THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES

Critters Your Dog Wants to Chase

It’s fun to watch your dog animatedly chase something. It may seem useful to have the dog “dispose of” bugs and rodents. The problem is that we can’t know which time a dog doing this will become ill or even die.

Flying insects, squirrels, cats, snakes, gophers and all sorts of other domesticated and wild creatures can become targets for “crittering” dogs. Some dogs remain calm with the cat in the house and go nuts chasing cats outside—including the cat from inside. Dogs have savaged livestock belonging to neighbors, and are often worse predators on livestock than wild animals are.

It’s important to understand that a dog has no way of equating killing with the moral judgments put on it by humans. Dogs chase by instinct, and that same instinct will, if allowed free reign, eventually lead to a kill. Each repetition makes the habit stronger. The best way to manage it is not to let the instinct get triggered the first time.

Prevention
The key is to supervise your dog, and teach the dog to come when called no matter what the distraction. If you start this practice with a young dog, consistent training will cause the dog to automatically look to you whenever a distraction you have conditioned appears. So the dog sees a cat and looks at you, sees a squirrel and looks at you, sees a wasp flying through the air and looks at you. You’ll need to praise and reward this behavior consistently in order to maintain it.

Until your dog is steady around critters and comes when called, keep the dog on leash or on a long line around critters. This protects the critters and also protects your dog. Besides the harm that can come to your dog from contact with the other animal, a dog can get hit by a car chasing out in the open. It is also illegal in many situations to let your dog chase livestock or wildlife and can get your dog shot or impounded.

The wonderful sheepdog who helps keep the sheep rounded up and safe can become a predator on the same sheep if not properly trained and supervised from the start. The same instincts that enable dogs to assist humans in humanely handling other animals can turn into killing instincts without the proper dog-handling. This is a human responsibility. The dogs simply cannot understand the right and wrong of killing other animals.

From the beginning when your little puppy—or your dog at whatever age you adopt—shows an interest in another animal, call the puppy or dog to you. If the recall training is not complete, have the dog on a leash or long line so that you can be sure the dog will come to you for a reward rather than being able to go chase the critter in spite of your call.

Training
Some trainers consider coming when called to be the most important of the training commands, because of all the problems it can solve. Crittering is one potentially serious dog problem that can be prevented or solved with a solid recall.

There are dogs who will never be fully reliable on their recall command because of their genetic heritage. Early mishandling of the dog causes the problem in some cases. When a dog has repeatedly been put into a situation of being called and not responding to that call—such as when running loose in an off-leash dog park—that dog’s reliability on coming when called may never be what it could have been.

That’s the reason for using a leash or long line with your dog until the recall is reliable. Otherwise, you can actually wind up teaching your dog NOT to come when called. Oops. If your dog is not reliable on the recall, for whatever reason, use the leash or long line. It’s for the safety of your dog, wildlife, other people’s animals, and your own wallet. You would be liable for any damages done by your dog.

When you call your dog away from a critter, give a great reward for coming to you. Keep the reward out of sight until the dog arrives. If you dangle it out as an inducement for the dog to come, that’s not a reward: it’s a bribe. Considering the adrenaline rush a dog gets from chasing, that piece of food is going to come in second best at some point. Keep the dog guessing about the reward you’re going to give.

One time the reward might be a series of small dog treats. Give a treat, step back and give another when the dog comes to you again, step back and give another when the dog comes again—3 to 5 times. Now the dog’s mind has been completely refocused away from the critter.

Another time you might have something special with you, perhaps leftovers from lunch. Use the same routine to administer this in a series.

Games are a great reward, more important to some dogs than food. If the dog is turned on by the idea of chasing the critter, the chance to catch a toy 3 to 5 times is a great reward.

Know what toys your dog values most. For some dogs it might be a ball, while others might turn on more for a furry stuffed toy. After those 3 to 5 catches, give the dog a little time to enjoy the toy independently.

When the dog first gets to you, if the dog enjoys petting, praise your dog and pet briefly. Your touch will help to switch the dog out of the high-adrenaline mode that accompanies chasing a critter. Then tune the dog in quickly to you with the reward. Whether you’re using praise, petting, food or a toy, direct each reward from your face, getting the dog’s eye contact. This makes your control stronger in the gentlest possible way.

Critter-Proofing
There are programs that claim to proof dogs against snakes and other dangerous critters, usually through the use of shock collars. Never put your dog through a program like this on your own or with anyone who is not a reputable expert.

If you’re considering such a measure, consult a veterinary behavior specialist first. You don’t want to do anything harmful to your dog, especially when it can easily cause new problems without solving the one you’re trying to deal with. In dog training as in life, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.

Peaceable Kingdom
Some dogs are just wonderful with critters of all kinds, but this is usually due to a combination of amiable inherited temperament and careful youthful management by humans. In the next world, we’re told the lamb will be safe with the lion. But in this world, the dog owner who provides supervision, a leash, and excellent recall training is the safety net for critters a dog might go after, and for the dog who can so easily become victim to natural instincts.

Kathy Diamond Davis is the author of the book Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others. Should the training articles available here or elsewhere not be effective, contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians not specializing in behavior can eliminate medical causes of behavior problems. If no medical cause is found, your veterinarian can refer you to a colleague who specializes in behavior or a local behaviorist.