help needed-chasing cars!

I'm going to assume that little Diego is always on a leash when you're walking him, right? [] I guess when you hear a car coming from behind, you could shorten his leash and just say *no* every time he tries to lunge toward a car ... and make absolutely sure that he never, ever gets out without that leash. I know how you feel because years ago I had a cockapoo/terrier X that used to run after bicycles if she managed to sneak out the front door.

Joyce

My sister used to have a minature schnauzer, who would hide in the corn field, then jump out to chase a car that went by.  One day, he caught one.  It wasn't pretty.

Yes, he's on a leash. If he's far away from the road he doesn't bother with them. Or if he's walking with his big sister Casey. He's rather be biting her tail then chasing a car.[]
 
I've been working on "heel" with him. But he'll stop a little behind me to look at the cars and try to chase them. So I've been shortening up the leash and telling him "NO CHASE"...it's helped a little. It's so hard! He'll trot up next to me after he chases on like "ok...I'll heel now"
 
 

Hi  another idea is to get your dog to focus on something else like a toy or a treat, as the cars come along and you say no and the dog listens give a treat, only if they dog has listened to you though, usually because they know they treat is coming they learn to focus on you instead of the car, if you do not like to give treats take the dogs favourite toy and when the cars come along show the toy (especially a squeaky toy) so the dog focuses on the toy and not the cars, eventually the dog will start to forget about the cars and you can slowly stop using the toy or treat,once they have got the idea, what ever way you use treat or toy, once the dog has forgotten all about the cars slowly do not use it everytime and then aventually not at all.
The toy usually works best because your timing can be out were as with a treat you have to be spot on with rewarding straight away other wise the dog will not learn why it is getting the treat.
hope I have made sense
 
Danielle

Best thing I know to solve this problem is to teach "leave it", followed by "come".  Check in the archives.  I have posted instructions on leave it before.  For come, just get Leslie Nelson's DVD, "Really Reliable Recall" and follow the protocol.

You could try using a "watch me" command, so that you ask him to look at you whenever he first hears or sees the car, then treat/praise him for doing that.  Eventually, he should start anticipating the "watch me" when he first notices the car, and turn to look at you instead of the car.  (This is basically Patricia McConnell's "Feisty Fido" training for leash-aggressive dogs, but applied to cars rather than dogs.  Seems like it should work with that stimulus too.) 

For what it is worth, I was told that car chasing is a problem with herders. Is your dog a sheltie? When training dogs to herd I assume there is a technique or command used to call the dog off task. This could be a good option. Sorry I can't tell you what is it. Anybody?

One of my Min. Schnauzers has always been a car chaser. She's always on leash but we figure if she ever gets away and catches the car she's a goner. I was so frustrated by this behavior one day that the next time we walked I put a Gentle Leader on her and carried treats in my pocket. As the car approached I stopped walking, showed her the treat and gave her a "look" followed by "sit" commands. She stayed in her sit until the car passed. Once it did I gave her a treat. If I don't have treats w/ me she'll still occasionally get fired up about chasing cars, but the Gentle Leader really restricts her ability to charge at them like she used to. I won't walk her on the street w/o it anymore.

I hold a treat away from my body and go "watch" while the dog is in a sit stay. As soon as the dogs eyes touch yours, reinforce. every few days keep elongating the time span. Knox got t on the first trdy. I held it from my body and he looked at my face right waway. If he looked away I go Ah ah ah softly until he looks back. It works great! Thats how we start out our working sessions. Now, if sees a   squirrel I go ,Knoxy! Watch! and wheels around and stares at me, like what the heck, mom! that was my food!