Many dog owners are faced with such an unpleasant situation when, while walking, their pet throws itself at passing cars and passers-by. Not to mention the fact that such dog behavior looks ugly from the outside, it creates a danger both for the dog itself and for the people around him. That is why you should wean him off this bad habit as soon as possible.
Why does a dog run after a car and even attack it?
Weaning methods depend on the cause, so the first step is to figure out why your dog is chasing cars. Basically, the desire to chase and bark at vehicles is explained by internal attitudes, that is, the instincts and psychology of the animal.
Territory defense
If a dog barks at cars only in a fenced yard, then he is simply guarding the territory. In addition to guard breeds, many shepherd dogs have a developed territorial instinct.
At the genetic level, they mistake all strangers for potential ill-wishers. The same applies to large vehicles: after all, animals often mistake them for living organisms.
INTERESTING!
When defending territory, the urge to pursue disappears immediately after the car crosses a certain line - the invisible zone of the four-legged guard's possession.
Fear
Don't forget about phobias. There are 2 options here: either the dog is frightened by the noise, or by unpleasant associations. In the latter case, fear develops after injury.
High sensitivity to noise or speed
Noise can cause not only fear, but also simple irritation. Dogs raised in nature, that is, far from the bustle of the city, have increased sensitivity to sounds. In such cases, a bad habit develops already in adulthood against the background of the appearance of stimuli that are unusual for the ears.
The speed of the object also plays a significant role. Most often, four-legged animals attack cars, bicycles and scooters, but sometimes they also attack ordinary baby strollers. In such cases, the developed hunting instinct should be blamed.
Improving leadership qualities as a pack leader
This reason is typical for pets with dominant behavior. They perceive not only other animals as competitors, but also loud vehicles with unfamiliar odors. If they are motionless, then the manifestation of the dog’s leadership qualities is limited to marking the wheels, and if they are in motion, to a menacing bark and a demonstrative chase.
Boredom
In the absence of daily exercise, dogs go on chases to stretch their paws. They do the same thing out of simple boredom, when they have nothing to do in their free time. That is, in this case, it is not the specific object that is important, but the very fact of its existence. Even a fly flying by can cause violent barking.
Hunting instinct
Companion dogs rarely cause problems for their owners, because they do not have an innate distrust of strangers and a desire to chase game. An absolutely opposite situation is observed among representatives of hunting breeds: greyhounds, hounds, burrows, gundogs and huskies. All these animals are very passionate about the target they are pursuing, so during the hunt it is almost impossible to stop them.
Step-by-step training
How to stop a hunting dog from running after cars? In this case, long-term training is required. It is carried out in several stages:
- You need to train your pet together with a partner. You need to invite your assistant to hide from the animal’s field of view and then suddenly appear. As soon as the dog sees the person, you must say the command “Come to me!” As soon as your dog approaches you, reward him with tasty food. While the dog is eating, your helper should periodically disappear from view and then suddenly appear. At the same time, he should not approach the animal, but only walk nearby. These steps need to be repeated 3-4 times. This will teach the dog to calmly react to human movement.
- The assistant trainer runs at a slow pace past the dog. You need to immediately give the command “Come to me!”, without waiting for the dog’s reaction to the running person. After the dog approaches the owner, you need to reward it with food. This exercise is repeated several times. Then you need to give your pet a rest and offer him his favorite toy. This stage of dog training is very important. It is necessary to get the animal to obey the command unquestioningly.
- The trainer's partner runs past the dog at a faster pace than in the previous step. The owner gives the command “Come to me!” and rewards the dog with treats. First, the assistant should jog about 20 m from the animal. As soon as the pet learns to immediately respond to calling, this distance can be reduced to 5 m.
- The assistant passes the dog on a bicycle. The owner calls the dog and encourages it. In this way, the animal will learn to calmly react to moving objects.
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But the most important reason is lack of education
Despite not such a large number of reasons, they can all be combined into one - lack of education. A one-time manifestation of instincts is completely normal, but a bad habit is formed only in the absence of punishment.
Without seeing a ban on its actions or, even worse, noticing outright praise for attacking walking cats, the animal consolidates a certain behavior pattern in its head. Blaming him in this case is unreasonable and useless: after all, only the owner is to blame for insufficient socialization.
Useful video
Watch this video on how to stop a dog from barking at cars:
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Why is this habit dangerous and needs to be weaned off?
Dog handlers strongly recommend training a dog from early childhood in order to eliminate problems with retraining in the future. With age, new information becomes more difficult to assimilate, since giving up your principles in favor of new ones is extremely unpleasant.
Because of this, many owners simply accept the situation and leave their pet alone after several unsuccessful attempts. This leads to the following consequences:
- getting a dog under the wheels;
- being seriously injured by a frightened and angry cyclist or motorist;
- causing accidents with injuries and deaths of bystanders.
Relying on chance given the existing risks is quite reckless. Instead, you should start re-educating your pet on your own as soon as possible – or with the help of a dog handler.
Instincts
Many dogs chase moving objects. There are two main reasons:
- An attempt to drive away the terrible “invader”.
- Receiving positive emotions. Pets rarely hunt seriously to satisfy their hunger.
Attempts to drive away are associated with fear and protection. The animal sees something unfamiliar (for example, a skier with equipment) and tries to fight back in advance. If the object moves away, the dog thinks he has succeeded. Companion races to secure victory.
Leash - makes the dog aggressive and usually makes the situation worse. Because of the leash, your pet feels connected to you. The animal feels that it is in a pack, so it behaves more boldly. First, the dog makes it clear that he is going to drive away the stranger: he grins, growls, barks, and pulls on the leash. If the companion feels your support, he rushes forward.
Support includes aggressive shouts, light twitching, and approaching the “invader.” This is usually how owners behave. The pet does not understand that the owner is annoyed with him. It seems to him that the person also wants to drive away the stranger.
Dogs have a special fascination with cars. The wheels are made of rubber, which pets love to chew. In addition, animals are attracted to the fast rotation and easy grasping properties. It is much more difficult to grab onto the body or roof. Many pets behave the same way with toy cars: they try to chew the wheels.
Some breeds are more prone to chasing. This applies to shepherds and hunters. Errors in upbringing and insufficient socialization aggravate the situation. What to do?
How to stop a dog from running after cars and other vehicles
If the moment has already been missed, then 3 basic methods are used to wean off. Depending on the reason for the persecution, they can be used individually or in combination.
Negative reinforcement method
This method is based on not receiving punishment for correct behavior. The simplest example is saying the command “No” and then pulling on the leash when trying to chase a car or when barking at another vehicle. Here it is very important to follow a certain line and not cause pain to the pet.
Avoid loud yelling and physical violence. The tension on the leash should be unpleasant, but in no way painful. This action should cause the dog to stop chasing and turn in your direction.
ADVICE
Try to give a prohibiting command even before committing an undesirable action, that is, at the moment when the animal simply pays attention to the vehicle passing by.
Method of increasing the authority of the owner
Formation of obedience is impossible if the owner is not an authority for his pet. Unquestioning submission to man is inherent only in hunting breeds. There are also no problems with small dogs who are aware of their vulnerability due to their size.
Pronounced dominant behavior is characteristic of guard dogs, regardless of what they protect. They respond less well to commands, but the method of increasing the authority of the owner helps to achieve immediate obedience during the chase.
When training a dog with leadership qualities, it is important to:
- Wean her from pulling on the leash during walks.
- Don't let her go first into unfamiliar places or go up stairs first. The leader should be exclusively the leader of the pack, that is, the owner.
- Be sure to stop any aggression in your direction, even indirect (playing with a hand or leg through a blanket).
- Encourage compliance when teaching basic commands.
- Be fair and avoid punishment without good reason.
If your pet sees you as a leader, then he will begin to respond to your prohibitions without hesitation. This will help stop him when looking at passing traffic.
Distraction method
This method works well on young dogs, as it is very difficult for them to maintain prolonged concentration on one thing. You can distract from a moving car with a toy, treat or stop command.
In the first case, it is recommended to choose squeaking balls or wooden sticks, in the second - your dog’s favorite treats, and in the third - orders that allow you to freeze in one place (“Stand”, “Sit”, “Lie down”).
Remember that ideally, you need to distract before the unwanted action is performed. If a car appears in your field of vision, throw your pet a ball in the direction opposite to the moving vehicle.
Ways to Praise
It is recommended to use verbal praise, affection and food as rewards for obedience. The last method is the most effective, but it has one big drawback - weak motivation. Despite this, it is quite often used for the problem under consideration.
Encouragement should only be used when using the method of positive reinforcement, when a reward follows for performing the correct action. That is, it will be useful when distracted, but will be superfluous when pulling on the leash using prohibition commands.
Ban
A well-mannered pet always reacts clearly to the commands of its owner, who prohibit certain actions. Gradually, the dog learns what behavior is unacceptable and stops demonstrating it.
Usually it is enough for a person to say the commands “No”, “Fu”, “Come to me” for the animal to abandon its intention to jump on a car rushing past. But unintelligent puppies and undisciplined adult dogs often do not respond to prohibitions, putting their lives in danger. In this case, more serious measures must be taken.
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Control
A pet whose behavior needs to be corrected should be kept on a leash in potentially dangerous places. In this case, a dog that decides to lunge at a passing car can be restrained in time.
The owner needs to use a short leash in order to react in time. When pronouncing a prohibiting command, you should fix the dog in place.
Experts do not recommend sharply tugging or pulling on the leash. It is enough to simply limit your pet’s physical activity.
