Chasing people, cars and cyclists

Chasing animals, people, cars or anything that moves is one of the strongest natural instincts in dogs. It is an innate behaviour as natural to dogs as walking is to a human. It is also be an expression of the hunt - prey catching. Dominant as well as fear driven dogs can exhibit predatory aggressive behaviour and although most do chase and use aggression many do not. They simply go through the motions, but don’t attack or bite at the end of the chase, although this can often change the more they practice the hunt.

The Wolf, your dog’s relation, will pursue as a norm, its prey the Bison, Moose and other wild animals. Pursuit and hunting behaviour is natural. Many domestic dogs redirect that pursuit instinct into another activity or onto other moving targets. The habit normally gets out of control when the dog begins to chase other animals or people and although the chase starts out as instinctual, each successful chase, with the reward of a horse or jogger trying to escape, encourages the dog. There is no doubt that the endorphins (‘happy hormone’) - released in the pursuers brain puts the dog on a high. Dogs become more and more excited -it’s probably the nearest the domestic dog gets to being a wolf in suburbia - fulfilling its natural drives. However, caught in the early stages you have a much better chance of preventing or stopping the habit altogether.

Once cause is establihed in consultation, we then set down programmes and often go out training with the owners to demonstrate the most suitable methods for an individual dog.