rounding up cars problem

[wooly]

i just got my second collie from preston rspca today..it said on his report that the previous owners couldnt control him but he is good with children and other animals.

He gets on with my 1st collie fine, and fine with my son too....infact everything else about him is fine!

...but i took patch[1st dog] and monty[2nd] out for a walk and a swim over the flashes/lakes near my home, patch was off the lead as hes very obedient and stays nearby. but monty, everytime a car went past he was jumping at it choking himself on the collar [not a choke collar] and eventually bust out of it and started chasing cars and lying down infront of them [ hes a very big/strong collie, especially for 12mths]

ive heard of collies doing this before, but what do i do? im thinking of getting a choke chain tomorrow as he is bigger than a labrador. patch never needed one ...hes medium sized really and has always been good [he was a rescued dog too].

ive never used choke-chains before, to be honest ive never liked them but im thinking one may be needed now.

and another thing, they told me his name was monty, but he doesnt flinch an ear when you say his name :/

[mahar]

One of my two BCs seemed overly interested in cars. As a pup, he was pretty well thumped by a front bumper, and this did not dissuade him. On walks, I kept(keep) him on leash, though for different reasons these days.

 

All I can add is that the fascination seemed to pass. Without any active intervention on my part, he just started ingoring cars.

 

Perhaps a bigger worry is that my two dogs seemed to groom bad habits into each other. If one dog reacted improperly to a situation, the other would soon begin doing the same.

 

I am hopeful that the more knowledgable members can help you curb your rescue's desire the control the world.

 

Mark

[TT]

Hi, My rescue too liked to chase cars (on leash) after going to training class for us to learn to work together he will still watch sometimes but a "leave it" command will stop him from pulling like he used to. i am not sure what he would try off leash and i do not want to find out the hard way. Tina

[Tassie]

My two pups could very easily have been car chasers ? could be still (at 6 and 8 months) if I didn?t keep on to them. It?s worse on quiet country roads ? they don?t seem to bother with the heavy traffic in the city, but the odd single car gets them going.

 

Right from the start they?re walked on lead, and I too use the ?leave it? command (which I use for lots of other things as well). You need to give this command with feeling, and probably reinforce it with a leash correction. I follow it up with ?walk on? ? which means just get walking ? don?t stop, sniff, or even think about chasing cars. Sometimes if I hear/see the car coming first, I might say ? ?don?t even think about it? in a growly tone, and then give a brisk ?walk on? command, so that I can praise when they do. I?ll also use a pop on the lead (a quick pull and release ? they?re only on flat collars, but it?s the same action as with a slip chain.) The important thing is to re-focus their attention ? preferably before they actually focus on the car. If the dog is food oriented, food treats can help the dog to focus on you.

 

Shorten up the lead when you know a car is coming, so that you?ve got more chance of controlling the dog.

 

If he knows ?sit? or ?down?, you might try giving that command before he gets too focused on the car.

 

If you?re going to use a slip chain, make sure you get one that?s strong enough (medium/heavy is best), and only just long enough to fit easily over his head, and make sure you know how to put it on so that it is a ?slip? chain and not a choke chain. The slip chain by itself won?t alter the behaviour, but may keep the dog safer.

 

You might consider looking into using a ?Gentle Leader? or Halti type head collar ? this give much more control over the dog, and used carefully, gives him a better chance to listen while you do the behavioural training. Again, make sure it?s fitted properly, and that you get some instruction in its use.

 

The good news ? some dogs grow out of the car thing ? the bad news ? some, like a friend?s BC, will still need behavioural reminders at 4 or older.

 

 

 

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Barb