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Hey All,

 

Just some background info: I've had my rescued full-bred BC for about 4 years now- he is 8. He hasn't really displayed BC herding tendencies except for extreme fright toward random things like shiny floors or loud noises- and this can usually be corrected. He pays no attention to toys like Frisbees, balls, etc. And when he is "focused" he will ignore food/treats. He likes treats but he doesn't get excited about them. I've never seen a dog like this before. Needless to say, he is very smart and not much can change his mind. He is very stubborn but also a great dog. I've taught him multiple command and exercise him regularly so not issues ever come up.

 

Recently, I moved to a house where he is now allowed to walk around the large, open yard free with supervision (he is used to being on the leash when not at the dog park). When someone is home, he is always let out of the house. Recently, he has developed this tendency to herd my car, just mine! He gets really excited and will run circles around my car until I pull in to say "Hey mom!" I have tried to have a family member try redirection and treat him as I pull in but they aren't super involved in the training and they would just prefer to lock him up when I'm coming home. It's not a huge deal but I'm afraid if I let this behavior go, it could develop into something worse-- like herding all cars. Recently, he ran toward the road full sprint thinking a car he saw was mine. when I quickly yelled for him he turned around like, "oh hey I thought you were leaving me."

 

 

Has anyone else had issues with this? And if so, what did you do?

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@Donald I do chastise him but the cycling continues. I either have to walk him back to the house and then move the car or put him in the car.

 

@Liz P- A fence is not an option. Maybe in 5 years when I'm able to buy a house but not right now. I haven't really thought about an electric fence either- it seems cruel.

 

@Borosaurus- He will already be outside when it is nice weather and a family member is home. He has a favorite spot in the yard he lays and he is so happy. I'm dependent on others in that case to make sure he is inside when a car pulls up. Like I said, it's not a huge deal, I just wonder if ignoring the issue would cause more harm than good-- like him chasing cars that look like mine.

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If you cannot put up a fence and you cannot ensure that the dog is inside when you are going to pull up, I would stop the car before he gets to you, call him, leash him, get him into the car, and then have him exit with you when you park.

 

Yes, there is training you can do, but if you cannot manage him in the meantime, I would make it a practice to stop the car before he gets to you.

 

Yes, this could end up with him running into the road and getting hit. And dogs who are highly prey driven do run right through electric fences, so I would not look to that as a solution.

 

That's why I would never, ever, ever let him practice the behavior. I would stop, have him get in, drive him up to the parking spot, and then quietly exit the car together. Every single time.

 

Still, it is a big risk leaving him loose unfenced like that. I'd be concerned about theft as much as anything.

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Why isn't a fence an option? When I was 14 years old I wanted a Border Collie but my yard wasn't fenced. I saved up my money (yes, I had a job), bought metal T posts, woven wire fencing rolls and a post pounder. I put it up myself. Deal in my family was if I wanted a dog I had to take responsibility for it, in every way.

 

I've rented plenty of houses and put up a similar fence. They are easy to remove to don't cause any damage to the property, so landlords don't mind them.

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@LiZ P- I wasn't given approval to put up a fence so I need to respect their decision. I might try to revisit with your suggestion for fencing.

 

@Rootbeer- I think that is sound advice and probably what I'll have to do. Doesn't that encourage him to run at my car though? He is treated to a car ride if he greets me at my car? (One of his favorite things to do btw)

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Just a thought from a complete non-expert. If you can find someone who will work with you, would it be practical to teach him that when he sees your car (or any car) coming up the driveway he should go to a specific spot (where you can see him the whole time you approach), sit, and wait till you turn the engine off to come greet you? Personally, I'd be inclined to do that AND a fence if you can, because I believe in back-ups in case one layer of safety fails.

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This does sound like a behavior that could escalate to a dangerous outcome. If you can't train him, then you must manage the situation (as others have suggested). Since you are in a new environment (new house), you can't expect him to display the exact same behaviors.

 

One suggestion for management: If there are family members at home (and presumably the dog is outside) when you know you are coming home, give them a call about 5 minutes before you come home so they can bring the dog inside. He can not practice this bad behavior and there is no risk of running over him.

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@Tx Mom- No one has been able to train my dog complex tricks/tasks except for me. He is fixated on me so that helps but I don't think any of my intermediate friends/family could do that. Great idea though!

 

@gvc-border- It might be best to make sure he is inside. I don't want to cause more bad behavior (reward running at me car) while I'm trying to fix him herding my car. I think he is just a special case and i'm not sure training him to stay away from the car will work.

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If he isn't interested in toys or treats, how did you teach him the other commands/tricks he knows? Have you tried building up his toy drive? Kieran didn't know what to do with toys when I first got him - he had to be taught. It's still a work in progress for us.

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Maybe you could start by having someone else drive cars up the driveway while you work with him? I would defer to others with more experience on this, but it seems like you could teach him first to perform the behavior with cars that don't have any particular value in his mind, then transfer it to your car, then your car with you driving while someone else is on hand to reinforce (rather than training a new behavior from scratch). Basically, you'd be teaching him to do something fairly simple (sit and wait) on the cue of seeing a car coming up the driveway, then eventually expecting him to perform it even with the distraction of it being you in the car.

 

If it's too complicated to have him cue off of the car, or you don't have anyone willing to drive, maybe you could just teach him a command that means to go sit and wait in that specific spot. Teach him without a car involved, then maybe you could park the car in the driveway and sit in it while giving him the command, and gradually work up to being able to pull up, stop when he approaches, give him the command, and then proceed to your parking spot?

 

Again, I claim no expertise and if my suggestions are poor I hope someone will correct me. Just trying to think of how I might approach it.

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@LiZ P- I wasn't given approval to put up a fence so I need to respect their decision. I might try to revisit with your suggestion for fencing.

 

@Rootbeer- I think that is sound advice and probably what I'll have to do. Doesn't that encourage him to run at my car though? He is treated to a car ride if he greets me at my car? (One of his favorite things to do btw)

 

If you call him, he is responding correctly to a recall. That absolutely deserves the reinforcement of a car ride.

 

But, if you want to raise criteria, you could ask him for a sit or down on the side of the drive near the car, and use the release into the car to reinforce that.

 

That might have a side effect of building a sit or down on the road next to the car instead of charging the car. Maybe - I would still be extremely careful.

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Dear Doggers,

 

Mr/Mrs Tonicspark writes: "Donald I do chastise him but the cycling continues. I either have to walk him back to the house and then move the car or put him in the car. "

 

The proper correction is the quietest effective correction; emphasis as stated.You must explain to your dog that greeting your car is so dreadfully unpleasant he must restrain his natural impulse until you've parked and called him, at which time he can be all the bloody fool he wishes to be.

 

You don't walk him back to the house. You chase him back to the house. No reward. None.

 

Donald McCaig

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There is no way in hell that I would give this dog permission to run to the car. You could very easily get into a situation where he is anticipating the call to the car (perhaps when he hears the car coming down the road) and make matters much worse.

 

I can't believe that I am about to say this, but I would not use typical pet or sport dog training on this problem. This is an adult dog with a reinforcement history of car chasing/'herding" . The stakes here are just so much higher than they are with a broken stay in the obedience or agility rings. If this were a puppy or a dog without a reinforcement history, you would have a chance of training this with cookies, mats, and clickers, but not in a dog that has already gone to this bad place on multiple occasions.

 

I think that if you are not willing to correct him in a way that makes a very big impression, your choices are keeping him in the house, tethering him outdoors, or keeping him behind a physical fence. If the people involved in your living situation are not willing to work with you to keep your dog safe, you need to think about different living arrangements.

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Maybe you could start by having someone else drive cars up the driveway while you work with him? I would defer to others with more experience on this, but it seems like you could teach him first to perform the behavior with cars that don't have any particular value in his mind, then transfer it to your car, then your car with you driving while someone else is on hand to reinforce (rather than training a new behavior from scratch). Basically, you'd be teaching him to do something fairly simple (sit and wait) on the cue of seeing a car coming up the driveway, then eventually expecting him to perform it even with the distraction of it being you in the car.

 

If it's too complicated to have him cue off of the car, or you don't have anyone willing to drive, maybe you could just teach him a command that means to go sit and wait in that specific spot. Teach him without a car involved, then maybe you could park the car in the driveway and sit in it while giving him the command, and gradually work up to being able to pull up, stop when he approaches, give him the command, and then proceed to your parking spot?

 

Again, I claim no expertise and if my suggestions are poor I hope someone will correct me. Just trying to think of how I might approach it.

 

I think this is a great idea, and should be combined with the correction that Donald is talking about (meaning correct him next time he comes up to the car, and then start showing him the alternative, which is the trained go-to-a-spot). txMom is right, it can and should be mostly you training it before your car even comes into play.

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