Your dog literally throws himself under the wheels of cars every time he comes across one? Beyond the very dangerous side of this practice, you do not understand this attitude and would like, in addition to finding an explanation, to find solutions to solve this problem?
Prevention is better than cure, so here is an article to understand why your dog throws himself on cars and especially what to do to prevent it from happening again.
Why does my dog throw himself at cars?
Above all, know that if you are unable (despite the information that will follow) to identify the cause of your dog's problem, professional help will be needed to achieve this.
It is very important to take the time to identify the cause of a problem before trying to solve it because each cause will have its own solutions adapted and personalized according to each individual.
Here are a few ways to help you identify the source of the problem:
The lack of socialization
A puppy who has never been used to crossing cars can develop fear and, eventually, aggression towards this "object" that he does not know. This is often the case with puppies who grow up in the countryside and who are never taken to town and who never get into a car either.
Indeed, a dog will naturally be afraid of what he does not know and the reactions caused by a lack of stimulation and socialization as a child can be very difficult to manage once adulthood is reached.
Hence the importance of socializing your puppy well, mainly until he is 12 weeks old.This also implies choosing a breeder for whom the socialization of puppies is very important because it must begin at the age of 3 weeks. And you, as an adopter, can only adopt a puppy at the age of 8 weeks, then you only have one month to complete its socialization, so it is preferable that it has been started by the breeder.
One (or more) bad experience(s)
Socializing your puppy is good, but do you still have to do it correctly! Sometimes, wanting to “over-socialize” your puppy, you forget the good manners and accidents can quickly happen.
Indeed, socializing your puppy does not mean giving it a maximum of experiences without controlling them as much as possible. It is therefore very important to avoid bad experiences at all costs, so that they do not become traumatic for the dog.
In addition, a puppy or dog that has unfortunately been hit by a car can develop significant anxiety when approaching a vehicle.And, depending on the dog, the reactions can be different: many run away, but when this is not possible, some end up “attacking” before being attacked.
Very (too) strong instincts
Jumping into a car, and anything in motion in general, can also be due to genetic reasons, deep-rooted instincts that are hard to fight.
These problems are often encountered by working breeds: hunting, guarding and herding. The hunting dog has a very marked predation instinct which pushes him to want to follow everything that moves. The guard dog has a protective instinct such that it does not accept any intrusion on its familiar territory or close to its master and the herding dog has an instinct of gathering such that it needs to control everything that is in movement.
This is pretty typical of working dogs downgraded to companion dogs.It's absolutely not "serious" to adopt a working dog as a companion dog (I'm in a good position to know this since I have two Border Collies and I don't have a herd at home) but it is appropriate however, to become aware of the instincts of the breed that one adopts and to find alternative solutions to help them express their full potential.
Lack of spending
We therefore come to the cause most often observed, namely the lack of expense. This is a cause often linked to the previous one because it is mainly working dogs who are overflowing with energy and who are "unemployed" for whom this problem arises.
Then, overall, a dog whose spending needs are not met will take advantage of the slightest opportunity and the slightest stimulation to externalize its overflow of energy.
Following, turning and/or trying to catch the wheels of a car is a very effective expense for a dog who, for example, stays locked up in the house or garden all day and is bored terribly.
What can I do to prevent my dog from jumping on cars?
Now that you know the main causes that explain why your dog can throw himself under the wheels of cars, the solutions to prevent this behavior from continuing are ultimately quite simple, you must:
Socialize your puppy
You will understand, this is the basis of your puppy's education. Socialization helps prevent future problems. Thus, it is important to socialize your puppy to anything and everything, so that then, in adulthood, slightly unusual events are finally "non-events" for him.
Get used or re-accustomed your dog to cars
Get your dog used to walking (on a leash, for more safety) in town, with cars nearby. Favor low-traffic streets at the start, then increase the level of stimulation little by little.
You can also positively reinforce your dog's good deeds: when he doesn't react when a car passes, give him a treat. You can even give him a treat as the car passes so he can take it in as something positive. This will also help him refocus on you.
Of course, getting your dog used to getting into the car and traveling in it also promotes habituation work.
In the event that you have "missed" the socialization of your puppy or that you have, for example, adopted an adult dog who has not had enough positive experiences related to cars, a lot of work re-habituation will have to be put in place. For this, it is always preferable to call on a professional because each dog will have to benefit from a personalized follow-up according to his level of sensitivity and his ability to adapt.
Spend Your Dog
This is obviously THE advice to follow and which is valid for, roughly speaking, all the problems you encounter with your dog! Spending your dog is essential to hope to have a balanced doggie who is attentive and well in his paws.
And let's remember, to spend your dog well, you need:
- take it outside the garden every day for at least 30 minutes,
- offer him occupation and intelligence games at home,
- reinforce your education through short, fun, positive and regular exercise sessions,
- offer him search and tracking games,
- offer him meetings with controlled, positive and regular peers,
- give him bones or sturdy toys to chew,
- play games with him that are both educational and fun, etc.
Control/file his instincts
When you have a working dog, predisposed to such and such a task (hunting, herding, guarding), but you don't have the intention, the time or the skills to help him express everything its potential: instead of wanting to suppress its instincts (which is impossible anyway) try to file and control its impulses.
This is done first with a firm and diligent basic education so that your dog is able to listen to you, in any situation. Then, of course, this involves additional activities that give the dog the opportunity to exploit his innate skills.
For example, for a hunting dog, priority will be given to tracking activities (digging, mantrailing, utility research, etc.), for a running dog: racing activities (canicross, cani-run, agility, etc.), for a sheepdog: assembly activities (treibball, herd driving course, etc.). For dogs with an important guarding instinct, it is more a work of socialization and education that must be put in place.
" Above all, to avoid strengthening (often unintentionally) dogs&39; instinct to chase and therefore make them want to throw themselves even more at cars, it is important to limit or even completely eliminate ball-throwing games or sticks. These games are certainly quite simple to set up and practical to exercise your dog physically, but they have two major drawbacks: they drive the dogs crazy, sometimes even completely crazy, and they especially reinforce their instinct of pursuit (which is therefore incompatible when you want to prevent your dog from chasing something else like a car in our case)."
Work on renunciation and reconnection
Teaching the “stop” or the “you leave” to your dog can be a great help when he begins to throw himself under the wheels of a car. I therefore invite you to carefully read our articles specifically dedicated to these subjects.
These indications allow you to keep control over your dog and above all to refocus him on you positively. This requires a lot of time, patience but above all a lot of diligence to hope to be able to obtain good results and to apply them in real situations.