HELP! My nine month old bouvier is a car chaser. She is an escape artist when we put the cats food out, tries to chase cars (part of the time) while we are walking and chases oncoming cars while in the car. I make her do a down stay while we walk (works sometimes) and have put up a barrier in the back of the car. She will not come while loose except in a fenced in area. We walk twice a day and have several play and training times a day. Can you help me?
First of all, you need to reinforce your status as leader of the pack. Once she sees you as the alpha dog, she will start relying on you more and more for commands. There are a few things you can incorporate into your daily routine to establish this, including going through doorways in front of her, feeding her after you have eaten and only acknowledging or playing with her on your terms. Greet everyone else in the household first when coming home, and if she comes and asks for attention, ignore her until you decide that it is time to greet him. Lastly, don't forget to reward her when she is behaving herself, as this gives her something to strive towards, instead of just avoiding undesirable behavior.
The simplest way to teach her to come is to attach a long rope to her collar, with the rope being as light as possible so she doesn't notice it. Take her to a place where there are no distractions and call him to you when she is a short distance away. If she does not come to you immediately, give her a small tug on the rope. In the initial stages, praise her as soon as she takes a step in the right direction. Make sure you are only giving the command once, in a firm voice, and then tugging on the rope. If you repeat yourself a few times, she will come to think that you didn't really mean it the first time. You want her to know that you will only tell her once to come and you expect to be obeyed immediately.
Find out what is of value to your dog, for example a treat or toy, and use this as a reward when she comes. Even if she takes a while to come to you, make sure you never tell her off when she does come because she won't know what you are annoyed about and will think you are telling her off for coming to you. You may even want to crouch down with arms wide open to make yourself appear more inviting. Always put on a cheery voice and praise her lavishly when she does come. Once she is coming consistently, you can reward him once every few times instead. You should reinforce this command each time you are on a walk just to keep it fresh in her mind.
It is possible that she is chasing cars because she sees them as a sort of 'prey' that is running away from her. It may be hard to remove this instinct of her, but by getting her coming consistently you will be able to get her to come before she gets too excited to hear you. Also once you have established your status as leader of the pack, it will make her more responsive and tuned into your commands. Don't forget to praise her when she comes back to you instead of chasing the cars. It is a big sacrifice for her so you must make it worthwhile for her too!
I hope this helps and all the best with the training!
