Solo33 Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Edited to add: He is 14 weeks old. We live in the country, and our driveway is long so Solo has no exposure to cars going by. I have started walking him in town once or twice a week, and this was his third walk. He would spot a car, stalk and crouch, and then go down and just stare until it went past. There were a few times that he did start after it, and he got a firm NO. I would continue to walk, saying "let's go!" and be brisk about it, and often that worked but sometimes I was nearly dragging him from his position. His breeder said to keep on walking and stop the behavior as soon as he begins, so at the beginning of him spotting a car and doing his stalking and strong gaze. And that maybe he needs a collar instead of a leash so I can pop the leash to snap his attention out of it. Any other ideas or experiences? He had started to chase after the 4-wheeler, too, but I would say NO really loudly and he starts back for me. I figured it was time to try to drive it myself and have him follow, and that actually worked well with me communicating to him as I drove. I try to be careful about not letting him out when someone is on it, but I know it's going to happen where my husband heads to the woods, and Solo needs to understand how to behave around it. So far so good. But this car thing ... I don't ever want him to think going after a car is okay, even to run alongside. Bonus pic: He is so stinking cute. I swore I wouldn't let him sit on my seats, but what do you know, I let his dirty little self on the seat when I drove the car up the driveway and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I don't have much advice, because I think you're doing the right thing. If you do a search, Chene also had a thread a year or two ago where her dog was trying to chase cars. It has a lot of suggestions, and her dog successfully stopped trying to chase them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I would try and manage his exposure to cars when you take him into town. I live out in the boonies too, and the only cars my dogs see are the ones that come up our mile-long driveway. So I also had to bring them into the city for training. He is so young, that I would seriously try and nip this in the bud asap since I think it would be easier now than later. I would work on desensitizing him to cars. Use as much distance as necessary to keep his attention on you. Walk him at the far end of a business parking lot (grocery store, WM, or similar) where, hopefully, he can see cars in the distance, but not react to them. Engage him with treats, ask for behaviors (sit, down or whatever and treat liberally), play with a tug toy, run a few steps, then stop and treat. Do what you have to do to keep his attention on you. As he gets better at focusing on you in the presence of distractions (cars), you can move closer. [And remember, since he is so young, don't work him for very long.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCjetta Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Mine was like this a bit as a pup...only if cars were coming at her. I would tell her quite firmly to leave it and turn the other way with her to try and get her attention on me instead of it. I would have her on a collar, not a harness because I needed more control of her head. She also showed some "herding" fixation on the ATV. When she was about 8 months the brother in law brought it out onto the ice at the lake and the dogs were already out loose. She took off after it circling it and trying to dive in and grab at the tires. After I got him to stop so I could get her, we worked on moving it slower and me with her on a leash behind it jogging and again really firmly telling her to leave it every time she started eyeing the tires. Did that again in the spring on the dirt roads and also had her ride in it with us. Finally tried her loose outside of it slow and only needed a few leave it's and now she will leave it completely alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo33 Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I don't have much advice, because I think you're doing the right thing. If you do a search, Chene also had a thread a year or two ago where her dog was trying to chase cars. It has a lot of suggestions, and her dog successfully stopped trying to chase them. I actually did read that before Solo started doing this behavior! I will read through it again. I would try and manage his exposure to cars when you take him into town. I live out in the boonies too, and the only cars my dogs see are the ones that come up our mile-long driveway. So I also had to bring them into the city for training. He is so young, that I would seriously try and nip this in the bud asap since I think it would be easier now than later. I would work on desensitizing him to cars. Use as much distance as necessary to keep his attention on you. Walk him at the far end of a business parking lot (grocery store, WM, or similar) where, hopefully, he can see cars in the distance, but not react to them. Engage him with treats, ask for behaviors (sit, down or whatever and treat liberally), play with a tug toy, run a few steps, then stop and treat. Do what you have to do to keep his attention on you. As he gets better at focusing on you in the presence of distractions (cars), you can move closer. [And remember, since he is so young, don't work him for very long.] My driveway is a half mile, so I can relate! I will work on being at a distance instead of trying to do regular walks with him for a few weeks and see how that goes. Thank you! Mine was like this a bit as a pup...only if cars were coming at her. I would tell her quite firmly to leave it and turn the other way with her to try and get her attention on me instead of it. I would have her on a collar, not a harness because I needed more control of her head. She also showed some "herding" fixation on the ATV. When she was about 8 months the brother in law brought it out onto the ice at the lake and the dogs were already out loose. She took off after it circling it and trying to dive in and grab at the tires. After I got him to stop so I could get her, we worked on moving it slower and me with her on a leash behind it jogging and again really firmly telling her to leave it every time she started eyeing the tires. Did that again in the spring on the dirt roads and also had her ride in it with us. Finally tried her loose outside of it slow and only needed a few leave it's and now she will leave it completely alone. Yes, it is when cars are coming at him! He seems to ignore the other vehicles. I will keep up with the 4-wheeler training so he ignores it UNLESS the person on it is calling him. And when they want him to follow, he needs to follow safely. So far he wasn't really eying the tires as much as wanting to chase the big object in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ourwully Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Juno was terrible with cars, bicycles etc when she was a pup but I used the 'Look at That' game with her. Once I had taught her the basic "Look at That' game I started using it with cars and bikes. The trick was to notice the distraction before her, tell her to look at it, and then reward the look. These days, cars and bikes, don't bother her anymore but we still use the game for other distractions. Even though the game has worked well I still wouldn't let Juno off leash with cars around. She is just too unpredictable at times. good luck Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo33 Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 We went for a short walk in a different town yesterday, while a few of my kids were at evening activities. He did much better! Even his issue of barking at strangers went down with exposure (and asking the strangers to give him bits of hot dog if he was extra shy when they approached). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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