Here’s the explanation about dogs chasing cars
Dogs Chasing Cars – There is a sound reason why your dog would suddenly just chase a moving car and how to stop this from happening.
Dogs are among the domesticated animals that have been a part of many humans’ lives. However, despite the longtime togetherness, there are certain behaviors that the dogs have that still puzzle human beings.
A dog’s behaviors have meanings and as a pet owner, you should know how to decode them to better understand them.
One of the common scenarios of having a dog as a pet is seeing it chase a running car. This looks dangerous for any human being but for dogs, this is quite normal. Samantha Mountain, a professional dog trainer at Monkey Business Dog Training in Montreal, Canada, based on the article in Mental Floss, said that “chasing is an instinctive behavior for dogs.”
This is not a form of misbehaving, It is their instinctive response to a certain situation. “A dog that chases has what is called a ‘predatory instinct. There are stages that define the instinct: see, orient, stalk, chase, grab bite, and kill bite,” Mountain explained.
Anything that moves past a dog will trigger its predatory instinct. Terriers and border collies are among the dog breeds that are more prone to chasing than other breeds. Although the dog would just stop chasing and does not bite after the car stops, it is still important to control this behavior.
To stop this behavior, you should train your dog. However, before the training starts, ensure that your pet is getting enough exercise. Start in your backyard where there is not much distraction. Then, slowly, you can expose your dog to moving objects like people or cars.
It is better to stay away from busy streets. Quieter places with fewer distractions are preferable. “The most important focus should be on impulse control,” Mountain said, adding that recall training can be done.
This uses a command (or in some cases, a clicker) to signal to your dog. When your dog is exposed to a trigger such as a car it wants to chase and if you do the signal, then, it will return to you instead of going after the car.
“You could also try using the verbal cues ‘leave it’ and ‘watch me,’” Mountain added. With this, after curing “leave it”, your dog will immediately leave whatever grabbed its attention. Then, you are directing your dog to immediately look and turn to you with “watch me.” You may also contact a professional to address this behavior.