Chasing and its consequences.

Having recently covered work ethic and what qualities are linked to it, one which seems to crop up in a lot of dog breeds with a higher working ability is the 'chase drive'. This is a completely raw and natural instinct which our domesticated pets have inherited from wolves but rather than to chase and kill we, as humans, over the years have moulded and harnessed this very primaeval urge to assist with various jobs such as: Gundogs, Hunting Hounds, Ratting Terriers, Sheepdogs and Protection Dogs.

As years have gone by and both the human and domesticated dog numbers have increased dramatically and with the introduction and improvement of modern technology, we soon found that these fur covered work assistants became a less and less popular choice to help serve their original purpose. So rather than these breeds going extinct, we bred them with the intention of selling to a large pet market. Most of these dogs are still 'working dogs' (bred to work) but rather than fulfilling their genetic purpose as a retriever, herder, hunter, ratter or guard dog they are living the lives of quite frankly, run of the mill house pets. While they may not be out on the marshes, down rat holes, sitting outside of wealthy estates or hot on the scent of their quarry they all still possess the natural instincts and urges to do that job and to chase is one of those main components and, in my opinion, can either be harnessed or extinguished. Which one you decide is down to how prepared you are to accept that one day there MAY be an 'accident'.

I was recently reading a post on a social networking site asking for help with their young dog who started chasing joggers with the intention of possibly herding them. While we can argue it is only natural for dogs to do this, even I will agree that it is BUT in a modern day society where dog 'attacks' are becoming more and more easier to prosecute for, this clearly isn't acceptable.

The amount of dog trainers and behaviourists we have now leaves no room for excuse regarding letting this behaviour get out of control and arguing it is a natural behaviour to a jury of, quite possibly, non dog lovers will give you, as an owner, no leg to stand on and will result in your dog being ordered to be put to sleep. A sad but very very real truth I am afraid. We cannot give these people any room to, rightly or wrongly, condemn our dogs to death.

Most people would say ignore the dog when he does go to chase and then praise him for when he comes back, technically speaking, this idea is flawed because the whole idea of chasing is a 'self satisfying' behaviour, he is getting a rush or kick out of doing so and no reward you give when he eventually returns from satisfying a natural instinct will make him want to get back to you any quicker or not even bother chasing anymore. The thrill is just too much fun and too great for the dog to resist without some sort of a negative consequence.

Getting back to the behaviour in question, chasing, 9 out of 10 cases 'zone out' and become heavily fixated on a stimulus to chase whether it be a toy, motor vehicles, pedal/motorbike, jogger, another dog, children, pushchair, prey animals big, small, fur or feathered alike. Showing rather striking body language such as fixated stare, dilated pupils, lowered head, total body lock up in a lowered or stalking position and breathing is usually slowed down as well before they lunge. Most attempts at recalling your dog are futile, the natural chase response overrides all rational thoughts the dog has until he has fulfilled his mission to chase and possibly take down his target.

The key, from the experience I have had with dogs that chase, is to break the focus before the dog reaches the point of engagement. In other words snap him out of it before he goes off to chase. Break the focus on the stimulus and re-direct it back onto yourself using whatever motivates or breaks the focus easily.

I personally have found spray (air or citronella) and vibrating collars (I have never found a reason to use electric on a dog because both of the previously mentioned collars work just as well.) to be the most effective tool if used correctly, in my mind, collars like this are focus breakers more than corrective tools. Due to their very nifty remote control system they are very easy to work even at long distances. The biggest error to avoid is the dog becoming 'collar conditioned' where the dog only behaves when he is wearing the collar. Most people make the error of sticking a collar on a dog just before they go out on a walk (a vibrating one for example) and adjusting the level of stimulation (ie- vibration) to the highest possible level and pressing away without actually teaching the dog where the stimulation (vibration) comes from and that it is a negative consequence to, what we perceive, as a negative action. This creates another problem rather than re-educating and resolving the original one, again discipline becomes destructive not constructive because dog does not grasp what the negative consequence is for.

I have found teaching the command 'leave' is the easiest way of educating the dog to control his urge to chase. Start really simple with his favourite food or toy in your hand (lets use the example of food for arguments sake) and place a handful in your palm and hold it out flat in front of the dog (before this one should of placed the collar very snug and high up the dogs neck 15-20 mins before you start this exercise and taken off 20-30 mins after you've finished the exercise) and every time he attempts to stick his nose onto the end of your fingers to get the food, snatch it shut quickly and firmly say 'leave' and when he backs away open the palm up again... do this 2-3 times before you introduce one stimulation for him attempt to take treats out of your hand (either a spray or low level vibration).

At this time it is OK for the dog to look bewildered, confused or even bark because the stimulation he is feeling he cannot relate to anything he would encounter on a day to day basis. Repeat this exercise again and keep the stimulation at the same level and as soon as you say 'leave' and he backs away give him the treats that are in your hand with lots of praise and repeat sometimes with or without the collar on. In theory, he should now have been taught the 'leave' command in a way that he has a refined understanding of the command, what happens when he follows through with the command and what happens if he doesn't follow through with the command.

We then move the level of temptation up by introducing to the dog, what he perceives, as a higher value target such as: a dog he knows and would usually chase, again keep the stimulation at the same level. Start with him on the lead sitting next to you and get the other dog to run around in front of him and ask him to 'leave', if he exhibits any of the body language I had mentioned earlier than you give him a small amount of stimulation and once his focus breaks take him away from the target and praise him with whatever motivates him the most whether it be food, toy or verbal/physical feedback. Repeat until you can say 'leave' and he will make no attempt to engage in a chase. Again, sometimes back up with stimulation and sometimes give him the opportunity to make the right decision based on what he has previously been educated to do, not using the stimulation constantly as well does also eliminate the possibility of a collar conditioned dog.

Gradually move the level of level up to targets which give a stronger reaction and require more attention from your dog, if the stimulation has to be increased then only do so marginally, again, just enough to break his focus.

I would strongly advise that all of the levels you are going to try and push to dog to work in is done in a replicated and sterile environment first where error is perfectly acceptable and inevitable at first.

Just remember in the back of your minds what consequences can come of having a dog who chases in our modern day society.

Enjoy!