car chasing

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biowicks

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We live on a gravel road, and Olive, at 20 weeks, really wants to chase the cars that come down our street. When we could take her on 'real' walks, we used the sidewalk on an adjacent paved street, and for a long time, she was fearful of the cars there because, I think,the tires made a different sound on the pavement, and they were traveling more quickly.. Now, she wants to chase them, too. I am trying to get her to sit/stay at my feet every time a car approaches, but she is really fighting me on this. Any ideas?
 
My dog had a bad car chasing problem as a puppy.

What I did was, I brought my clicker with me on walks (or you can use the word "yes"). The second she looked at a car without reacting, I clicked and treated her.

It didn't take long for her to realize that cars = treats, so instead of lunging at cars, she would look at me when she saw one because she was expecting treats.
 
I agree with Take4roll10's method. Positive reinforcement before she gets to a highly reactive stage will eventually make a huge difference on her attitude toward cars. One thing you don't want to do is to take her away from the situation. Some people think that if a dog lunges at the car, you drag them in the opposite direction. It might work, but I think it's better to address the problem then so she doesn't "get away with it".

There'll be more opinions. I'm just starting my obedience training for a dog trainer certificate. Keep us updated :yes:
 
biowicks said:
We live on a gravel road, and Olive, at 20 weeks, really wants to chase the cars that come down our street. When we could take her on 'real' walks, we used the sidewalk on an adjacent paved street, and for a long time, she was fearful of the cars there because, I think,the tires made a different sound on the pavement, and they were traveling more quickly.. Now, she wants to chase them, too. I am trying to get her to sit/stay at my feet every time a car approaches, but she is really fighting me on this. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Bring treats with you, and have her sit RIGHT before the car will pass. Don't say a word, just sit and treat. Do this every time a car passes, the same exact way. She will learn, it took my dog a while, and now he is very good- I don't even have to treat anymore, a lot of times I don't even have to have him sit-this took months, don't give up.
 
When Layla started this, I reacted in a voice of total horror: "NO! You NEVER chase Cars!" It really made an impression. After that, when she'd look with longing at a car, I'd just say, "Don't even let it cross your mind."
 
Both my dogs are excited by cars. Deska is okay when they drive past, just not ones leaving parking lots, whereas Tully barks at cars going past. I made the mistake of treating Deska when a car went past when he was younger, and being such a food focussed dog he began associating cars with something really good and that's when the car chasing started. You really need to time rewarding well so they don't get the wrong idea. Try holding the treat in front of her nose and holding on to it so she has to work to get it, only let go once the car has passed. They should be so focussed on getting the treat they forget about the car.

With Tully I ended up putting her in a head collar, she really was that bad. It made a huge difference. She often still reverts to the silliness around cars, so when she starts acting up I put her back in the head collar until she settles down again. I'd wait another month or two before trying a head collar on your dog - just until she grows a little more. Or you could try a no-pull harness like the Easy Walk harness, it turns their whole body, not just their head, if they try to chase or be silly around a car so its a bit gentler on a growing pup.
 
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