So you’re interested in finding out whether horses can be considered dogs. You’ve come to the right place if this is the case as I’ll be sharing the answer to this question with you. After I’ve shared the answer with you then you should read on as well as I’ll also be covering a few more answers to closely related questions.
Is a horse a dog? Although there are some similarities between the two animals, you can be sure that a horse is not considered a dog as both animals have mostly differing characteristics and because dogs belong to the Canidae family whilst horses belong to the Equidae family.
They do, however, share a few common similarities, for example, that they are both considered to be sentient creatures. They can both also display emotional responses and they are capable of interpreting their surroundings.
Why is a horse not a dog?
The main reason why horses cannot be considered as dogs is that horses belong to the animal family Equidae whilst dogs belong to the animal family Canidae. Horses can also not be seen as dogs because their characteristics differ too much.
There are many people out there that also like to keep both horses and dogs as pets as these people love to have various animal species around them as pets which is one of the similarities that horses and dogs share.
Are horses and dogs related?
Although, in the end, every animal is in some way related to one another, it can be said that horses and dogs are not closely related to one another. Horses are, for example, related to rhinos and they are also related to zebras.
Dogs, on the other hand, are related to, for example, wolves, foxes, and jackals. Also, when you take a look at the physical characteristics of these animals then you’ll notice similarities with the physical characteristics of dogs.
What are the similarities between horses and dogs?
There are many similarities when it comes to horses and dogs. Examples of these similarities are that:
- They both gravitate towards humans.
- They are both athletic and strong animals.
- They are both fans of rules.
- They are both big fans of the outdoors.
- They both love to play with humans for entertainment.
- They are both very social animals.
You can be sure that the above-mentioned similarities are just a few similarities that you’ll be able to find between the two animals as there are many more.
What are the differences between horses and dogs?
Apart from the various similarities that horses and dogs share, there are also a bunch of differences between the two. Examples of differences between horses and dogs are that:
- Horses learn slower than dogs.
- Horses are considered herbivores whilst dogs are considered carnivores.
- Horses are seen as prey whilst dogs are seen as predators.
- Horses cannot develop a bond with humans in the same way that dogs can.
- Horses have a good sense of smell whilst dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell.
- Horses live in herds whilst dogs live in packs.
- Horses have hooves whilst dogs have paws.
You can also be sure that there are a lot more differences to find between horses and dogs but above I’ve at least mentioned the most obvious ones to give you a good idea of the differences between the two.
Is a horse as smart as a dog?
Although both horses and dogs are relatively intelligent animals, you can be sure that dogs will learn new skills more quickly than horses can. Both animals do, however, have their strong and weak suits when it comes to their cognitive abilities.
Even though dogs are generally smarter than horses, you can be sure that you’ll have to choose a horse as a pet if you love riding them in the forests.
If you can’t get enough of learning about horses then I encourage you to check out the “Horses Category Page” which consists of various articles that give answers to horse-related questions.
Are horses, just like big dogs?
There are various reasons to think of why horses are not just like big dogs. Examples of these various reasons are:
- Horses are seen as prey whilst dogs are seen as predators.
- Horses are herbivores whilst dogs are carnivores.
- Horses are a bit slower when it comes to how fast they can learn new things whilst dogs can learn a lot faster.
- Horses have hooves whilst dogs have paws.
- Horses have a decently developed sense of smell whilst the sense of smell of dogs is much better.
- Horses can’t bond with humans the same way dogs can.
Apart from the above-mentioned reasons why horses cannot be seen as big dogs, there are many more reasons that substantiate why horses cannot be seen as big dogs.
Are horses loyal like dogs?
Whenever a horse trusts you and therefore lets you be in their presence then you can be sure that the horse will have developed some loyalty towards you. They will also be very loyal if you’ve been riding them for a long time. Dogs, however, will generally be more loyal than horses.
Dogs are mainly more loyal because they’ll be more protective of their owners and they’ll also heavily defend their pack whenever danger is present.
Are horses faster than dogs?
Although many dog species will have a faster start than most horse species, you can be sure that most dog species will lose a sprint against a horse as horses are generally faster than dogs. Horses can, for example, run 88 km/h whilst greyhounds can run 72 km/h.
Horses will also have more stamina than dogs and therefore they can keep up a good pace for a very long time whilst dogs will slow down a lot faster.
Check out the video below if you want to see various races between greyhounds and horses.
Do horses get emotionally attached to their owners as dogs do?
Although dogs are known for getting emotionally attached to their owners quite fast once they trust them, horses on the other hand cannot get emotionally attached to their owners but they will see humans as safe havens whenever they’re nice and good to them.
Dogs get emotionally attached to their caregivers in the same way as we humans get emotionally attached to our caregivers. Both dogs and humans need to form these bonds with their caregivers as this will result in a higher chance to survive.
Is a horse a better pet to have when compared to having a dog?
Honestly, it is dependent on what animal you would prefer to have as a pet. It is up to you which one of both animals you would enjoy the most. Keeping a dog as a pet is going to, generally, be easier to care for though, as caring for a horse will take up more of your time.
Some people even call it a full-time job to keep a horse as a pet because they take up so much of your time.
Related questions
Can a horse and a dog mate?
Although it is not unheard of for various animal species to interbreed with one another, it is very unlikely that you’ll ever encounter a horse and a dog mating with each other. Horses do, however, mate with donkeys from time to time.
Do horses like dogs?
You can be sure that any horse will like a certain dog or at least accept a dog being nearby him/her whenever the dog in question isn’t aggressive. Shy dogs will, for example, also be happily accepted by any horse as the chances of them becoming aggressive are very low.
Check out the video below if you want to see a compilation of horses and dogs playing together.
Which dog breeds do well with horses?
Various dog breeds will do very well with horses. Some examples of dog breeds that’ll do well with horses are Jack Russel Terriers, Australian Cattle dogs, Dalmatians, Labrador Retrievers, Great Pyrenees, German Shepherds, Border Collies, and Golden Retrievers.
Conclusion
Now you know that horses can’t be considered dogs because they both belong to different animal families. Dogs, for example, belong to the Canidae family whilst horses belong to the Equidae family. Besides the different families that they belong to, you can see many more differences between the two animals when you take a look at their characteristics.