Running at cars

[Lauren Hohenberger]

Hi Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone had some ideas how to stop my dog from running at cars. Sophie is 6 months old and when we take her for walks she runs at every car that drives by! She was about 5 inches away from getting hit last night!

Thanks!

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Gracious! Keep her on a leash that is non -retractable. Also, try using a "shake can" - it is an empty cola can partially filled with pennies or something else small and noisy, taped on the top so they don't fall out. Toss it toward her when she starts after the car, it might scare her enough to change the dangerous behavior. We had a relative lose a highly trained, extremely intelligent dog to a car accident. It was off-leash at the time. It only takes a second, better be safe than sorry. Another thought is a gentle leader collar or harness which lets you control where the dog is at all times.

And get the pup into a training class ASAP!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree; use a standard 6 ft leash, not a retractable, and start working on her "heel" command. If she is walking in heel on your left, there's no way she can get close to a car...or run, for that matter. But even if she's just walking freely with you, there's no way she should be able to get that close to a car.
Retractable leashes can be dangerous for other reasons; most trainers advise against them.

[GBK]

My Buddy has a very strong chase drive also and I did have this problem when he was young. As we worked on heel on the busier streets we would stop every so often, I would make him sit and we would just watch the cars go by.......

If he started to lunge from the sit, I would just put him back in the sit and praise him for good sit. We started slowly, and we had a small strip to walk each day until he finally did not react to the cars and heeled at my side. When he showed the interest in the cars, we would do the sit routine, and he got used to the cars wizing past and he got some time to watch without thinking of chasing. Hope this helps a little, good luck.
Gina

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for adding this, Gina. The automatic "sit at stops" has saved many a dog's life. A puppy has to learn early that you never set a paw into the street without permission.

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

We did this with Timbow too. We use a 6 foot leash and have him stop and sit every time a car goes by. We also walk with treats in our pockets for extra praise. It is so important for your dog to learn to heel and sit any time that you stop. Try carrying treats with you and give lots of praise. :)

[Kyoko]

Charlie did this and I was so afraid that she would get hit by a car as well. I did the same thing, and taught her "Car". Every time the car would go by, I say "Car" and have her sit, and treat. We practiced a lot at the large park where the cars can drive through but we are not so close to the car. Now she offers the sit without me saying "Car" majority of the time. Same as Dan, Judi & Timbow, my pockets always have some treats!!

[Nugget's Family]

Nugget had the same issue as a pup. I started bringing "high value treats" (cooked meat tidbits) with me in a baggie in my pocket. (She knew I had them....I'd give her one as we started the walk.) When I saw a car coming, I would tell her to sit...I'd pull her 6' leather leash (non-retractable....I really don't like the retractables) close and would give her treats til the car passed. This really worked well. She would notice the car going by, but was more interested in the treats. I think she was anxious about the cars and the comforting association of the treats helped her to lose her anxiety of the situation. She hasn't lunged after a car in a really long time (she's 3 now) and we walk in a suburban neighborhood 3 miles a day.

Good luck!!

[Lauren Hohenberger]

Thanks for all the ideas. We're going to work on the sit at stops and heel. The treat idea sounds good too!

[katherine willis]

In other groups, folks have mentioned using a Gentle Leader (either nose or halter) to prevent pulling. This also works very well to prevent lunging or running toward cars. I used mine with my ADL until recently. He is now 16mo old and no longer has the problem. In the summer we live in rural Maine and walk up a road. The sound of the cars, especially trucks, made him anxious and he would lunge, but because I had control through the Gentle Leader he relaxed. Hope this helps.

---I also urge training. We've completed basic and intermediate training classes which is as much about training me as my doodle.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I just saw the Weiss Walkie advertised. NancieCasey has one for Graciedoodle and my daughter just bought one for her lab. Perhaps this type of leash would be an alternative choice for you so Sophie couldn't lunge away from you.