How I Stopped My Dog From Chasing Cars and Squirrels (Without Losing My Mind)

Introduction

On March 15th, I took Max for his usual evening walk, around the neighborhood. And you know what happened? A FedEx truck drove past us, and suddenly, Max lunged. He pulled the leash, right out of my hand, and he started chasing that truck, down the street. I ran after him, my shoelace came undone, I tripped over a curb, I almost got hit by a bike, and I chased him, for two whole blocks, before I could catch him. I was so out of breath, I could barely talk, and my neighbor was standing on his porch, just staring at me, like I was crazy.

That was the third time, in a month, that he did that. And then, the next day, he chased a squirrel, right into the road. I almost had a heart attack. I was so tired of it, I was so scared, that one day, he would get hit by a car. I tried everything, yelling, pulling the leash, even scolding him, when he got back. Nothing worked. That’s when I started looking, for a way, to stop him, from chasing things. After 6 weeks of training, I finally did it. I stopped him, from chasing cars, and squirrels, and I didn’t even lose my mind, doing it.

Why Chasing Is a Hard Habit to Break

First, I want to say this: it’s not your dog’s fault. They’re not bad, they’re not being naughty, they’re just following their instinct. Dogs are descended from wolves, right? And wolves, they chase prey, to eat. That instinct, it’s hardwired, into their brain. When they see something, moving fast, like a car, or a squirrel, their brain just goes, “CHASE IT!” It’s not something, they can control, at first.

I used to think, Max was just being a jerk, that he was doing it, to annoy me. But then, I realized, he couldn’t help it. When he saw that car, his brain just took over, he didn’t even hear me, yelling his name. That’s why, scolding him, didn’t work. Because he wasn’t doing it, on purpose.

And that’s why, it’s such a hard habit, to break. You’re not just breaking a bad habit, you’re fighting, against thousands of years of instinct. That’s why, it takes time, it takes patience, and it takes a lot of chicken, trust me.

Step 1: Getting Ready (What You’ll Need)

Before you start, you need a few things. First, high value treats. Not the regular kibble, not the cheap dog treats, from the dollar store. I’m talking, the good stuff. Freeze dried chicken, cut into tiny pieces, or cheese, the kind that your dog goes crazy for. Because, when your dog sees a car, or a squirrel, that’s the most exciting thing, in the world. You need something, that’s more exciting, than that.

Then, a long leash. Not the 6 foot one, that you use, for regular walks. I got a 10 foot one, so Max had enough room, to move around, but I could still stop him, if he tried to run.

And, if you have one, a clicker. I used a clicker, to mark the behavior, when he looked at me, instead of the car. But you don’t need one, you can just use your voice, if you want.

And, most importantly, patience. You’re not going to fix this, in one day. You’re going to have bad days, you’re going to have days, where he chases something, anyway. You just have to be patient, and keep going.

Step 2: Practice at Home First

You don’t want to start, outside, right away. That’s too much, too fast. You need to start, at home, where it’s quiet, and there’s nothing, to distract him.

I started, by playing sounds, on my phone. I found a youtube video, of cars driving, and squirrels running. I turned the volume, all the way down, to 10%, so he could barely hear it. Then, I waited, until he heard it, and he looked up. The second he looked at me, instead of the sound, I clicked, and I gave him a piece of chicken.

At first, he would hear the sound, and he would jump up, and run to the window. But I would block him, and I would say, “look at me”, and when he did, I gave him the chicken.

Then, after a few days, I turned the volume up, to 20%. Then, 30%. Then, 50%. Then, 100%. Every time, he heard the sound, and he looked at me, instead of running to the window, I gave him the chicken.

After a week, he would hear the car sounds, and he would just look at me, waiting for the chicken. He didn’t even care, about the sound, anymore. That’s when I knew, we were ready, to go outside.

Step 3: Taking It Outside (Gradually)

First, I started, in my backyard. It’s fenced, so if he tried to run, he couldn’t get out. I would wait, until a squirrel ran up, the tree, in my backyard. Then, I would say, “look at me”, and the second he looked at me, I gave him the chicken.

At first, he would see the squirrel, and he would lunge, towards the tree. But I would pull the leash, gently, and I would say, “look at me”, and when he did, I gave him the chicken.

After a few days, he would see the squirrel, and he would just look at me, waiting for the chicken. That’s when I knew, we were ready, to go to the street.

Then, I started, standing, on the sidewalk, far away, from the road. 50 feet away, from the road. Then, when a car drove past, I would say, “look at me”, and when he did, I gave him the chicken.

At first, he would see the car, and he would lunge, towards the road. But I would pull the leash, gently, and I would say, “look at me”, and when he did, I gave him the chicken.

Then, after a few days, I moved closer, to the road. 40 feet, then 30, then 20, then 10. Every time, a car drove past, he would look at me, waiting for the chicken. He didn’t even care, about the car, anymore.

What Didn’t Work for Me

I tried a lot of things, before I found this method, and none of them worked.

First, yelling and hitting. I used to yell at him, when he chased something, I would even hit his butt, when he got back. But that didn’t work. It just made him more scared, and more reactive. He would see a car, and he would get more nervous, and he would chase it, even more, because he was scared.

Then, regular treats. I tried using his regular kibble, as a treat. But that didn’t work. Because, when he sees a car, that’s the most exciting thing, in the world. Kibble is boring, it’s not enough, to compete, with that. You need the good stuff, the high value treats, that he goes crazy for.

Then, short leashes. I used to use a 6 foot leash, and I would pull it, as tight as I could, to stop him, from running. But that didn’t work. It just made him more frustrated, and he would pull harder, and he would hurt his neck. The long leash, it gave him enough room, to move around, but I could still stop him, if he tried to run.

And, I tried, just letting him chase it. I thought, if he chased it, enough, he would get tired, and he would stop. But that didn’t work. It just made the habit, stronger. Because, every time he chased it, he was rewarding himself, for the behavior.

How Long It Actually Took

I know, a lot of people, online, say, you can fix this, in 3 days, or a week. But that’s not true, for me. It took me, 6 weeks, to fix it.

The first two weeks, I spent, at home, practicing, with the sounds. Then, the next two weeks, I spent, in the backyard, practicing, with the squirrels. Then, the last two weeks, I spent, on the sidewalk, practicing, with the cars.

It wasn’t perfect, at first. There were days, where he would see a squirrel, and he would lunge, anyway. There were days, where he would ignore me, and he would run after a car. But, every time, we just kept practicing.

Now, after 6 weeks, it works. He sees a car, he sees a squirrel, and he just looks at me, waiting for the chicken. He doesn’t chase them, anymore. I don’t have to chase him, around the neighborhood, anymore. I don’t have to worry, about him getting hit by a car, anymore.

It took 6 weeks, it took a lot of chicken, it took a lot of patience, but it was worth it.

Final Thoughts

I know it sounds silly, to spend 6 weeks, training your dog, not to chase things. But it was worth it. I don’t have to chase him, around the neighborhood, anymore, I don’t have to worry, about him getting hit by a car. I can just walk him, around the block, and not have a heart attack, every time a car drives past.

It’s not perfect, sometimes, if a squirrel runs right in front of him, he still gets excited, and he tries to lunge. But now, he stops, when I say, “look at me”, and he looks at me, waiting for the chicken.

Have you ever had this problem? What did you do, to stop your dog from chasing things?

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A Quick Disclaimer

I’m not a vet or professional trainer. This is just my personal experience.