Car chasing

[wizard]

Gossy expressed an interest in speeding cars this past summer (red or black, sedans only) and I was working on giving her a firm no when she got too excited on our walks.
She is calmer on our walks but it has progressed into something much more undesirable in the back yard. At first I thought she was just burning off energy by running through the yard. Now I realized that she's actually chasing cars from one side of the yard to the other. Unfortunatley, over the past couple of weeks she has created a trench because the ground hasn't frozen yet and then she comes inside just covered in mud (making me a very "unhappy camper"). I can repair the trench next spring and but I'm getting tired of giving baths every other day (it's probably not good for her either)
So, any suggestions to get her to quit chasing cars this way?

[Basenjimamma]

Wizard, I so wish I had an idea as to how to get the her to quit doing that. Otis is doing the same along our fence, but he is chasing squirrels..and yes, we have no grass left along the fence, all ove 3-5 feet gone all the way around..so lots of mud and washing paws every time he goes out..

Otis chases cars too, when we go for walks, which is weird to me, since Otis got hit by a car at 4 months..you'd think he'd run the other way, but no..
I just firmly give him a "leave it" and he does better now. Of course you can't hang in your backyard all day screaming leave it ..
So I take it that she can see through your fence? Could you block her view, in a nicelooking and inexpensive manner?

[nobarkus]

My B/W Nika used to want to chase cars when we would be out on a walk and standing along the curb facing out to cross. But just walking a long she would not tray to chase. Though when she was loose out in front of my house she did not chase cars.

[Alex]

Same here, Chance is into cars. What I try to do is tell him to leave it as soon as I see him pulling towards a car, then I tell him to sit down and we just stay in the same spot and watch cars go by for a while.

[Kananga]

@Alex:

Same here, Chance is into cars. What I try to do is tell him to leave it as soon as I see him pulling towards a car, then I tell him to sit down and we just stay in the same spot and watch cars go by for a while.

That's exactly what I do with Kananga. He always wants to run after a car that drives by when we're walking a long a street. So I make him sit and let him know that he has to be patient and simply watch.

It seems to be effective.

[Basenjimamma]

Wonder why these african dogs are so intrigued with cars..it is not like they have been around them for long? May be they remind them of the ol' hunting days of hogs and the like.

[vickilb]

I got a better one for you!

Hunter chased boats!!!

When we went on our solo camping trip, he chased boats while we hung out on the beach. How did that activity stop? He went crashing into Puget Sound. Oh, not so much fun anymore????

Both my bs "chase" the 2 dogs that live in the house next to ours. They run along the fence, jump on our upside down boat and fun somemore. We decided early on that our backyard was a "dog yard". We fix some stuff but let them dig and make a mess.

[Kananga]

@Basenjimamma:

Wonder why these african dogs are so intrigued with cars..it is not like they have been around them for long? May be they remind them of the ol' hunting days of hogs and the like.

Well, considering they will chase a leaf, it's about anything that moves.

[wizard]

I just wish she wouldn't get so muddy all the time chasing the cars. I'm getting tired of giving her baths.

[nobarkus]

@wizard:

Gossy expressed an interest in speeding cars this past summer (red or black, sedans only) and I was working on giving her a firm no when she got too excited on our walks.
She is calmer on our walks but it has progressed into something much more undesirable in the back yard. At first I thought she was just burning off energy by running through the yard. Now I realized that she's actually chasing cars from one side of the yard to the other. Unfortunatley, over the past couple of weeks she has created a trench because the ground hasn't frozen yet and then she comes inside just covered in mud (making me a very "unhappy camper"). I can repair the trench next spring and but I'm getting tired of giving baths every other day (it's probably not good for her either)
So, any suggestions to get her to quit chasing cars this way?

I'm assuming you have a chain link fence? If yes, can you put something up to block her view or does she just hear the car go by and run after it?

[sharronhurlbut]

I think many b's like the idea of "stopping" whatever is moving by them.
How much walking time does your b get wizard? My husband takes our 2 out for about 40 minutes before we go to work, and I try to get an hour walk in when I get home.
BUT I do have to be careful when a car goes by my boy…he wants to bite it to make it stop, my girl, she could care less.
Its something we should all be concered with, cars are the cause of many b's passing on.

[AJs Human]

Alex has a great suggestion, but you have to catch the energy before it gets too much for your dog to contain. I would add to Alex's suggestion with this one: As soon as your B even looks in the direction of a passing car, distract her somehow. Make a quick u-turn and walk the other direction, make her sit and pay attention to you, as Alex said, sharply call her name…whatever it takes to get her to pay less attention to those cars.

As for the yard, watch her and the very second she begins to chase, call her back in so she has to settle down. Don't allow her to wind up so far she's running ruts into your yard. It will tell her the behavior is not okay and reduce the number of baths you are both being subjected to.

[sharronhurlbut]

If you want to distract a basenji, keep some good treats in your pocket..then you see a car coming, make the b sit, hold the treat in your hand, and once the car is close and your b is still focused on you, give the treat, with lots of praise when the car goes by.
It will get to be your b will see car, look at you, sit, and say, where is my goodie.
Takes some time, but is worth the work.

[BART]

My previous boy loved to chase cars also but I lived in an apartment complex with lots of "green" space where we could walk without being near the well traveled areas. There was also a 98 acre (I think that's the right amount) wooded area right next to the complex that was great fun (when it wasn't muddy). Very glad I don't live there anymore as those 98 acres are now a mall!! And the balcony that we had would have looked right to it. Can't even imagine all the basenji craziness from all the activity if we still lived there.

Current boy really doesn't care too much about cars (thank-you previous owners, whomever you are) but he has still run a path in the back yard from running from side to side trying to watch the joggers/bike riders/even just walkers coming down the street…and they don't even need to have a dog with them, although its worse if they do. But he also chases all the squirrels that come to my hickory tree, the bunnies that (I think) live under one of my pines, the neighbor dog, etc.,etc. I'm not sure it can be completely stopped, its their nature, but it can be curtailed. Some good advise here. Good Luck!