Chasing Cars

[lisahumphreys882]

My dog goes crazy after cars. When I walk him and he sees a car he just starts pulling on the leash trying to chase it. He is better than he was before though,because before whenever a car would go by he'd bark, jump, growl and spin around. So I supose he's a bit better but how can I get him to walk calmly on the leash without pulling and trying to chase the cars? He sort of chases everything that moves though but the cars are my main concern.

[VTJess03]

Belle used to be awful about chasing cars. We started working with her to 'sit' every time one came in hearing and made her stay until it was out of sight. That seemed to help. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough. She escaped from me one day and was hit by one. Thankfully, she was totally unhurt...just REALLY scared. She came running to me and I had to carry her (all 40 pounds) to the house and she laid under the dining room table for 2 hours after that, panting and with dilated pupils...but she has never chased another car again. In fact, she hears them before we do now and usually sits on her own (usually behind me, so that I'm between her and the car) before the command is given. I would never recommend letting your dog get hit on purpose, but the 'sit' and focus on the person did help her be distracted from the cars initially. Good luck!

[lisahumphreys882]

Thanks! I have actually been doing this but only just recently and he does sit if i make him but he still tries to chase them if i don't make him sit. But i've only been doing this for a little while anyway. He got away from me one time and now i'm paranoid even when someone opens a door or if someone else holds him. I still have horrible visions of that day luckily i was able to catch him. He didn't actually chase the cars though when he was off but he was running through the traffic. Anyways thanks for the suggestion i'll be sure to work on it. If she were to get off now would she run away or would she stay by your side?

[VTJess03]

I've been taking her and working with a trainer on obedience/agility and she is now obedient off leash. She will run and play a bit, but she does listen (especially now that I've learned to communicate better with her and she thinks it's more fun to play with me than to do her own thing). I finally have a good recall on her (which I never had before working with the trainer...she was able to point out the things that I was doing wrong and ways to make Belle listen more closely to me).

She will walk up the road with me, but we've yet to see a car with her off leash...I am pretty nervous to try off-leash and on-road together. But she does sit off the road behind me without a command if she hears a car coming and she's on-leash. In the backyard she's just as much fun as can be...we play frisbee and work on obedience off leash now. I think a lot also has to do with the fact that she's now 2-1/2 years old and has gotten over some of her puppy/adolescent stubbornness. Be patient and good luck!