a sweet dog and has been such a sport in all of this. She almost seems confused as to why Copper is so scared of her. But like I said, we’re making progress. Becca and Shadow can walk back and forth along the arena fence while Copper and I are working in the middle. There’s still, of course, the occasional freak outs and panic moments but it’s getting easier to calm Copper down and we don’t have to start each morning as far apart.

So as of right now she’s not cured of course but we’re making tremendous progress every day and at least that’s something right? I’m very hopeful and a little nervous for the last few weeks I have with Copper.
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