Asked on the Dog Forum by angela on 7/3/02, 9:38 pm

Q: dogs chasing cars

We live out in the country on a dirt road with a very large yrd and sometimes the dogs will sit and watch the cars go by and sometimes they will chase them. If they get started running most times I can yell til I'm blue and they won't stop or listen. I don't want to chain them, that seems cruel to me to have a big yard and not be able to roam around in it. I won't hit them, not with a newspaper or any thing else. When they do come back I give them lots of praise and petting. A fence is not a option due to the cost. Anyone have any suggestions?

Answered by PetHappy on 7/3/02, 11:00 pm

A: dogs chasing cars

Hello,
Dogs have a natural instinct to chase and can be quite stubborn about it. I'll never forget a few years back, when my neighbor's dog got loose, and actually started chasing cars going 75 mph on the interstate (we live in a rural area off of I-90). One car would zoom by, then the next, he couldn't keep up. If the situation hadn't been so dangerous and life-threatening for the dog as well as the drivers, it would've been kind of funny. And just like your dogs, he would NOT come back until he decided he had enough.

We didn't problems with our dog chasing cars so much, but we did have a problem with him running off, not coming home when we called him, and getting picked up by animal control. He would head straight for our neighbors house and hang out all day. He's an inside and outside dog, but when we left him outside, we did start chaining him up. Not all day, and not in the hot sun or cold. He had the deck for shade and access to food and cold water. In the beginning, he wasn't fond of it, but he did make the connection that "run off=chained up," and we didn't have any more problems. You might want to reconsider chaining up your dogs, so they can learn the same lesson.

You say that it seems cruel for the dogs to have a big yard and not be able to roam around in it, but don't you agree it would be more cruel to take the chance of your dogs getting hit by a car? Please keep in mind that dogs like that can be a nuisance. Even if they are staying on your property, they are obviously putting themselves and the people who drive by your house at risk. What if one of the dogs gets hit, or what if someone swerves to miss one of the dogs and wrecks? I personally find it very annoying when a dog chases my car while I'm driving. I'm so concerned about not hitting the dog that it causes me to lose my concentration on the road, which is what I should be focused on, instead of a loose dog. It really doesn't give me a very good impression of the owners, if they don't put any restrictions on their dogs and their dogs activities.

As far as the fencing goes, I don't know how many acres you have or if you were considering fencing off the entire yard, but fencing off just a portion of the yard(maybe 1-3 acres) would be adequate and much cheaper. The dogs would have plenty of room to play in the fenced in area, and when you took them out, you could do so on a leash.

Sincerely,
Kelly

Answered by PetHappy on 7/4/02, 2:19 am

A: Something else....

You say that when they do come back you offer them lots of praise. Do you mean, when they come back, after you've been yelling at them forever, and they finally decide they've had their fill of chasing cars? The dogs should know that you are not pleased with them. That doesn't mean physical punisment or screaming at them; it means using your voice as well as your body language to let them know you're unhappy with what they've been up to. Firmly place your hands on your hips, look the dogs directly in the eyes, point toward the road and say; "no!" Dogs find eye contact to be very intimidating and it sends a strong message. It's something an alpha wolf uses in a pack to keep the other wolves in line. Since dogs are descendents of wolves, they have a similar mentality. Don't pet the dogs or offer them treats.

A few days ago, I left a sandwhich on the coffee table while I drove down the road to get the mail. When I returned, I caught my dog, by the coffee table, with that "uh-oh, I've been caught" look. It turns out he ate my entire sandwhich during the few minutes I was gone. I showed him the empty wrapper on the floor, firmly said; "no!" and made him lay on his dog bed for a little while. However, I had to consider my role in the incident. I shouldn't have left the sandwhich on the table to tempt him in the first place, so it wasn't entirely his fault. Something similar can be said about your dogs chasing cars situation. Have you thought about your role in the problem? You allow the dogs to roam free and then you praise them when you should be disciplining them (again, this doesn't mean physical punishment). You're sending very mixed signals, and the dogs have stopped taking you seriously. They get to have their fun chasing cars, then come back and be rewarded for it.

Sincerely,
Kelly

A: dogs chasing cars

> We live out in the country on a dirt road with a
> very large yrd and sometimes the dogs will sit and
> watch the cars go by and sometimes they will chase
> them. If they get started running most times I
> can yell til I'm blue and they won't stop or
> listen. I don't want to chain them, that seems
> cruel to me to have a big yard and not be able to
> roam around in it. I won't hit them, not with a
> newspaper or any thing else. When they do come
> back I give them lots of praise and petting. A
> fence is not a option due to the cost. Anyone
> have any suggestions?
I am like you I do not like chaining or smacking I don't bekieve it is good for the animal at all but I see one mistake here.
They run off
You call and call
They do not respond so they have disobeyed
When they do come back you reward.
You are rewarding them for doing there own thing chasing cars and ignoring your calls.
You know the obvious dangers, they could be hit by a vehicle or cause a vehicle to swerve into something or someone.
My suggestion would be to mark out a good sized area that you can afford to fence with a fence high enough to stop them getting out. Some people turn the last metre of fence over at a 45 degree angle inwards to the inside so that the animal cannot get over. Like in the letter Y but the left half of the top is not there.
Maybe you could put an extension on any existing fencing you have to do that.
I also suggest you walk them more and let them run somewhere safe away from cars to run off some of that energy they have. Good games to keep there minds busy too.
Hope this has helped you
>

A: dogs chasing cars

I too live in the country (5acres) dead end road no cars zooming by. I have 2 labs one that is very old and stays on the property and the other a young robust male will leave to go play with friends if not supervised and used to not come back when called. I use a chain to keep him in yard he had a kennel system but was able to dig at the bottom of kennel and break wires to escape. The chain is not so bad its in a shady spot with access to plenty of water and shelter. I suggest you use a chain but if you are still unwilling then you do have 3 options 1. you can fence in a small portion of your property say like 1000 Sq Ft. 2. you can do an invisable fencing system. 3. You can get a kennel system. A kennel can be nice as you can make it as big as you want and as long as you get the right gauge for your dog he cant get out. We got ours from home depot and was 600. for 6 panels but unfortunantly was not a stronge enough gauge for our lab.
AS for him not coming when called I think you are correct for praising him when he comes home. Home should be a happy place and he is not going to remeber that you were calling him 30 min ago Dogs tive in the now and dont remeber what happened 5 seconds ago. I looked out the window for our labs arrival then went out the back to call him. He had no idea I saw him coming and came when I called so he gets lots of love for "coming when called". I have tried the whole bit of getting mad and telling him "you come when called" and putting him on chain but all that does is make him feel bad for something he does not remember and feeling bad and going on a chain. I wish you luck with your decision just remeber that your options are safer than getting hit by a car someday and alot cheaper.

A: dogs chasing cars

You need to get the dogs some serious obedience training. Also look into the local laws in your area regarding leash laws.

If your dogs run after cars and get hit, YOU can be sued and fined ! And if your dog does any damage to property, other animals, it gets worse. You are responsible for your dogs.

Until you can enrol in some basic obedience classes, you might want to look into a dog run.
It is not a problem solver or solution (as Kasren Peak would put it! :-) but it is a temp. restraint. A cable is placed between 2 trees, house /tree, clothesline poles, garage..high enough that the dog or anyone can't get hurt on it. Then a swivel line goes to the dog's tie out collar (no choke chains) and the line above, letting the dog tromp "freely" from one end to the other.

For training, you need to start with the basic commands and first to get your dog's attention . Your dogs think their the bosses. It needs to be ther other way around.

Keep them on leashes during training and don't let tehm run freely in the yard until they are completely trained. Sit ,stay and come are the 3 biggest. Use lots of praise and treats only when preformed right.

To teach the come, I use a 15 to 25 ft training line. Let the dog wander out. This is the only time you should use your dog's name, too. Happily call your dog's name and say come and at the same time, show a treat and give a gentle tug. You can start at short distances (2 to 4 ft infront of you) then work your way further away) You can also use balls /nylabones other motivators (I like the tennis ball!)

To teach boundries, you're dog needs to know the sit /stay command (down stay works well, too!)

Take your dog to a spot where you do not want hime to cross. (it helps to have a marker here) Make the dog sit about a foot behind it. Stand infront of your dog, put your hand out, palm facing him and say stay..keep hand out for reinforcement, walk backwards past the marker. (you may need to repeat the stay command if he decided to get up and walk towards you) Always make him sit, repeat stay. When he stays, walk back towards him, saying good dog and give him a treat. Repeat at various boundry lines around your yard. ALWAYS keep the dog on a leash until you are 100%% sure he will not take off.

IT will take some patience and time but you'll both benifit!

Candi