Chasing Behaviour
By Scotty Valadao – Accredited Behaviour Consultant (ABC of SA™); TTouch Practitioner - www.fods.co.za
(Courtesy of www.friendsofthedog.co.za - your one stop website for all things dog
Stopping a dog chasing cars, bikes, rabbits etc, is not always an easy one to solve, as chasing behavior is part of the inherited predatory hunting sequence, and a dog is genetically ‘hard wired’ to catch prey in order to survive, with it being even more so certain breeds. What also makes this so difficult to change is that it is self rewarding to the dog, and therefore reinforces the behavior each and every time the dog engages in the activity. They enjoy this pastime so much that once the chase has started the owner can very seldom recall them. It’s not that the dog doesn’t listen, rather it is experiencing such a ‘high’ that it just doesn’t hear the owner. This is why prevention is so very important with chasing behavior, you need to get and divert the dogs attention before they become fixated on the rabbit/car/bike, etc.
The easiest and simplest method to control this behavior is to manage it. If out on a walk, keep the dog on a long lead. If the rabbits/rats are coming in your yard, prevent this as much as possible by digging a deep trench along your fencing and placing wire there. Another alternative is when you are not home to supervise- keep the dog in an enclosed area so that he cannot get to the rabbits/bikes/cars.
In a situation such as this, you need to have total control over your dog. So if your dog does not come back to you immediately when you call him in everyday circumstances, then from a training point of view, you need to install a really good recall. My favourite is the Real Reliable Recall. If done correctly, practiced and kept in place, this recall method is as foolproof as foolproof with dogs gets! After this has been put in place, I recommend that the Recall using the Long Line is used, until you can safely let your dog off lead and know that it will return each and every time.
Additionally, I would start the dog on a ‘work to earn’ regime – no more freebees! I would suggest working mainly on the sit, wait, watch and recall exercises here. Ask your dog to sit for attention, before the ball is thrown etc as well. This is so simple to achieve and all you have to do is use one of your dog's most important resources - food! Instead of feeding out of the bowl, take the daily food allowance and call your dog, treat, free it, call again and repeat, over and over. what need to be remembered here, is that it will be relatively easy to get your dog to come when in the home, harder when in the garden, and harder still when out for walks. So the key is practice, practice, practice, and in as many different situations and locations as possible. Set yourself up for success - don't go too fast - perfect each and every stage before moving on.
You can practice the sit, watch etc in exactly the same manner and here I would also suggest that you work on getting a really good and reliable 'sit and wait' as well. Do one exercise at a time, then add in another and when your dog is 'proofed' at each stage, then start to mix and match them.
At the same time you need to stimulate your dogs prey drive, but with ‘legal’ objects. Start playing frequent games of catch and bringing back, as often as you can, for short periods of time. Your dog will sorely miss the chase and this will give him an opportunity of being able to engage in this, but using a ball, Frisbee etc, rather than live prey. You can even have two or three balls/objects in your hands, and as the dog comes running back with the one, immediately throw the other. Keep this particular toy/s only for these games, don’t leave this object lying around, This will make the object more desirable to the dog, plus, he gets your company at the same time. I would even add a cue to this new game such as ‘Frisbees’ or similar and say the new cue in a high pitched, excited voice. This may assist if the dog does start an illegal chase, you call “Frisbees’ and as the dog turns to you, immediately throw a ball/Frisbee etc to divert its attention from the illegal object. Remember to give the dog a lot of praise for complying.
You can even start to desensitize your dog to cars and bikes. Have your dog on lead and with the car/bike in the stationary position. Walk over to the object, ask for a sit and praise the dog for staying put, you can even practice your ‘watch’ exercise here. You can then start the bike/car moving (you will obviously need help here!) and as long as the dog is sitting, watching you, continue praising. Slowly, build up the speed of the object until your dog will sit, watching you while it is moving relatively fast.
You can practice the above by being in a park with a pallisade fence between you and the traffic going past.
This is not an overnight thing, it will take a lot of practice and even when the dog is not chasing anymore, you need to keep on practicing to keep the behavior of ‘not chasing’ in place.
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
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The easiest and simplest method to control this behavior is to manage it. If out on a walk, keep the dog on a long lead. If the rabbits/rats are coming in your yard, prevent this as much as possible by digging a deep trench along your fencing and placing wire there. Another alternative is when you are not home to supervise- keep the dog in an enclosed area so that he cannot get to the rabbits/bikes/cars.
In a situation such as this, you need to have total control over your dog. So if your dog does not come back to you immediately when you call him in everyday circumstances, then from a training point of view, you need to install a really good recall. My favourite is the Real Reliable Recall. If done correctly, practiced and kept in place, this recall method is as foolproof as foolproof with dogs gets! After this has been put in place, I recommend that the Recall using the Long Line is used, until you can safely let your dog off lead and know that it will return each and every time.
Additionally, I would start the dog on a ‘work to earn’ regime – no more freebees! I would suggest working mainly on the sit, wait, watch and recall exercises here. Ask your dog to sit for attention, before the ball is thrown etc as well. This is so simple to achieve and all you have to do is use one of your dog's most important resources - food! Instead of feeding out of the bowl, take the daily food allowance and call your dog, treat, free it, call again and repeat, over and over. what need to be remembered here, is that it will be relatively easy to get your dog to come when in the home, harder when in the garden, and harder still when out for walks. So the key is practice, practice, practice, and in as many different situations and locations as possible. Set yourself up for success - don't go too fast - perfect each and every stage before moving on.
You can practice the sit, watch etc in exactly the same manner and here I would also suggest that you work on getting a really good and reliable 'sit and wait' as well. Do one exercise at a time, then add in another and when your dog is 'proofed' at each stage, then start to mix and match them.
At the same time you need to stimulate your dogs prey drive, but with ‘legal’ objects. Start playing frequent games of catch and bringing back, as often as you can, for short periods of time. Your dog will sorely miss the chase and this will give him an opportunity of being able to engage in this, but using a ball, Frisbee etc, rather than live prey. You can even have two or three balls/objects in your hands, and as the dog comes running back with the one, immediately throw the other. Keep this particular toy/s only for these games, don’t leave this object lying around, This will make the object more desirable to the dog, plus, he gets your company at the same time. I would even add a cue to this new game such as ‘Frisbees’ or similar and say the new cue in a high pitched, excited voice. This may assist if the dog does start an illegal chase, you call “Frisbees’ and as the dog turns to you, immediately throw a ball/Frisbee etc to divert its attention from the illegal object. Remember to give the dog a lot of praise for complying.
You can even start to desensitize your dog to cars and bikes. Have your dog on lead and with the car/bike in the stationary position. Walk over to the object, ask for a sit and praise the dog for staying put, you can even practice your ‘watch’ exercise here. You can then start the bike/car moving (you will obviously need help here!) and as long as the dog is sitting, watching you, continue praising. Slowly, build up the speed of the object until your dog will sit, watching you while it is moving relatively fast.
You can practice the above by being in a park with a pallisade fence between you and the traffic going past.
This is not an overnight thing, it will take a lot of practice and even when the dog is not chasing anymore, you need to keep on practicing to keep the behavior of ‘not chasing’ in place.
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Some articles below you may enjoy...................................
.
Excessive Barking. Some dogs get extremely worked up when visitors ring the doorbell, or when dogs walk by the house. Some spaniels and terriers bark at the drop of a hat. And our good friend Larry Labrador will bark whenever a leaf falls from a tree three blocks away. Barking is as characteristically doggy as wagging a tail or burying a bone.
..............................................................................................................................
Double trouble why you should not have two pups together. There are many other reasons apart from two pups being double trouble - read here to find out more.
.............................................................................................................................
Dog Bites: Who Is Getting Bitten and Why? Statistics show that the majority of dog bites occur in children or the elderly.