How to Stop Your Dog Chasing Bikes and Scooters.

Play helps redirect chase behaviours

Chase behaviour toward bikes, scooters, and running children is a common and stressful issue for many dog owners.

Here's how to address and shift this behaviour before it becomes a habit.

Why Dogs Chase

It's important to understand that chasing isn't "bad behaviour" - it's a natural expression of your dog's prey drive. This genetic response to movement is an ancient one, when dogs hunted for food. Some modern dogs have been bred to carry these hardwired responses, which is why a bicycle riding by can trigger a reaction, one your dog can find hard to control.

While we can't eliminate this drive, we can redirect it into other activities and build better responses to triggers.

My Four-Step Strategy to stop your dog chasing

Shifting chase behaviour requires a number of different strategies: enrichment, management, training, and play, all working together.

Step 1: Enrichment Starts at Home.

Enrichment is any activity, toy, or environment that a dog chooses to engage with that fulfils an innate need. It provides mental, physical, and sensory stimulation that promotes well-being, one that can shift unwanted behaviours.

The first strategy happens at home and works by tapping into your dog's natural behaviours using their food as enrichment.

• Begin with one or both of their meals to create a hunting experience that changes your dog's 30-second meal gulp into a 5 -10 minute hunting experience. This will satisfy some of their innate predatory drives and reduce your dog's need to chase because that need is being satisfied at home. For best results, incorporate this practice into your dog's routine.

• Replace the food bowl with scatter feeding across your yard or an appropriate room. Your dog will need to use their nose to search out every kibble, engaging the same neural pathways that drive outdoor chasing.

• Add puzzle toys, Kongs stuffed with food, lick mats, old boxes or toilet rolls filled with their food. As they get used to the search, increase the difficulty. Be as creative with their food delivery as you can. Hide or change the feeding locations, and your dog will need to hunt for their next meal.

• This type of enrichment feeding engages their sense of smell and sight, for foraging and hunting for their food and if you're using boxes, shredding and chewing too.

This isn't just busy work - you're providing an outlet for their predatory behaviour. A dog who has spent mental energy "hunting" for their breakfast is less likely to explode with pent-up drive when they see a moving bike.

Step 2: Strategic Management - When and where to walk.

Management is the second strategy and focuses on when and where you walk your dog. To reduce the 'chase practice' by walking at quiet times.

When your dog has less exposure to the triggers, they begin to relax, and their response to the trigger is reduced. This helps to set yourself and your dog up for success.

• Most bike and scooter activity happens during commuter hours 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM. The end of the school day brings running children and more wheeled traffic. Shift your walk times to avoid this traffic, early or mid-morning, early afternoon, or evening hours; any time when the number of triggers is reduced.

• To provide your dog some freedom walk them on a long line and harness, so you can maintain control. Scan ahead on your walks. If you see a scooter or runner coming, change direction or use the environment, like parked cars, fences or trees, as visual barriers for your dog and offer treats. This management will give you more peace of mind, and your dog will be more relaxed too.

And here's a crucial tip: put your phone away! You need to be present in the environment to spot triggers early.

Step 3: Train Your Dog's Recall.

With your enrichment and management in place, now you're ready to develop your first line of offence: Teaching your dog to come when called. Once your recall is established and reliable, it becomes your "get out of jail free" skill when life happens (and trust me, it will!).

• Start recall training in your garden with minimal distractions. Use high-value rewards - whatever makes your dog's eyes light up. Many owners make the mistake of expecting their dog to respond around lots of distractions without building the skill in easier environments first. It will pay off to start at home.

• Then increase distractions: practice in short 5 minute sessions, when you prepare your dinner, when the doorbell rings, or on quiet walks. While they're learning, use a long line on walks for security.

• Here's the key - make coming to you worthwhile by rewarding them every time, then send your dog to continue what they were doing with a "go sniff!" This teaches them that coming when called is rewarded, and it doesn't end their fun.

• When your dog responds with moderate distractions slowly and at a distance begin testing their recall around bikes or scooters. Two layer of security; distance and a secure lead, reward with treats generously.

Remember, even the best-trained dog may struggle when their prey drive kicks in, which is why you need the final step.

Step 4: Play as a Tool

Your backup plan involves redirecting your dog's chase drive onto another target, like a toy or ball. Your aim is to make this more exciting than any trigger.

• Practice at home first, and making it a game. Call them to you and engage with their toy of choice-tug games, chase games, anything your dog enjoys with you. This builds your value for your dog and will shift their focus from triggers to you over time.

• Carry that toy on your walks. If a bike appears, call your dog and redirect that chase energy into play with you. NB: I carry two balls and play a game of herding with dogs who want to chase; it keeps them engaged with me, dogs love it.

• A key tip is to play the game when nothing is going on. This will build muscle memory for the game, and it will become more fun than any bike!

Here's Your Training Sequence.

On your walks, with your dog on lead or long line, follow this sequence:

• Be Alert: Scan ahead and behind. The earlier you spot any triggers, the more options you have.

• Create Distance: If possible, move away from any trigger, calling your dog with you. This way, you avoid your dog becoming over-aroused, they stay in a learning state and able to focus on you.

• Interrupt: You could say "bike!" or "scooter!" in a bright tone, move away and reward your dog. You're teaching them that these sights predict good things from you.

• Recall and Reward: When a trigger appears, call your dog to you and reward them. Be generous!

• High-Value Engagement: When your dog chooses to focus on you, reward them with treats, a game, or play with a toy. This makes you the best option for your dog.

Managing Your Expectations- this takes work!

This process takes time and practice, 5 minutes a day for the skills and games. Be consistent, repeat and be patient with yourself and your dog.

Some dogs show improvement within weeks, while others take longer.

Celebrate every small win - maybe your dog looked at you when they saw a bike, even if they didn't come. That's worth rewarding.

You notice they are calmer on walks, that's worth rewarding!

They don't notice a bike because they are busy sniffing, that's worth rewarding.

Management and training work hand-in-hand. You're not stopping an unwanted behaviour; you're building new behaviours that will serve you for your dog's entire life.

The goal is to redirect your dog's instincts and build new and reliable responses around distractions and triggers. If you spend the time and energy following these steps, your Bike chaser will become your calm walking buddy.