Hi, I'm Courtney, and I'm a Canine Behaviourist
and Training Advisor here at Battersea
Today, we're going to be looking at chase behaviours
Chasing is a natural behaviour for your dog
Hunting and herding breeds in particular
have been bred over centuries
to have a strong chase instincts
However, almost every dog has some instinct
toward chase or predatory behaviour
Quite often, chase behaviours can be directed towards
other animals, but they can also be towards
other moving objects such as people running
bikes, cars, and other dogs
In the wrong situation
chasing or predatory behaviour can be very dangerous
However, dogs that don't have an outlet
for this may become frustrated
and show other potentially harmful ways of expressing it
The key is to provide your dog
with alternative ways to chase, but in a safe way
We also want to make sure we manage situations
where your dog's chase behaviours might kick in
such as keeping them on a lead around wildlife
It is our responsibility as dog owners
to ensure that our dogs don't cause a threat to wildlife
or chase other people or other dogs too
For dogs who already have a high prey drive
there are a number of toys and activities
which can help redirect this behaviour in a safe and fun way
For example, you could use a flirt pole
which mimics the movement of a prey animal
You can whip it around on the ground
and encourage your dog to
run, chase and catch the toy
You ideally need to be in an open space on soft grass
where your dog can be off lead or on a long line
Throw your dog the toy and then drop it to the ground
and start to move it around
You want to imitate the movement of prey
So darting it around on the floor
will encourage the most interest
Don't worry if your dog is not showing interest to begin with
Remember to give lots of praise
for any signs they might want to engage
Make sure you keep the flirt pole low to the ground
so it's not to encourage too much jumping up
Make sure to allow the dog to catch the toy
on the end too
Not catching the toy can build motivation for the game
but you do not want your dog to lose interest completely
It can be helpful if your dog knows a drop command
so you can ask them to drop before playing again
But if not, you can wait until they drop it on their own
or exchange it for another toy
or some high value tasty treats
Flirt poles shouldn't be used with puppies
as their bones are still developing
and the high impact running and twisting
could cause them an injury
Long chaser-type tug toys can come on a bungee cord
or a material line with a fluffy toy on the end
Similar to the flirt pole, this allows your dog to drag
the toy along the ground and also play tug as well
These toys are easier to carry out with you on walks
and fluffy material grabs their attention better too
Teaching your dog to play fetch can be a good way
to encourage them to run after something
grab it whilst it's moving, and bring it back to you
You can use a variety of toys that your dog's motivated by
Each toy will move in a different way when thrown
which will keep your dog interested in the chase
Dog sport can be a great way to channel
your dog's motivation and interest in an activity
Many sports such as agility, flyball
lure coursing and canicross are active and engaging
for dogs who love to run and have lots of energy
As well as letting our dogs get their desire
to chase out of their system in a safe way
we can also manage situations
where they may encounter sights, smells and sounds
that may trigger that behaviour
Start building on up your dog's focus and recall
but in less distracting situations first
If your dog doesn't reliably come back to you
around distractions, such as people and other dogs
then you're gonna need to put in some more practise
before trusting them around wildlife such as squirrels
Keep your dog on a harness and long-line lead
while you work on their recall and focus
around possible chase distractions
This will stop them running off
but will allow for some freedom too
Find out more about this in our long-line video
You can make food rewards part of the active
training by rolling along the ground
to be chased as a distraction
This also makes the reward much more interesting
and can be used alongside toy play to keep things fresh
We can also use the appropriate toy outlets as a reward
For example, you could reward your dog
with some toy play when they come back to you
on a walk when called
This also makes the award much more interesting
and can be used alongside food rewards to keep things fresh
Those are our tips on managing your dog's chase behaviours
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